IDEA School of Design Grad 2021 welcomes Chairman Ting to class

In our 320 Professional Development class students receive regular energy boosts from guest speakers. This term we’ve been lucky enough to welcome Design Director Hans Thiessen from Rethink, Illustrator Luke Ramsey, Ross Chandler principal of We Are Becoming and Carson Ting who is the mastermind behind Chairman Ting Art + Design Studio.

When it comes to shots in the arm, Carson packs a punch.

In 90 minutes he wowed us with highlights from his twenty-year career including his hilarious award-winning work as an art director on videos for the Reel Asian Festival, his #riseabove campaign work for Nike Jordan, and his side hustle that became his second career as the hugely successful mural painter Chairman Ting. He has done projects for Adidas, including a flagship store Shanghai. He even designed his very own Dunny Doll for KidRobot. His talents are matched by his boundless energy and enthusiasm.

Carson shared great tips on how to be successful.

“Good things lead to other good things.”

This was just one of the pearls of wisdom that Carson Ting shared with Grad 21 during his visit. By that, he meant it’s surprising how once you’ve worked on one great project, more great projects often come your way. That’s why I tell students to be wary of bad projects and bad clients. It generally leads to more bad projects and more bad clients. That’s where your Spidey sense comes in—always trust it. If you can’t find good projects or good clients, make your own projects, be your own client. Carson painted his first mural in his apartment. He shared it on social media and people liked it. A lot. The rest is history.

Thanks, Carson for an awesome visit. Vancouver is so lucky to have superstars like you in its midst. And IDEA is lucky that so many great people make time in their day to inspire our students!