“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!

The Brief: You are helping to brand an urban, mid-priced restaurant called The Harvest Room that prides itself on its changing regional menu with healthy ingredients sourced from local farmers. The clientele is mostly millennials and young families. Giving back to the community is important to The Harvest Room, so it also donates 2% of its total sales to a local food bank and shelter.

The Harvest Room, indeed! IDEA School of Design students Ashley Loo (Design), Charmaine Cheng (Advertising), and Jominca Engelbrecht (Illustration) were all selected by Applied Arts judges as the top winners of the annual $1,500 scholarships! Congrats also to our runner-up, Emily R Powers (Illustration) who won a $1000 scholarship!

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!

Study design in Vancouver! SlideRoom closes midnight, Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019 for Early Admission Applications to the Bachelor of Design. Here is a piece from first year student Katrina Lashmar's application portfolio.

Curious about going pro?

Twice a year we invite the public to our Open Studio Day, for an overview of the entire program and to show what makes it distinctive from other schools. Plus, it’s a chance to see where the action happens, and meet both faculty and current students. Mark the date: Saturday, November 3rd, 1 – 4 p.m.

We begin at 1 p.m. with a Keynote presentation, followed by studio tours, friendly portfolio reviews, and a drawing session. Shown above: Book cover illustration by Maxwell Littledale (IDEA18).

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!

This project dates back to Cynthia’s first year in IDEA and still keeps its place as one of the most memorable yet “mildly traumatizing” projects for her. She wanted to get more familiar with Adobe Illustrator so this was her opportunity. She kept with a simple theme of animals, limited herself to basic shapes and a limited palette.

The students in IDES 237 Digital Illustration were asked to create a short looping animated gif that reflected their experience as graphic design students. Nicole Shewchuk's 404 Error animated gif is shown above. Check out some of our favourites!

On Sept. 22nd, Capilano University officially marked its fiftieth birthday with CapFest, a campus-wide celebration open to the general public. Part of the festivities involved the dedication of nine newly painted murals. Where does IDEA come in? Nine of the thirteen jury-selected artists hail from the IDEA School of Design, both as alumni and current students. Their varied and vivid contributions have transformed the North Vancouver campus. From left: Capilano University President Paul Dangerfield; Brynn Staples (IDEA Grad 2020); Vancouver Mural Society Executive Director David Vertesi; Emily Huynh, Courtney Lamb, Ata Ojani (all three, IDEA Grad 2020)

This week is Truth & Reconciliation week at Capilano University. Our second-year Indigenous focussed applied design project helps our students understand the complexities and opportunities that come with First Nations reconciliation in Canada.

“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!

Jeff Burgess mentors four IDEA students in his studio one day a week over the summer which he's been doing for eight years now. The purpose is to create a body of small works that are then exhibited early in September where the students sell their pieces for reasonable prices. Check out the recent paintings by IDEA students Jominca J Engelbrecht, Nicole Shewchuk, Graeme Duckett (shown above), and Heather Haughn including photos from the show!

Drew Young (previous IDEA grad and current art director of Vancouver Mural Festival and Skookum) reached out to IDEA19 students, Cynthia Tran Vo and Ian Kaart for this smaller gig.

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!

Last year IDEA21 students designed album covers and mood boards that capture the spirit of the 1960s psychedelic art movement or the beatnik feel. Shown here is “Psychedelic Gaga” by Anna Tsybulnyk. Check more out!

Adam Briggs is an Oil Painter, Illustrator and Art Director based out of Vancouver, Canada. Adam graduated from IDEA School of Design in 2013.

2018 is a momentous year for both Capilano University and the IDEA School of Design. As the University celebrates its 50th anniversary, this past spring’s IDEA graduates were the first to embark on their creative careers armed with a Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication. We’re proud of them, and all they’ve accomplished to get here. Check out a retrospective of our 2018 grad show specializing in branding, illustration or interactive design.

Capturing ‘wildhood’ has been a main theme in the recent work of fourth generation landscape painter, Dominique Walker. Dominique current teaches in the IDEA School of Design at Capilano University. Check out her recent exhibit.

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.

The third annual Vancouver Design Week (VDW) will focus on the impact that design has on our lives and how it can be a powerful tool to make the world a better place. Capilano University is a proud supporter of VDW.