First-year students (IDEA Grad 2024) offer their advice and experiences applying to IDEA School of Design
Applications for Fall 2021 at IDEA School of Design are open!
Entry to the Bachelor of Design is competitive, and applicants must submit a portfolio and other documents through the online portal SlideRoom.
First-year students (IDEA Grad 2024) offer their advice and experiences applying to the Bachelor of Design (BDes) program at Capilano University. We hope a first-hand student perspective will give you more insight and direction on the application process.
Shown above: “Self-portrait” by Kathleen Manuel (IDEA Grad 2024) using a photo reference of herself as part of her application to IDEA School of Design.
“Draw, draw, and draw! Don’t be afraid to get started on your portfolio, although it seems intimidating, as soon as you put your pencil to the paper (or pen to your tablet) I promise you it’ll get easier. I personally struggled with this since I had this mindset that everything I made was to be put in the portfolio and it had to be perfect, but eventually I was able to build a habit of drawing something at least twice a week by simply just picking a subject from life and dedicating myself to draw it, this allowed me to pick drawings that were fit for my portfolio since I had options
to choose from. Don’t forget to have fun with it either 😀”
Portfolio submission: “Scrambled” by Tiffany Zhong (IDEA Grad 2024)
A frame-by-frame GIF animation depicting what anxiety feels like created in Photoshop.
“Putting together a portfolio was a very daunting task at first, but after attending one of the portfolio reviews at an info session, I got a much better sense of what was working well or not. My advice is to give yourself enough time to create the required pieces if you don’t have them already, and then you can play around with the additional pieces you already have on hand to build out something you’re happy with overall. At this point, getting feedback at a portfolio review can help you narrow down the pieces to include. In the end, I didn’t max out the number of pieces the application allowed for because I wanted to only highlight my strongest work and luckily that worked out!”
Portfolio submission: “Life Is But A Dream” by Hannah Bontinen (IDEA Grad 2024)
This piece I was inspired to create after experiencing the architecture in Spain on a school trip last spring. To be across the world away from my family in this amazing country was unbelievable. That is exactly what I wanted to capture in this artwork. The background is of a street that we walked through in Toledo. I coloured the top half with 'Prisma' colours and sketched the bottom with pencil to portray how dreamlike it all seemed.
“I began creating a couple of pieces with the intent of them being used in my application in November but ended up being so busy with school, sports, and other applications that I did the majority of work on my portfolio in March and April before the cutoff. I attended a portfolio review session in early November. Even though I didn’t show any of my work, I found the session super helpful to get an idea about what they are looking for and if this program was right for me. I would recommend making as much artwork in different mediums as possible to show you have a good variety of skills.”
Portfolio submission: Oil Portrait (16''x 20'' Oil on panel) by Joanne C. (IDEA Grad 2024)
This portrait was my first time working with oil paint. With reference to a photograph of the model (Marina Nery) I captured her beauty by making her the main focus of the image. To accentuate her features, I chose to paint the model in grayscale. Although it may be seen as an ordinary photograph of a model pose, this painting exemplifies my ability to balance the background with the foreground. The subject is brought to the foreground as the white textured flowers are placed behind her. The gold stems and petals of the flowers contrast with the model and add dimension to the painting.
“The portfolio application may seem daunting at first but taking smaller actions early on to plan and research will make the application easier to accomplish. I found it helpful to attend the portfolio review session for feedback and to see examples of student work in the program. If you still have questions, don’t be shy to reach out to the coordinators or even students in IDEA through Instagram about the program or application. One thing I wish I would have done and suggest doing is to set personal due dates and submit within the early admission because unexpected circumstances may happen...like a pandemic. Finally, get other people’s insight on your application before submitting and hit submit without expectations but knowing you’re proud of your work.”
Portfolio submission: Bad Boy — Gouache on watercolour paper by Alison Koo (IDEA Grad 2024) (5.4” x 8.4”)
"Bad Boy" is a portrait of the singer, Seulgi from the Korean pop group, Red Velvet (shown below).
“Completing my portfolio sure was a daunting task but getting feedback from portfolio reviews, friends, and teachers encouraged me tremendously. While making my portfolio, I tried my best to prove my flexibility by exploring various mediums and styles whilst still implementing my own sense of personality. Get reference letters and written documents done as fast as you can, so you can fully focus on creating art that truly speaks to who you are. Pro tip, don’t stress by rushing your artwork!”
Portfolio submission: “Teeshirt Design” by Sarah H. (IDEA Grad 2024)
Apparel design and sticker design for local business in spring 2018.
“Be prepared, attend an open house, don’t put it off, show a lot of variety, have fun!”
Portfolio submission: Arturo Fuentes (14" x 11") by Clarice Mah (IDEA Grad 2024)
“Arturo Fuentes” is a led pencil portrait I drew of Sylvester Stallone. The title of this work is based on the name of Stallone's cigar, "Arturo Fuentes Opus X". This portrait is a practice on realism.
I used graphite pencil, white charcoal, a fine tip white pen, a fine tip eraser, and acrylic paint to draw this portrait. Sylvester Stallone is the subject of my piece because I found the smoke, the hand, and the eyes striking features. I was intent on recreating this level of detail. I freehanded Stallone's head and hand with the pencil, then I used the white charcoal to create the smoke. The white pen was used for highlights. Finally, I roughly painted the background in burgundy for contrast and tone.
“I applied to the IDEA Bachelor of Design program as an early applicant. Applying to this program was my highest priority, so I took the time to attend an info session and portfolio day, as well as life drawing classes. I learnt from all these events, the Capilano website, and IDEA social media that the program looks for students who are curious, motivated, self-directed, and passionate learners. It was also important to present a versatile portfolio, so I included all of my best work using a wide range of mediums whether that be sculpture, watercolour, or digital work. It took me about a month to two months to fully complete my SlideRoom application including taking time out of my Grade 12 year (I missed a week of school).”
“Put in what you love, not what you think people will love. Make sure to show the range of what you can do. Find someone to give you feedback! and start early!
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Important Note: Candidates must first apply to Capilano University at capilanou.ca/admissions before applying to the Bachelor of Design.
For full details on how to apply, including what is expected in a portfolio, please visit our website at capilanou.ca/idea.
Early Admission: SlideRoom closes Jan 20, 2021.
Late Admission: SlideRoom 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.
Find more portfolio advice at capilanou.ca/idea.
