Congratulations to Natasha Lee (IDEA Grad 2024) for winning both the RGD q30 design Award for Brand Design and RGD Premise Award for Strategic Design with Bugbites Granola Brand!

“Bugbites is an imaginary cricket granola brand created for the North American market that is constantly looking for new, sustainable products but is particularly squeamish about eating bugs! The goal was to introduce the many benefits of including protein-rich crickets into our diets in a fun and friendly way. The branding addresses the public fear about eating bugs while appealing to their sense of greater good and sustainability.”

Check out this award-winning student design and branding project!

Study design in North Vancouver at IDEA School of Design!

IDEA School of Design at Capilano University in North Vancouver has a reputation for industry-ready graduates. Entry to the Bachelor Of Design In Visual Communication and Interaction Design Diploma program is competitive, and applicants must submit a portfolio and other documents through the online portal SlideRoom.

Applications for Fall 2023 open Friday, November 4, 2022. Come checkout the in-person open house for CapU’s IDEA School of Design - Nov. 19 2022 CapU Campus. Shown above: “Embrace” watercolor painting by Louis Yau (IDEA Grad 2026)

Find out how to apply and check out additional samples of pieces from a typical student application portfolio.

Congratulations to Anna Tsybulnyk and Lera Kim (IDEA Grad 2021)!

Battle of the Brush brings in multiple teams of artists who compete in a time-limited competition before their spontaneous collective works are displayed and judged by you, our local art connoisseurs! Battle of the Brush 39: Season 8 Episode 2 was held at Heritage Hall on Main Street in Vancouver, BC on Friday, 23 September 2022.

Check out this grad spotlight!

“Batten down the hatches, mateys! Vida Jurcic (Founder of Hangar 18 and instructor at the IDEA School of Design at Capilano University) joins Sean to talk about her brushes with Arnold, the dangers of Dinosaur Park, and what models do in their spare time.” — Sean Schumacher, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Portland State University School of Art + Design, Host and Producer of Did I Do That?

Listen to Vida’s new podcast!

About 50% of graphic designers spend their time working on projects for multiple clients: they might be designing packaging for vegetarian sausages on Monday, coming up with logo ideas for a new housing development on Wednesday, and redesigning a website for a pharmacy on Friday. The other 50% of graphic designers work in-house. This means that rather than working for an agency or studio that serves many businesses, they work directly for a brand that produces and sells products, or provides services.

Check out this IDEA alumni story by Judy Snaydon!

Are you interested in a creative career as a graphic designer, illustrator, or UX/UI designer?

Come checkout the in-person open house for CapU’s IDEA School of Design - Nov. 19 2022 CapU Campus. A career-oriented school for the next generation of creative professionals. Now offering a 4-year Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication and a 2-year Interaction Design diploma.

Congratulations to Natasha Lee, Alison Koo, and Quoc Huy Anh (Alex) Nguyen (IDEA Grad 2024) for winning the 2022 student RGD Design de Plume Award for Indigenous Design with “End Stolen Choices” PSA campaign. This project was part of Tom Duguid's IDES 244 Cross-Platform Design at Capilano University’s IDEA School of Design.

“End Stolen Choices is a PSA campaign that gives a platform to the Indigenous women who have been affected by forced sterilization and alerts the public that this horrific human rights violation still exists in our society today.”

Check out this award-winning student illustration and design project!

Mikaela Johnson (IDEA Grad 2022) was just offered a permanent position as a designer at Native Shoes several weeks ago and is 🤙 “feeling pretty good about it!”

Congratulations, Mikaela!

Check out this grad spotlight!

Get to know the personalities of IDEA Grad 2026 through their taste in music and music videos! We wish them all ultimate success as they embark on a 4-year Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication degree. Applications for IDEA School of Design Fall 2022 will open in November 2022.

Special thanks to MESH and Sarah for making the group photo happen during lunch hour!

In third year at IDEA School of Design at Capilano University, students choose their concentration. Concentrations include branding, illustration, UI/UX and non-concentration. Check out this blog story to find out why IDEA Grad 2023 chose the concentrations they did!

Jenna Weind (IDEA Grad 2025 Cohort 1) was commissioned to do a mural this summer.

“I was commissioned to do a mural with full creative freedom for the size of 12’3” w and 8’1” t. I took around 16 hours to complete, I used chalk markers and chalk paint.” writes Jenna.

Check out this story including the original sketch and some process work.

Tiffany Zhong (IDEA Grad 2024) was selected for the mural community grant from Student Affairs!

“They were looking to create a mural in the reception area of the space to welcome students looking to access a variety of services. They wanted a design that was colourful, lively, and warm that encapsulates CapU student life,” writes Tiffany.

Check out Tiffany’s mural project!

It's back to school for Grad 2025! Get to know the personalities of our first double cohort, IDEA Grad 2025, through their taste in music and music videos! We wish them all ultimate success as they continue their IDEA experience! Applications for IDEA School of Design Fall 2023 will open in November!

It's back to school for Grad 2025! Get to know the personalities of our first double cohort, IDEA Grad 2025, through their taste in music and music videos! We wish them all ultimate success as they continue their IDEA experience! Applications for IDEA School of Design Fall 2023 will open in November!

In First Year Survey and Principles of Design, there is often a project to parallel the design movement studied. As part of an exercise to understand the "psychedelic" movement, which began in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco in the mid 1960’s and had an effect, not just on music, but also on many aspects of popular culture, the students created an album cover to reflect the spirit and aesthetic of the genre.

Shown above: “Pathé” by Stacy Zhang.

Here are a few 60s album cover projects from IDES 142 Survey and Principles of Design II with Vida Jurcic.

Meet first-year student, Rachel Caelum (IDEA Grad 2025)! Her self-portrait for IDES 133 - Visual Studio taught by Jay Bassan is shown above.

“I first came across the IDEA School of Design by stalking the multiple class Instagram pages. I love the environment the cohort creates, it’s allowed me to come out of my shell more and grow with like-minded individuals. Getting to try a little bit of everything before choosing your focus area makes a strong multifaceted creator who can keep up in the ever-changing industry.” writes Rachel.

Read Rachel’s story and check out some of her other work for a glimpse into first-year student life at IDEA School of Design at Capilano University.

First year students (IDEA Grad 2025) created their own modernist take on band posters in IDES 142 — Survey and Principles of Design with Vida Jurcic.

It was their chance to learn the ins and outs of Illustrator while having some fun with colour, type and geometric shapes.

Check out some of the top projects!

Shown above: “Map of the Soul: 7 — BTS, performing live for the first time in 2 years” Band Poster in the Swiss Style by Ariana Thompson (IDEA Grad 2025).

Instructor, Judy Snaydon is retiring! Check out this farewell story written by IDEA School of Design Co-Coordinator, Carol Aitken and faculty! Illustration (shown above) by Raha Namdari (IDEA Grad 2023).

Some say you can’t teach it, but renowned pop surrealist painter/graphic artist and CapU IDEA School of Design grad Camilla d’Errico thinks you can.

The colouring pages represent Camilla's journey at IDEA School of Design at CapU, which she credits with teaching her how to be both a designer/artist and build a business like a boss.

Download one – or all – of the colouring pages to join. You can either post the finished colouring image on Instagram and tag @capilano and @camilladerrico, or you can email a picture of the results to marketing-digital@capilanou.ca. Winners will be announced on May 17, 2022.

In case you missed it or if you want another look, check out either the highlights or the full version of Capilano University IDEA School of Design’s Grad Show 2022!

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the next big things. 15 perfectly designed stars, 4 years in the making. These rising stars are the real deal, and this is the premiere of their careers.