Grad Spotlights
Featuring success stories from IDEA School of Design Grads.
Featured
Featuring success stories from IDEA School of Design Grads.
Five of our grads work at Vancouver’s Will Creative. We asked them to share some career advice for our 4th year students as they prepare for their practicums.
Shown left to right above: Will Erickson (Grad 2015), Allison Chambers (Grad 2013), Jennifer Hicks (Grad 2006), Briony Crane (Grad 2006) and Rory O'Sullivan (Grad 2005).
Alex Maertz graduated from IDEA School of Design last year, got married and moved to Cumberland, BC. She is currently finishing off illustrating her first children’s book, The Girl and Her Sun, coming out late Spring 2019.
In this grad spotlight, Alex shares her process illustrating children’s books and how she is growing her own little business on Vancouver Island at her makeshift standing desk in her kitchen using a cardboard box from Costco for ergonomics. Catch up with Alex and her dog!
Vivay Li (IDEA18) is a graphic designer at Phoenix Labs for their free-to-play monster slaying game, Dauntless. She did her practicum at The Sequence Group, a boutique animation studio in Vancouver and split up her time between volunteering, freelancing, and networking during the summer.
She continues to volunteer for industry events, such as Artbreakers, Full Indie, Vault 100, and Global Game Jam, provide support for minorities in the games industry and believes “everyone deserves to be loved, regardless of what they do or do not achieve.” Catch up with Vivay!
Lenka Prochazka (IDEA16) interned at Origin, an outdoor-focused, digitally driven creative and marketing agency in Whistler, BC between her 2nd and 3rd years at IDEA School of Design and was hired full time Fall 2016.
Her highlight project this past year was creating a brand identity for the lululemon 10k runs in Toronto and Edmonton. She’s recently been exposing herself more to motion design using After Effects and Cinema 4D. Read her story!
Freelance designer Rachelle Hynes graduated from IDEA School of Design in 2009. Her advice to design students is to “trust your gut” and “integrate YOUR uniqueness into whatever path you choose”.
We recently caught up with her about her journey as creative director, designer and thought-leader in Vancouver to her “deep passion to do something more and something with a richer purpose”.
Read Rachelle’s story about her new Zesty Life in Squamish, BC!
Shay Klassen (IDEA18) started off as a concept artist her first 3 months at Vancouver’s Gámomo Creative Lab and recently art directed an animated short for HOPR Bike Share and Scooter Share. Her advice to anyone wanting to work in the animation industry: “USE YOUR SKETCHBOOK DUMMY. For real.” Catch up with Shay!
“In IDEA I failed, a lot. I failed constantly. I’m so glad I failed so much, because I really learned and grew from those experiences.” says Syd Danger who graduated from Capilano University’s IDEA School of Design in 2015. We caught up with her after her recent SADCAST interview about her time working at Capilano Courier to Adbusters, Geist and now SAD. Read our full interview with Syd!
Graeme Jack graduated from IDEA School of Design in 2005. He got his first break doing ad campaigns and was “hooked”. His advice to graphic design students: “You are a brand. But, don’t be afraid of looking stupid and just be yourself, stay a good person. We choose to be creative because we enjoy it, remember?“ Graeme is the Senior Art Director at Wasserman + Partners Advertising Inc. in Vancouver. Early Applications for Fall 2019 open on November 2, 2018. Check out our recent interview with Graeme!
Making lifelong friends through the IDEA program is a huge highlight for Amanda. She originally graduated from the three year diploma program in 2015. After two years of working at a signage company, she wanted to switch gears and focus more on branding so she decided to go back to school to revamp her portfolio, brush up on her skills, and earn a degree. Amanda returned in fall 2017 to complete the fourth and final year of the new degree program. IDEA School of Design was one of the most challenging things she’s ever done, filled with lots of work and many late nights, but Amanda says it was so worth it and that she loved every minute of it! She encourages anyone who is interested to apply. Early Applications for Fall 2019 open on November 2, 2018. Catch up with Amanda!
“Everything is still sunshine and rainbows” for Alice Zeng (IDEA18). She gets to work on a lot of different types of projects spanning a variety of mediums including illustration projects in conjunction with design and branding. "For someone who was torn for the longest time whether to go into design or illustration, being able to have a balance like that was essentially my dream" she says. Her advice to other students: “Hang in there, I promise the workload gets easier in the real world.” Catch up with Alice and her paper flower making skills!
Kate "stumbled upon" IDEA School of Design and believes it was "the perfect choice” for her. She graduated from IDEA in 2016 and then spent a year abroad completing her degree. Her takeaway: "surround yourself with smart people, remain a neophyte, and look for heroes and mentors." She currently works at Traction Creative Communications in Vancouver as an Art Director/Graphic Designer and wants to continue creating art and design that will "encourage meaningful conversation in our city." Catch up with Kate!
Adam Briggs is an Oil Painter, Illustrator and Art Director based out of Vancouver, Canada. Adam graduated from IDEA School of Design in 2013.
Kathy Ager is a Canadian-born artist based in Amsterdam who graduated from IDEA School of Design in 2007. She was encouraged by instructor Kiff Holland and has recently transitioned into painting mixing the classical with pop contemporary. Represented by Thinkspace Gallery in LA, her first group show in the US opens June 9, 2018 at Antler Gallery in Portland, Oregon. Check out her interview with us.
Since graduating from Capilano University’s IDEA School of Design in 2005, Camilla has gone on to work with publishers, companies and galleries across North America and worldwide including Disney, Hasbro, Mattel, Dark Horse Comics, Random House Books, Line Webtoons and Skillshare. While a lot of her art style is self-taught, she says that IDEA School of Design taught her how to complete her work to the best of her ability and meet your deadlines. Her big solo show with Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles debuts April 7, 2018!
Graduating in 2009 after the recession gave Darcy Clelland no choice but to pursue freelancing. Now loving life on Vancouver Island, he works for a new company that is making apps in the farming industry but he still gets excited when he sees the records, shirts, hats and general merch that he makes for his friends bands. Read his story.
Jackie Kai Ellis graduated from IDEA School of Design at Capilano University in 2004 and ran a thriving design firm in Vancouver for several years when in 2011 she closed her company and set off to Paris to pursue her life-long love of baking. Her memoir comes out tomorrow, March 6 2018! Check out her story and podcast on Vancouver Is Awesome.
This illustration by IDEA School of Design alumni Aaron Campbell was created for Adobe's university recruitment program to be used as a large backdrop for their booth. The concept was about discovering new paths while working at Adobe and exploring your passion. Read his recent interview.
Applied Arts is pleased to present the 12th annual Creative Calendar showcasing a stellar collection of student and graduate work from Capilano University's IDEA School of Design. Congratulations to Capilano University on its 50th anniversary and to the wonderful talent it is adding to the creative industry.
“What if we don’t land that nine-to-five at the award-winning agency as soon as we graduate?” Catch up with Grad07 alumna, Adriana Koc-Spadaro, one decade after graduating from IDEA School of Design plus check out her 2018 Moon Calendar available for purchase starting today!
IDEA grad and freelance illustrator, Samantha Leigh Smith, recently illustrated a timeline detailing the history of transit in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia for The Buzzer's 100th Birthday. Check it out!
Mike Cerka, a graduate from Capilano University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, and Tyler Quarles, a graduate from CapU’s IDEA School of Design, joined forces to design Baro weatherproof gear.
John Larigakis is the co-creator of a cartoon series called Snack Time on YouTube with over 40k subscribers. John gradated from Capilano University’s IDEA School of Design in 2010 and didn’t even consider other schools.
Wild animals have become a way fine artist and IDEA Grad07 Jennifer Sparacino showcases “the intense presence of immediacy of living in the moment—they are simply being.”
For each of the 10 shortlisted albums of the 2017 Polaris Music Prize, a visual artist produced artwork for one 18 x 24 inch poster. The finished artwork was screen printed in a limited edition of 44 and one framed copy provided to 2017 Short List nominee. Cristian was honoured to create a poster for the album Pleasure by Feist.
From fine dining rooms and comic books to the more permanent art of the flesh, IDEA School of Design grad Katie So is busily making a lasting impression on our city.