Vylan Tran's (IDEA Grad 2024) third week Industry Practicum at Minivillage

Vylan Tran's (IDEA Grad 2024) third week Industry Practicum at Minivillage

James Neufeld
Practicums & Internships

Capilano University's IDEA School of Design has a strong connection with the Vancouver creative industry including fourth-year practicums. The final course in our four-year degree program—IDES 490 Industry Practicum—is an eight-week full-time placement in a local Vancouver company.

We hope some of these practicums will end in job offers. We expect that all placements will give our students' résumés a boost and provide some excellent professional references.

Check out this practicum story by Vylan Tran (IDEA Grad 2024) at Minivillage!

Meet your peeps at IDEA School of Design's Monthly Networking Meet-ups: Coffee, Confections and Connections

Meet your peeps at IDEA School of Design's Monthly Networking Meet-ups: Coffee, Confections and Connections

James Neufeld
Events, Student Life

Your IDEA School of Design network is one of your most valuable resources; from the alumni working in industry to your peers in different years. 2nd and 3rd-year students can give newer students advice, tips and tricks about Capilano University’s Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication program in North Vancouver, while 1st-year students bring fresh energy and questions. IDEA School of Design’s “Monthly Minglers” help students connect over coffee and confections and build their network. Plus… IDEAs are awesome!

Check out this story about student life at IDEA School of Design!

Imogen Pettyfer's (IDEA Grad 2024) first week Industry Practicum at We The Collective

Imogen Pettyfer's (IDEA Grad 2024) first week Industry Practicum at We The Collective

James Neufeld
Practicums & Internships

Capilano University's IDEA School of Design has a strong connection with the Vancouver creative industry including fourth-year practicums. The final course in our four-year degree program—IDES 490 Industry Practicum—is an eight-week full-time placement in a local Vancouver company.

We hope some of these practicums will end in job offers. We expect that all placements will give our students' résumés a boost and provide some excellent professional references.

Check out this practicum story by Imogen Pettyfer (IDEA Grad 2024) at We The Collective!

Celebrating culture through food and flavours: Inspiring a CapU student’s award-winning brand design

Celebrating culture through food and flavours: Inspiring a CapU student’s award-winning brand design

James Neufeld
Student Spotlight

It has been an illustrious year for CapU IDEA School of Design student Celina Zhong. The fourth year Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication student has received a long list of awards for her design project titled Soya Fusion, most notably the 2023 DesCan Jim Rimmer Scholarship and 2023 RGD Q30 Design Award for Brand Design.

Check out this story!

Wanting a career-focused education, Siobhan Barry (IDEA Grad 2026) returned to university for a second undergrad and has learned to seek advice and input from classmates

Wanting a career-focused education, Siobhan Barry (IDEA Grad 2026) returned to university for a second undergrad and has learned to seek advice and input from classmates

James Neufeld
Student Spotlight

Meet second-year Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication student, Siobhan Barry (IDEA Grad 2026)! Her self-portrait for IDES 133 - Visual Studio taught last year by Jay Bassan is shown above.

“A big shift happened when I began to seek advice and input from classmates who are skilled in the areas I am weak in. I began to really lean into asking for help. It has enhanced my work, learning, and process immensely,” writes Siobhan.

Read Siobhan’s story and check out some of her other work for a glimpse into student life at IDEA School of Design at Capilano University.

Happy Valentine's Day 2024 from IDEA School of Design!

Happy Valentine's Day 2024 from IDEA School of Design!

James Neufeld
Student Work

Check out some student illustrations for Valentine’s Day. Shown above: Valentine’s Day illustrations by Yohahnah Loker and Alisa Nguyen (IDEA Grad 2025).

Capilano University’s IDEA School of Design offers a 4-year Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication degree and a 2-year Interaction Design diploma. Our curriculum is rigorous and industry-focused — that’s why we are known for the quality and industry-readiness of our graduates.

Late Admission runs Feb 1, 2024 - April 2, 2024. The IDEA Grad Show is April 8/9, 2024.

Samantha Yeung (IDEA Grad 2025) and team win first place in Community & Connection Track and Best Design Award at nwHacks 2024 for an anonymous social journaling app

Samantha Yeung (IDEA Grad 2025) and team win first place in Community & Connection Track and Best Design Award at nwHacks 2024 for an anonymous social journaling app

James Neufeld
Awards & Scholarships

Samantha Yeung (IDEA Grad 2025) had the opportunity to participate in nwHacks, Western Canada's largest 24-hour hackathon, last month. Her team (Robbie Laughlen, Franklin Ma and Alvicorn Tsang) won first place in the Community and Connection Track and Best Design Award of nwHacks 2024.

nwHacks is Western Canada’s Largest Hackathon held January 20 - 21, 2024 at UBC.

Samantha worked on the research, user experience and interface design, and presentation for yapyap. UI illustrations and some icons were created in Adobe Illustrator, and the wireframes and high-fidelity prototype were all done in Figma.

Check out this story!

The Best Annual Report Design Projects from IDEA BDes Grad 2026 Students

The Best Annual Report Design Projects from IDEA BDes Grad 2026 Students

James Neufeld
Student Work

IDEA School of Design’s Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication (Grad 2026) students at Capilano University were tasked with designing compelling annual reports or community reports using either illustration, photography or interesting graphic treatments and typography. It was an opportunity for them to learn how to do research, use grids and consider appropriate art direction for their chosen company or organization.

Check out some of the best projects from Vida Jurcic’s 2nd Year IDES 243 Design Studio I course. Shown above: ShareGrocer Annual Report by Siobhan Barry.

IDEA Grad 2025 students develop a communication strategy to build empathy in the North Shore Dogs concentration

IDEA Grad 2025 students develop a communication strategy to build empathy in the North Shore Dogs concentration

James Neufeld
Student Life

Ten IDEA School of Design Grad 2025 students joined Sheena Trenholm, owner of Urban Dog Outdoor Adventures for a trail walk with six of her happy "clients" last week as part of the North Shore Dogs concentration project with instructor Elyssa Schmid. Sheena shared her perspective on the challenges between communities.

The objective of the North Shore Dogs project is for students to develop a communication strategy that builds empathy and enhances co-existence and mutual respect between dog owners, non-dog owners, and professionals in dog-related services in shared public spaces in North Vancouver.

Check out this story.

The Best Beverage Packaging & Promotional Campaign Projects from IDEA Grad 2026

The Best Beverage Packaging & Promotional Campaign Projects from IDEA Grad 2026

James Neufeld
Student Work, Branding, Packaging

The Beverage Packaging & Promotional Campaign Project gave students a chance to sink their teeth into some beverage branding, or to re-think an existing brand of beverage, either alcoholic or non-alcoholic. It gave illustrators a chance to showcase their talents in application. The accompanying promotional campaign also gave students the opportunity to consider how marketing strategy works in developing a creative approach that will connect with their target audience.

Check out some of the best projects from Vida Jurcic’s 2nd Year Design Studio I class. Shown above: Alpenglow Winter Ale packaging by Mena McGill.

“’90s Delinquent” by Alexis Chiang (IDEA Grad 2026)

“’90s Delinquent” by Alexis Chiang (IDEA Grad 2026)

James Neufeld
Student Spotlight

Meet second-year student, Alexis Chiang (IDEA Grad 2026)! Her self-portrait for IDES 133 - Visual Studio taught last year by Jay Bassan is shown above.

“A breakthrough moment for me was when I realized that I am my biggest enemy, and I need to toss away unnecessary doubts and just trust the process,” writes Alexis.

Read Alexis’ story and check out some of her other work for a glimpse into student life at IDEA School of Design at Capilano University.

Kyle Rask (IDEA BDES Grad 2025) wins Top 10 in CAPIC Rodeo 15 Student Illustration Contest with 'The Holy Trinity'

Kyle Rask (IDEA BDES Grad 2025) wins Top 10 in CAPIC Rodeo 15 Student Illustration Contest with 'The Holy Trinity'

James Neufeld
Awards & Scholarships

Congratulations to Kyle Rask (IDEA BDES Grad 2025) for winning the Top 10 in the CAPIC Rodeo 15 student contest for Illustration with “The Holy Trinity” (shown above).

Many congratulations to Capilano University's IDEA School of Design students who continue to dominate the CAPIC student awards in illustration!

Check out this award-winning student illustration project!

Natasha Lee (IDEA Grad 2024) wins 3rd Place in CAPIC Rodeo 15 Student Illustration Contest with 'Future Facing Fear'

Natasha Lee (IDEA Grad 2024) wins 3rd Place in CAPIC Rodeo 15 Student Illustration Contest with 'Future Facing Fear'

James Neufeld
Awards & Scholarships

Congratulations to Natasha Lee (IDEA Grad 2024) for winning the Top 10 in the CAPIC Rodeo 15 student contest for Illustration with “Future Facing Fear” (shown above).

Many congratulations to Capilano University's IDEA School of Design students who continue to dominate the CAPIC student awards in illustration!

Check out this award-winning student illustration project!

BAD IDEA, an anthology comic featuring stories from each artist in the IDEA Grad 2024 cohort

BAD IDEA, an anthology comic featuring stories from each artist in the IDEA Grad 2024 cohort

James Neufeld
Student Work, Student Spotlight

Arsheya Seraji (IDEA Grad 2024) took the lead on this anthology comic which began as an assignment. It collects 3-page stories from each artist in the IDEA Grad 2024 cohort and covers a broad range of genres including comedy, adventure, horror, auto-bio, and slice-of-life. It is dedicated to retired illustration instructor, Jeff Burgess.

Check out some of the spreads in this comic and see some samples from Arsheya Seraji’s self-published comic series, FOURTH DIMENSIONAL!

“Double Take” by Sarah Gee, IDEA Interaction Design Diploma Grad 2025

“Double Take” by Sarah Gee, IDEA Interaction Design Diploma Grad 2025

James Neufeld
Student Spotlight

Meet first-year student, Sarah Gee, IDEA Interaction Design Diploma Grad 2025! Her self-portrait for IDES 133 - Visual Studio taught last year by Jay Bassan in BDES is shown above.

“The IXD Diploma was a great fit for me, as I wanted to fully understand User Experience and get working on those skills, as I knew coming from a Visual Arts background, is what I lacked,” writes Sarah.

Read Sarah’s story and check out some of her other work for a glimpse into student life at IDEA School of Design at Capilano University.

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