All in Grad Spotlight

With a degree in Literature, Ryan McDiarmid (IDEA Grad 2019) changed course landing a permanent role as Game Designer at Vancouver’s Anemone Hug Interactive

With a degree in Literature, Ryan McDiarmid (IDEA Grad 2019) changed course landing a permanent role as Game Designer at Vancouver’s Anemone Hug Interactive

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight, Industry Connections

We recently caught up with Ryan (IDEA Grad 2019) about life after IDEA School of Design and landing a permanent role as Game Designer at Anemone Hug Interactive where he did his practicum.

While he loves design, he says “most of the ways that you can apply it to make a living aren’t very appealing to an anti-capitalist.” His advice is to "think outside the box and find a way to make yourself useful".

He adds, "You may be inclined to zone out during web design and front-end coding lessons, but you will find those tools incredibly helpful someday. During my practicum, I was able to easily solve a problem that no one else on the team could, simply because I knew how to edit an SVG via text editor."

Check out his Grad Spotlight!

Arsenal Pulp Press takes on bilingual coming-of-age story about a migrant girl’s Mexico-U.S. cross-border journey illustrated by Fiona Dunnett (IDEA Grad 2018)

Arsenal Pulp Press takes on bilingual coming-of-age story about a migrant girl’s Mexico-U.S. cross-border journey illustrated by Fiona Dunnett (IDEA Grad 2018)

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight

Many congratulations to Fiona Dunnett (IDEA Grad 2018) on finding a publisher for her illustrated book project! Fiona started working on the project with a friend/writer in California a couple of years before entering IDEA School of Design. She was able to work on it with a mentor during her Professional Development class during her time at IDEA and has since found a publisher!

Travesía comes out on April 1, 2021, in Canada and April 13, 2021, in the US. Check out this grad spotlight story!

Art Director by day, illustrator/letterer by night, Jocelyn Wong (IDEA Grad 2015) wants us to Love ALL Our Neighbours

Art Director by day, illustrator/letterer by night, Jocelyn Wong (IDEA Grad 2015) wants us to Love ALL Our Neighbours

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight

Jocelyn Wong (IDEA Grad 2015) paints under Something Yellow Studio, a passion project. An Art Director by day, illustrator/letterer by night, Jocelyn overcame a bumpy start to bring a message of love and community to Marpole with her mural ‘Love ALL Your Neighbours’.

The mural was part of the 5th Annual Vancouver Mural Festival showcasing 60+ murals in nine neighborhoods over three weeks. The Lead Curator this year was Drew Young, also an IDEA School of Design graduate.

Check out the story and photos!

With a degree in Chemical Engineering, self-described Third Culture Kid, Mustaali Raj changed course to become a freelance creative (Part 2)

With a degree in Chemical Engineering, self-described Third Culture Kid, Mustaali Raj changed course to become a freelance creative (Part 2)

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight

In Part 2 of our interview with Mustaali Raj (IDEA Grad 2014), find out about his life after graduating from IDEA School of Design at Capilano University including buying a one-way ticket to Thailand with his wife, joining the GDC BC Board as Communications Director, his latest projects and advice for our students.

Hint: Play around with the Adobe Suite (or other software) on your own, even before you apply to IDEA School of Design. Don’t wait till the grad show to get your work online.

With a degree in Chemical Engineering, self-described Third Culture Kid, Mustaali Raj changed course to become a freelance creative (Part 1)

With a degree in Chemical Engineering, self-described Third Culture Kid, Mustaali Raj changed course to become a freelance creative (Part 1)

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight

Mustaali Raj (IDEA Grad 2014), born in India, spent his early childhood in the Middle East and grew up in Calgary, where he got a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calgary. He eventually changed course, moved to Vancouver and went to the IDEA School of Design at Capilano University. With some agency work under his belt and a 9-month trip overseas, he has been freelancing in Vancouver since 2017.

Check out Part 1 of his journey into graphic design!

Emily Pedriks (IDEA Grad 2014), Creative Director at Brandever

Emily Pedriks (IDEA Grad 2014), Creative Director at Brandever

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight

Emily Pedriks (IDEA Grad 2014) met the Brandever team at the IDEA Grad Show and knew immediately it was going to be a good fit. She hounded them until they eventually caved and hired her. She started as a junior designer and is now acting Creative Director.

On her memories of being a student at IDEA School of Design, Emily Pedriks looks back fondly on the chaos and delight of a room full of sleep-deprived designers-to-be. Catch up with Emily!

Maria Centola showcases her design and illustration skills in mobile games, websites and apps as a Digital Designer in London

Maria Centola showcases her design and illustration skills in mobile games, websites and apps as a Digital Designer in London

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight

Maria Centola moved to the UK after graduating from IDEA School of Design in 2016. Her 3-month design internship at Sennep in London became a full-time job. Maria mainly creates user interfaces at Sennep using Sketch, InVision and After Effects including new illustrations for Sennep's mobile game OLO.

Her freelance projects include editorial pieces for Montecristo, street banners for Port Moody, and postcards for the redevelopment of the Canada Post Office in downtown Vancouver.

In June 2020 she will start as a Digital Designer at an agency called SOON_. Check out Maria’s story and podcast!

Janice Callangan was offered a full time design position from her 3rd year summer internship at Cossette and graduated with an Advanced Diploma

Janice Callangan was offered a full time design position from her 3rd year summer internship at Cossette and graduated with an Advanced Diploma

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight, Program News

Janice’s summer internship during third-year turned into a full-time job. She never planned to leave IDEA School of Design after 3 years but her creative directors assured her that she could build her portfolio at Cossette with real projects, clients and budgets and gain the experience of working one full year prior to her own classmates.

Students looking for a more direct pathway to industry may graduate after third year with an Advanced Diploma. Check out Janice’s story!

Noah Kawamura puts his design chops to work at Will Creative

Noah Kawamura puts his design chops to work at Will Creative

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight, Industry Connections, Practicums & Internships

IDEA School of Design Grad 2020 students are now in their 4th week of industry practicums.  Noah was happy to be put to work soon after arriving at Will.  His work has included icon development, map design, magazine ads, and digital ads.  He has worked on brands in tourism, building development, entertainment and more. This week Will transitioned to working remotely, doing their part to slow the spread of covid-19.

FUTURE GRAD TIP: Think about icons every now and then. You may end up making a lot during your career.

Check out Noah’s practicum story!

Nada Hayek’s first week of practicum at Rethink has gone far more smoothly than she expected

Nada Hayek’s first week of practicum at Rethink has gone far more smoothly than she expected

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight, Industry Connections, Practicums & Internships

IDEA School of Design Grad 2020 students are now in their 2nd week of industry practicums. Nada's first brief at Rethink was for The Canadian Men’s Health Foundation. She was briefed on the concepts for the campaign and was tasked with creating moodboards to accompany a few separate visual directions for them. Check out Nada's practicum story!

Two IDEA Alumnae at Brandever Strategy Inc. Offer Career Advice to our Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication Students

Two IDEA Alumnae at Brandever Strategy Inc. Offer Career Advice to our Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication Students

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight, Industry Connections

Two of our grads work at Brandever Strategy Inc. in Vancouver. We asked them to share some advice to IDEA School of Design students as they prepare for summer internships (3rd year) and industry practicums (4th year).

Many thanks to Emily Pedriks, Creative Director at Brandever (IDEA Grad 2014) and Claire Tam, Graphic Designer + Illustrator at Brandever (IDEA Grad 2015) for the stylish photos and for giving our students invaluable career advice!

Two IDEA Alumnae at Cossette Creative Marketing and Communications Agency offer Career Advice to our Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication Students

Two IDEA Alumnae at Cossette Creative Marketing and Communications Agency offer Career Advice to our Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication Students

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight, Industry Connections, Practicums & Internships

Two of our grads work at Vancouver’s Cossette Creative Marketing and Communications Agency in Vancouver. Many thanks to Janice Callangan and Shanene Lau for providing us with some fun photos and for giving our students invaluable career advice!

Shown left to right: Janice Callangan (IDEA Grad 2017), Shanene Lau (IDEA Grad 2018).

Six IDEA alumni at Rethink Communications Vancouver offer career advice to IDEA students as they prepare for industry internships and practicums

Six IDEA alumni at Rethink Communications Vancouver offer career advice to IDEA students as they prepare for industry internships and practicums

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight, Industry Connections, Practicums & Internships

Six of our grads work at Vancouver’s Rethink Communications, an independent creative agency. Many thanks to our talented alumni for sneaking onto a set during someone else's shoot to provide us with this amazing group photo and for giving our students invaluable career advice!

Shown left to right: Alex Bakker (IDEA Grad 2014), Charmaine Cheng (IDEA Grad 2019), Max Littledale (IDEA Grad 2018), Jake Gauthier (IDEA Grad 2013), Pamela Rounis (IDEA Grad 2010) and Ashley Visvanathan (IDEA Grad 2018).

IDEA alumni at One Twenty Three West offer career advice to 4th years as they prepare for industry practicums

IDEA alumni at One Twenty Three West offer career advice to 4th years as they prepare for industry practicums

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight, Industry Connections, Practicums & Internships

Three of our grads work at Vancouver’s One Twenty Three West. Thank you to our talented alumni for the great group photos and career advice for our 4th-year students!

Shown left to right above: Kim Ridgewell, Creative Director (IDEA Grad 2007); Taeyeon Kim (IDEA Grad 2016), Designer; and John Larigakis, Creative Director (IDEA Grad 2010).

Garret Schauteet (IDEA15), Designer at BASIC @ Google HQ in San Diego

Garret Schauteet (IDEA15), Designer at BASIC @ Google HQ in San Diego

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight, Industry Connections

Garret Schauteet (IDEA Grad 2015) spent 3 years in Vancouver with the incredibly talented team at 123w while collaborating with partner agencies and a vast amount of freelancers from all over the world.

From there, he moved to BASIC® and spent 2018 embedded at Google in San Francisco, where he helped elevate Made by Google’s digital retail and product experiences on a global scale.

He’s recently transferred to BASIC®’s HQ in San Diego, where he continues to work on new Google initiatives and other global brands like Coach and Airbnb. Catch up on Garret!

Interview with freelance artist, illustrator and designer Andrea Armstrong (IDEA 2008, 2018)

Interview with freelance artist, illustrator and designer Andrea Armstrong (IDEA 2008, 2018)

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight, Industry Connections

Andrea (IDEA Grad 2008) returned to IDEA School of Design to complete her degree in 2017/2018. We recently caught up with her for an interview. Little Andrea started life in a jungle village in Indonesia. Her experience being an outsider for so much of her childhood has planted in her a deep wonder for the different ways people do life, and an appreciation for authentic diversity. She always wanted to be self-employed, so she never put much effort into getting hired by an agency. It’s not always balanced, but she loves the variety of her projects and continues to split her time between graphic design, illustration, commissioned portraiture and fine art. Check out our interview with her!

Industry advice for graphic designers and illustrators from IDEA School of Design Grad 2016 alumni to the class of 2019

Industry advice for graphic designers and illustrators from IDEA School of Design Grad 2016 alumni to the class of 2019

James Neufeld
Grad Spotlight, Industry Connections

Thank you to IDEA School of Design Grad 2016 alumni Virginie Menard, Stephanie Brennan, Maria Centola, Benjamin T. Stone and Lera Nyukalova (shown above) for their words of wisdom to Grad 2019 as they approach the final weeks of their 8 week industry practicums in agencies and studios across Vancouver and embark on their careers in visual communication.

Their advice includes don't let yourself stay in the comfort of being a junior, be picky about clients and job offers, try out different places and be pleasant to work with!

Meet the next generation of promising creative professionals at the IDEA 2019 Grad Show – Harbour Centre Lobby in downtown Vancouver, April 8th–12th, 2019.

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