There’s more than one way to be creative in advertising: Alumni Profile, Marley McFaul

When Marley McFaul first came across Loyalist College’s Advertising and Creative Design program, she wasn’t looking for a career in advertising. In fact, she had already tried two very different directions. 

After high school, Marley enrolled in pre-health at another college. It didn’t feel right, so she left after a few months. Later, a law award she’d received in high school prompted her to consider a different direction, and she enrolled in Loyalist’s Paralegal program. She enjoyed parts of it, but still couldn’t picture herself as a paralegal long-term. 

Then she found Advertising and Creative Design. 

“The name itself—advertising, marketing, communications, creative design—I thought, that could be good,” Marley recalls. “That could give me a bit of wiggle room with a few different options.” 

There was just one problem: she didn’t think of herself as creative. 

Do you have to be a designer to study advertising? 

Marley was drawn to the planning and problem-solving side of advertising, but she was nervous about the creative side of the program, especially learning tools like Adobe InDesign. 

Looking back, she finds humour in her uncertainty. 

“Now, that’s pretty much all I do,” she says. “For my company, I do all the branding.” 

What changed was her understanding of what creativity in advertising looks like. 

As Marley moved through the program, she worked alongside classmates with different strengths. Some were drawn to graphic design. Others were strong copywriters. Marley found herself gravitating toward strategy. 

“It’s designed to operate like an agency even though you’re in college,” she says. “There really is a role to suit everyone’s strengths.” 

That experience gave her a broader view of the field and helped her see that being creative didn’t mean excelling at every part of the process. 

Learning to present before feeling ready 

Design software wasn’t Marley’s only concern when she started: she was also nervous about presenting. 

From the beginning of the program, students were regularly asked to stand up, explain their thinking and respond to questions in the moment. At first, it was intimidating, but within about a month, Marley says, it had become routine. 

That experience would prove useful as the program moved into larger client projects. 

Students worked on case studies for organizations in different sectors, researching businesses, developing ideas and presenting recommendations. Marley remembers projects involving a home décor business, the National Air Force Museum of Canada, a food truck and a gutter-cleaning company. 

Each project asked students to solve a different problem for a different audience while working as part of a team. 

When a class project becomes a business 

One of Marley’s most important projects started outside the classroom. 

While she and her partner were students, they had begun tutoring on the side as a flexible way to earn money. As Marley approached the end of the Advertising and Creative Design program, she began wondering whether the side hustle could become something more. 

For a final case study, she received permission to use the tutoring concept as the basis for an integrated marketing campaign. Working with two classmates, she developed the business through the project. 

“We created the whole company in the program,” she says. After graduation, the idea for Lighthouse Tutoring moved beyond the classroom. 

Today, Marley’s work includes managing the company’s marketing and branding, finding and onboarding tutors, assessing potential new locations and handling the day-to-day realities of running a growing business. 

During the busiest part of the school year, the company works with approximately 12 to 15 tutors and operates from four locations.  

Her advertising skills also extend beyond her own company. Marley takes on freelance marketing clients, particularly in the trades, producing video and social media content, email marketing and website updates. Before launching the tutoring business full-time, she also worked in a dealership marketing department and had experience with nonprofit organizations.  

What can you do with an advertising diploma? 

Before entering the program, Marley wasn’t sure where advertising and marketing skills could lead. Her own experience now spans entrepreneurship, in-house marketing and freelance work. She has also continued her education through a degree pathway. 

“There are so many different options and paths you can take post-grad,” she says. 

For Marley, the program’s value was in giving her experience across strategy, design, content creation, client communication and presenting, then allowing her to figure out where she fit best. 

It also introduced her to a professional network earlier than she expected. Because students worked with outside organizations, Marley later encountered some of those same people at networking events after graduation. One introduction led to another, and she began to make connections across the community. 

Is advertising the right fit? 

Marley remembers what it was like to enter the program without feeling confident about design, software, presenting or even whether she belonged in a creative field. 

Her advice now is not to wait until you have it all figured out. 

Students arrive with different strengths, she says, and the foundational skills are taught from the beginning. More importantly, they have time to discover what they are good at. 

“Find your people, ask questions, try your absolute best,” Marley says. “You may not know exactly where you want to go before you begin, but the program can help you find out.”  

Explore Advertising and Creative Design at Loyalist College

Interested in a career that combines creativity, strategy and problem-solving? Discover how Loyalist’s Advertising and Creative Design program helps students build their portfolios, work on real client projects and prepare for opportunities in advertising, marketing and beyond.

Explore the Advertising and Creative Design program