Langara College Design Formation Grad Michelle Taylor (IDEA Grad 2023) transfers to 2nd Year of CapU’s IDEA School of Design Bachelor of Design
Last fall, Langara College Design Formation Grad Michelle Taylor transferred to 2nd Year (IDEA Grad 2023) of CapU’s IDEA School of Design Bachelor of Design. We caught up with Michelle to ask her about her experience so far.
“Mini Amigos” (shown above) by Michelle Taylor (IDEA Grad 2023) as part of her application to transfer to IDEA School of Design from Langara Design Formation.
“This drawing is of two Guatemalan dolls I’ve had since birth. The medium I chose for this drawing is ink from a fine point pen. To create the impression of different textures and materials I utilized various pen tip sizes throughout the drawing.”
How did you hear about the transfer opportunity?
I first heard about the transfer opportunity from my former instructor, Marcela Noriega — the current Co-Chair of Design Formation. While speaking of our post-graduation options, Marcela mentioned the Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication at Capilano University would soon offer a transfer opportunity to Langara students. Upon hearing this news, I was beyond excited as I would begin my studies at IDEA School of Design as a second-year student.
Why did you decide to apply to IDEA?
After graduating from Langara, applying to IDEA School of Design was a no-brainer. In the past, I’ve only heard positive things about IDEA and I’ve also had personal confirmation about the quality of the program from a few friends that are present/former IDEA students. In addition to IDEA’s respectable reputation, I chose to apply to the program because of its illustration focus alongside design development. Illustration has been a passion of mine for a few years and I knew that IDEA would be an amazing fit to develop both my illustration and design skills further.
What are some highlights of your 1st term in 2nd year at IDEA?
Making new connections with the other students in my grad class has been the highlight of my first term. It can be a little intimidating joining a group late, but everyone was really welcoming when I first introduced myself over Zoom in August 2020!
What is your number one idea generation strategy?
When I first begin a project, I find it really helpful to mind-map the old-school way with a pen and piece of paper. Getting my initial ideas down as quickly as possible is key for my creative process and having them in a physical form creates memorability. In the beginning stages of my idea generation, I make sure to write down/sketch out anything that comes to mind. No idea is over-looked/left out because I never know if, in the future, that idea will spark inspiration for a smart design solution! Also, in a classroom (or Zoom) environment, talking to my classmates is another idea generation strategy I utilize. Bouncing ideas back and forth and talking out a design problem with one another person is invaluable and usually leads to a unique solution!
What is the best illustration advice you've learned from a mentor, teacher or fellow student?
I actually received the best illustration advice quite recently and from my Digital Illustration instructor Shayne Letain. Over a Zoom lecture this semester, he mentioned that when we are working on an illustration project in Illustrator, we should always place our initial drawing as the first layer and then create the entire digital illustration in the layers below the original. With the original drawing as the top layer, you can build up the digital illustration without obstructing your view of the original.
Describe an illustration fail that you learnt from?
A general fail I’ve faced while illustrating has been my overall inefficiency when working within a digital medium. Knowing the shortcuts for Adobe Illustrator (or any digital program) is beyond helpful during any project as well as being familiar with the tools at your disposal. For instance, discovering Illustrator’s Shape-Builder Tool has been a complete game-changer for my illustration efficiency. After watching a few YouTube tutorials, I can design and create a lot smarter with the help of this tool! It’s certainly worth familiarizing yourself with these shortcuts and utilizing these tools for your own sanity!
What advice do you have to Langara students considering applying to IDEA?
Some advice I would give future Langara transfers would be to brush up on both your design-software and problem-solving skills before beginning the Bachelor of Design program. In my case, I had a whole year in between graduating from Langara and starting my first semester of IDEA, which left me feeling a little rusty getting back in the design mindset and all that accompanies being a student!
Also, in terms of the SlideRoom portfolio, you are required to curate/submit, I highly recommend adding samples of work done in traditional mediums. It’s important to show a range of skills that highlight these traditional means of drawing/illustration, as IDEA School of Design has a strong illustration focus.
See: IDEA School of Design Welcomes Langara College Design Formation Grads to Second Year