Capilano University's IDEA School of Design has always had a strong connection with the Vancouver creative industry.

This year we are deepening our involvement through the launch of our first round of fourth-year practicums. The final course in our four-year degree program is an eight-week full-time placement in a local company. Grad18 will start their practicums on February 19, 2018 in companies across Vancouver.

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.

Students have been placed in a wide range of companies: in branding-focussed firms like Will Creative and Carter Hales; and in digital firms like Burnkit and Tribal DDB. For our illustration concentration students, we had to think a little more outside the box. We have found some great placements for them: in motion graphics and animation firms like Gamomo, Jesters and The Sequence Group; in publishing firms like Talon Books; and in retail in-house environments like Tealeaves and Danica Imports.

It was a pleasure visiting some of our new hosting partners and meeting the folks who will be supporting our students. I had a delicious cup of tea at Tealeaves while discussing expectations with our hosts. At Danica Imports I was able to say hi to one of our past grads Sierra Anderson, who was celebrating her one-year anniversary there. Oooh, how lovely to spend your days in such a colourful environment! 

We'll keep you abreast of how our students are getting along in their new roles over the next eight weeks.

About the firms mentioned

Will is a creative agency. Their focus lies on strategic and creative brand development with a strong sense of purpose and emotional connection. Will applies this principle across all communications disciplines – whether by Will or a partner with equal will.

Carter Hales is an award-winning, globally engaged design agency based in Vancouver and led by acclaimed graphic designer Sean Carter and account services mastermind Ross Hales. We love working with brands, websites, packaging and graphic design projects.

Burnkit is a design agency providing brand, interactive, identity, and print design services for our best in class clients.

Tribal DDB is a global network of interactive agencies, established in 2000, when the advertising company DDB integrated all its interactive-web properties under the Tribal brand. 

Gamomo Creative Lab is a boutique motion graphics design studio based in Vancouver, BC. They're passionate about engaging with the audience through art in motion. 

(Formerly Jester Coyote Animation) Jesters Animation is a versatile and experienced boutique animation studio based in Vancouver, BC. Their artist driven studio works with a large collective of freelance and in-house animation professionals to create, develop, and produce a wide variety of projects, from commercials and music videos to television broadcast animation.

The Sequence Group is a creative studio with offices in Vancouver and Melbourne. They specialize in design, animation and visual effects.

Talon Books publishes work of the highest literary merit by world class authors from the mainstream and the margins of Canada’s three founding nations, as well as from both visible and invisible minorities within Canada’s cultural mosaic.

For two decades, Tealeaves has been recognized as the leading luxury tea blender of choice for five-star properties and Michelin chefs worldwide.

Danica Imports has an in-house team of product developers and designers. Together, they create home and living décor collections of the highest quality.