Around this time period is when Darren first took steps to pursue a postsecondary education in the field of graphic design. It only lasted two weeks before he withdrew and attempted to go at it on his own.

To help his son, his father stepped in and connected him with Mohawk College professor, Daniel McQueen. After speaking with Daniel and hearing how the program at Mohawk would provide Darren with practical experience to help grow his business, Darren enrolled in the three-year Graphic Design program. "Dan went over what the projects would consist of in the courses. Compared to the program I dropped out of where it was very textbook based and had a slow pace, Mohawk was the total opposite,” says Darren. “A lot of what we do in this industry is hands-on and you can only learn so much theory – you actually have to put it to use.”

Throughout his time at Mohawk, particularly during the final year, Darren was able to work with his professors to adapt the courses to apply to his business, DJD Graphics. “My classmates were creating their own brand while I was building up my existing brand,” he says.

Operating since 2015, DJD Graphics, focuses mostly on the automotive business. After switching from Sharpie designs to vinyl applications, Darren tested his work on his own cars. The early ones were flat race cars that were going to get damaged anyways, due to the nature of racing. He knew that he could always re-print and apply new vinyl.

Gaining experience with his own cars, he began wrapping cars for other people, first using an outside print shop before purchasing his own printer a year ago. “I always start with my own, then I post it to social media, then people see it and want it for their own,” Darren says. He now has expanded to designing full packages for racing drivers and teams, including car wraps, helmets, racing suits, shoes, and gloves.