All in Grad Spotlight

Anna Tsybulnyk and Lera Kim (IDEA Grad 2021) win first place in the Battle Of The Brush 39: Season 8 Episode 2 Live Painting Competition

Congratulations to Anna Tsybulnyk and Lera Kim (IDEA Grad 2021)!

Battle of the Brush brings in multiple teams of artists who compete in a time-limited competition before their spontaneous collective works are displayed and judged by you, our local art connoisseurs! Battle of the Brush 39: Season 8 Episode 2 was held at Heritage Hall on Main Street in Vancouver, BC on Friday, 23 September 2022.

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IDEA School of Design Alumni in da house! In House Designers: Jennifer Tri Emely, Max Littledale and Diana Castañeda by Judy Snaydon

About 50% of graphic designers spend their time working on projects for multiple clients: they might be designing packaging for vegetarian sausages on Monday, coming up with logo ideas for a new housing development on Wednesday, and redesigning a website for a pharmacy on Friday. The other 50% of graphic designers work in-house. This means that rather than working for an agency or studio that serves many businesses, they work directly for a brand that produces and sells products, or provides services.

Check out this IDEA alumni story by Judy Snaydon!

A Pop of Colour: Enter the Capsule colouring contest for a chance to win Camilla d’Errico’s latest colouring book

Some say you can’t teach it, but renowned pop surrealist painter/graphic artist and CapU IDEA School of Design grad Camilla d’Errico thinks you can.

The colouring pages represent Camilla's journey at IDEA School of Design at CapU, which she credits with teaching her how to be both a designer/artist and build a business like a boss.

Download one – or all – of the colouring pages to join. You can either post the finished colouring image on Instagram and tag @capilano and @camilladerrico, or you can email a picture of the results to marketing-digital@capilanou.ca. Winners will be announced on May 17, 2022.

Charmaine Cheng (IDEA Grad 2019) shares her tips on networking—and how snail mail helped her meet her design heroes (Part 2)

We recently caught up with Charmaine Cheng (IDEA Grad 2019), for a grad spotlight as an Art Director at Rethink in Vancouver. As she moves up in her career and gets ready to mentor junior creatives, she figured a good place to start would be offering words of wisdom in a grad spotlight for the IDEA School of Design blog.

In Part 2, Charmaine shares advice for current IDEA School of Design students, her experience in the program, and how proactive networking helped launch her career as well as meet some of her design heroes.

Check out Part 2 of this grad spotlight!

Designer turned Art Director Charmaine Cheng (IDEA Grad 2019) emphasizes the importance of finding a process that’s true to you (Part 1)

We recently caught up with Charmaine Cheng (IDEA Grad 2019), for a grad spotlight as an Art Director at Rethink in Vancouver. As she moves up in her career and gets ready to mentor junior creatives, she figured a good place to start would be offering words of wisdom in a grad spotlight for the IDEA School of Design blog.

“When it came time to hire me full time, there simply wasn’t any room on the design team. So I was hired as an Art Director, which at the time, was terrifying because I had no idea what that meant. But 2 years later, I’ve learned a lot and gained much more confidence in my abilities.” she writes.

Check out Part 1 of this grad spotlight!

Happy New Year from IDEA School of Design! Illustration by Anna Tsybulnyk (IDEA Grad 2021)

Here’s a holiday illustration by Anna Tsybulnyk (IDEA Grad 2021) with a brief update on life after graduation.

Early Applications for the Fall 2022 Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication close January 26, 2022. Late Admission opens Friday, January 28, 2022, and closes Wednesday, April 13, 2022. No submissions for Fall 2022 (IDEA Grad 2026) will be accepted after Wednesday, April 13, 2022.

Mark your calendars! Our next Open Studio is Saturday, February 12, 2022!

Megan Seely (IDEA Grad 2007), Montreal-based UX Lead at PTC Inc., a bleeding-edge software company, is embracing smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 (Part 2 of 2)

We recently caught up with Megan Seely (IDEA Grad 2007), for a grad spotlight on her new life in Montreal working for a bleeding-edge software company.

“Now that I'm working in a field that didn’t traditionally embrace user experience design, I feel I can make a real difference. I’d encourage designers to consider specializing. Do something no one else is really doing, and you'll have a great impact.” she writes.

Check out Part 2 of 2 of this grad spotlight!

Megan Seely (IDEA Grad 2007), UX Lead at PTC Inc., a bleeding-edge software company in Montreal, is Changing the way Industry and Manufacturing Work (Part 1 of 2)

We recently caught up with Megan Seely (IDEA Grad 2007), for a grad spotlight on her new life in Montreal working for a bleeding-edge software company.

“Industry 4.0 is the revolution of data and connectivity. Updating to embrace smart manufacturing is a big deal, and manufacturers know they must do this or be left behind.” she writes.

Check out Part 1 of 2 of this grad spotlight!

With a degree in English from University of King's College, Brynn Staples (IDEA Grad 2020), made a switch to working as an independent graphic designer and muralist

We recently caught up with Brynn Staples (IDEA Grad 2020) for a grad spotlight on life after graduating from IDEA School of Design.

“I went into IDEA School of Design thinking naively that it would give me a more focused career path. I was so wrong – but that’s turned out to be just right for me. Now, a few years and walls later, I still get to paint murals with my IDEA School of Design besties.” she writes.

Catch up with IDEA School of Design alumna and her switch to working as an independent graphic designer and muralist.

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The Devil's in the Details — Jaime Gervais (IDEA Grad 2013) Illustrator and Graphic Designer for TV and Film

We recently caught up with Jaime Gervais (IDEA Grad 2013), for a grad spotlight on life after graduating from IDEA School of Design while she’s in between shows and doing some personal work, creating art for her own art book.

Jaime Gervais loves her job working on fantasy and sci-fi TV shows including the hit Marvel/Hulu show Helstrom, where she designs everything from really cool weapons, costumes, artwork, signage for walls, and significant props that are key to the show’s story. Time management, organized workflow, and staying focused are a huge part of her job.

Catch up with IDEA School of Design alumna and her immersion into the fast-paced world of film. "It's absolutely worth every bit of energy, time, and education that has led me here," she says.

This is a showcase highlighting different areas of Jaime’s work from when she was in school until today.

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With a BFA from University of Victoria, independent designer Henry Slaughter (IDEA Grad 2013) is immersed in every aspect of the creative process — from branding to photography to web design (Part 2)

We recently caught up with independent designer Henry Slaughter (IDEA Grad 2013), for a grad spotlight on life after graduating from IDEA School of Design. Portrait of Henry (shown above) by Lauren Zbarsky.

In Part 2 of our interview find out about Henry’s private Slack channel where he works with a writer, web developer and fills gaps with other talent including Max Littledale (IDEA Grad 2018), Nicole Shewchuk (IDEA Grad 2020), and Ata Ojani (IDEA Grad 2020).

With a BFA from University of Victoria, independent designer Henry Slaughter (IDEA Grad 2013) is immersed in every aspect of the creative process — from branding to photography to web design (Part 1)

We recently caught up with independent designer Henry Slaughter (IDEA Grad 2013), for a grad spotlight on life after graduating from IDEA School of Design. Portrait of Henry (shown above) by Lauren Zbarsky.

“I remember dreading the idea of more school after four years at UVic but as I got closer and closer to “graphic design” I was fascinated and excited to create a foundation for myself and build a proper skillset.” writes Henry.

Check out Part 1 of 2 of this grad spotlight!

Christopher Winter (IDEA Grad 2014), Art Director at aeyde in Berlin: Fail often. To grow — you have to shed this idea of “comfort”.

We recently caught up with art director, photographer and artist, Christopher Winter (IDEA Grad 2014), for a grad spotlight on life after graduating from IDEA School of Design.

“Europe was always calling my name,” he writes. Chris has been in his current role as Art Director at aeyde for almost 3 years. aeyde is a women’s direct-to-consumer fashion company in Berlin, Germany.

“IDEA School of Design really taught me that being a generalist is actually quite an asset.” he continues.

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With a Graduate Degree in Architecture from Dalhousie University, Designer/Photographer Shy Smardon (IDEA Grad 2016) Navigates the Inflections of Design in New Zealand

We recently caught up with designer, photographer and graduate architect, Shy Smardon (IDEA Grad 2016), for a grad spotlight on life after graduating from IDEA School of Design where he won 10 student awards! He considers himself quite lucky to be living in New Zealand.

“It definitely wasn’t part of the plan to skip out on a pandemic, but that’s what I feel has happened.” writes Shy. Shy is currently a Website Designer at the University of Otago in New Zealand, a freelance graphic designer, and undertaking a full redesign of an early 1900s villa that he and his partner purchased.

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George Lin (IDEA Grad 2009), Associate Creative Director at john st. Toronto, enjoys solving specific communication problems for mattresses 🛌, fried chicken 🍗 and beer 🍺

We recently caught up with George Lin (IDEA Grad 2009), for a grad spotlight on life after graduating from IDEA School of Design. Congratulations to George on his new job as Associate Creative Director at john st. advertising agency in Toronto!

“It didn’t take long for me to realize that I wasn’t cut out for Fine Arts.” writes George. “I realized that I enjoy solving specific communication problems, so I took a year off to prepare my portfolio to apply for programs in the commercial arts field.”

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Diana Castaneda (IDEA Grad 2014) art directed Lillian T. Zhang (IDEA Grad 2019) for TRIUMF Physical Sciences Office Mural

Congratulations to two IDEA School of Design grads for their amazing illustrated office mural collaboration project where every dot in the composition makes mathematical sense!

Last August, Diana Castaneda (IDEA Grad 2014) art directed a piece conceived and illustrated by Lillian T. Zhang (IDEA Grad 2019) for a shared office space for the Physical Sciences Division of TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator centre.

“Connected” was created for the co-sharing space occupied by researchers and scientists of the Physical Sciences department at TRIUMF. The concept for “Connected” draws from the work culture and people at TRIUMF, each has its own very focused disciplines that contribute to the same purpose of innovation.

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'To A Hopeful New Year' digital illustration by Juliana Vieira (IDEA Grad 2018)

IDEA School of Design hopes you are having a wonderful start to the New Year so far! 'To A Hopeful New Year' is a digital illustration by Juliana Vieira (IDEA Grad 2018) shown above. Her beautiful illustration is a sign of the times.

Early Applications for the Fall 2021 Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication close on Jan 20, 2021. Late Admission opens Jan 25, 2021, and closes April 14, 2021. No submissions for Fall 2021 (IDEA Grad 2025) will be accepted after Wednesday, April 14, 2021.

New father, Daniel Pauhl (IDEA Grad 2019), Illustrates A Children's Book by author Nikki Hedstrom

We recently caught up with Daniel Pauhl (IDEA Grad 2019) for a grad spotlight on life after graduating from IDEA School of Design. Many congratulations to Daniel on illustrating a new children’s book by author Nikki Hedstrom! “A Thought is a Thought” is available at Indigo, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

“It's the best feeling to see my work out in the real world.” he says.

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