As an illustrator, Natasha Lee found herself questioning the meticulous nature of the graphic design courses during her first year in the Bachelor of Visual Communication and Design degree in the IDEA School of Design.

Check out this grad spotlight story!

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!

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!

The IDEA School of Design at Capilano University has built an enduring reputation for industry-prepared graduates. The grads of 2024 are ready to export their final, FINAL files. Don’t forget to ⌘-S the date and download your grad show tickets now! Experience the evolution of 26 grads, where every sketch, click, and color has led to this moment.

IDEA GRAD SHOW 2024
VIFF CENTRE
1188 SEYMOUR STREET
APRIL 08 2024

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!

After a five year intermission—the 2026 graduates at Capilano University’s IDEA School of Design bring back IDEA Interprets, an annual poster show that explores a single theme through typography and illustration. This year’s theme: Danger.

March 7—April 7, 2024
Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am—5 pm
Ferry Building Gallery
1414 Argyle Ave
West Vancouver

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!

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.

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.

Happy Year of the Dragon from IDEA School of Design! Shown above “To Celebrate the Lunar Year” illustration by Charlie Wongpisethkul (IDEA Grad 2026).

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!

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.

Join us online for a short portfolio Q&A and learn about the two programs offered at CapU's IDEA School of Design at CapU. Using Zoom breakout rooms, digitally share your portfolio or sketchbook for some friendly 1-1 feedback from our faculty!

RSVP today!

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 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.

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.

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!

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!

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!

Congratulations to Maren Brophy, Amanda Chau, Jerry Kambashi and Tricia Tang (IDEA BDES Grad 2026) for winning CityStudio North Vancouver’s Hubbub #8 Audience Choice Prize for “Zine Project.”

Check out this award-winning group design project!