Explore stories from the IDEA School of Design
Cassie Valenzuela Poon wins the prestigious 2024 Graphis New Talent Award Honorable Mention for Orbit Centre Logo Design
Cassie Valenzuela Poon (IDEA BDes Grad 2025), a student from the IDEA School of Design at Capilano University, has won an Honorable Mention at the prestigious Graphis New Talent Award 2024 for her Orbit Centre Logo Design.
Cassie is one of six IDEA School of Design students recognized at the 2024 Graphis New Talent Awards, which celebrate the innovative work of students and emerging creative leaders worldwide.
Check out this award-winning student project!
Louis Yau left another career to come to IDEA School of Design
Meet third-year student, Louis Yau (IDEA Grad 2026)! His first-year self-portrait for IDES 133 - Visual Studio taught by Jay Bassan is shown above.
“IDEA School of Design stood out to me the most for producing the most ‘industry ready’ graduates compared any other school in the Vancouver area,” writes Louis.
Read Louis’ story and check out some of his other work for a glimpse into student life at IDEA School of Design at Capilano University.
Meet first year student Anya Ali Mulzet (IDEA BDes Grad 2028)
Anya Ali Mulzet is an 18-year-old artist and first-year student in the Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication program at IDEA School of Design, Capilano University.
In this student spotlight, Anya shares their passion for art, which began in childhood, and their love for music, movies, and video games like Stardew Valley. They highlight their experiences in their first term, including an oil painting project where they painted their best friend and a memorable photography field trip to Lonsdale Quay that helped them bond with classmates.
Check out this student spotlight story!
Chris Rodgers and Kyle Rask partnered up as Humble Hound Creative
Chris Rodgers and Kyle Rask (IDEA Grad 2025) partnered up as Humble Hound Creative. Check out this story and some of their recent design work!
Natasha Lee wins the prestigious 2024 Graphis New Talent Silver Award for "Commit Offal Meats" Branding and Design
Natasha Lee, a 2024 graduate from the IDEA School of Design at Capilano University, has won the prestigious 2024 Graphis New Talent Silver Award for her “Commit Offal Meats” branding and design project. This project targets adventurous carnivores interested in reducing their diet’s environmental impact by promoting offal consumption. The design combines bold copy with humorous illustrations, using a red and white colour scheme to balance the graphic nature of butchery with a sense of cleanliness.
Her project, which focuses on branding for offal meats, demonstrates her ability to tackle unique and challenging design briefs with creativity and skill. This accolade not only celebrates Natasha’s individual success but also brings recognition to the IDEA School of Design as an institution that nurtures top-tier design talent.
Check out this award-winning student project!
JJ Eng wins the prestigious 2024 Graphis New Talent Award Honorable Mention for "Decipher - Spoken Word Festival" Typography and Design
JJ Eng, a 2025 graduate from the IDEA School of Design at Capilano University, has been awarded an Honorable Mention at the 2024 Graphis New Talent Awards for their typography and design project, “Decipher - Spoken Word Festival.” The project, which involved creating a brand identity for a music festival, included posters, social media posts with motion design, and an interactive augmented reality experience. Inspired by redacted and fridge magnet poetry, the design features a modular font and abstracted slam poetry scorecards, capturing the spirit of a young, discerning audience.
JJ is one of six IDEA School of Design students recognized at the 2024 Graphis New Talent Awards, which celebrate the innovative work of students and emerging creative leaders worldwide.
Check out this award-winning student project!
“Quiet Growth” by Maren Brophy (IDEA Grad 2026)
Meet third-year student, Maren Brophy (IDEA Grad 2026)! Her first-year self-portrait for IDES 133 - Visual Studio taught by Jay Bassan is shown above.
“IDEA has been a transformative experience for me so far. My skills have grown substantially. I can’t wait to see what’s in store,” writes Maren.
Read Maren’s story and check out some of her other work for a glimpse into student life at IDEA School of Design at Capilano University.
Neeka Yazdani (IDEA BDes Grad 2026) wins Top 10 in CAPIC Rodeo 16 Student Illustration Contest with “Escapism”
Congratulations to Neeka Yazdani (IDEA BDes Grad 2026) for winning the Top 10 in the CAPIC Rodeo 15 student contest for Illustration with “Escapism” (shown above).
Many congratulations to Capilano University's IDEA School of Design students who continue to dominate the CAPIC student awards in illustration!
Check out this award-winning student illustration project!
“Moonlit Expression” by Neeka Yazdani (IDEA BDes Grad 2026), a student spotlight story
Meet third-year student, Neeka Yazdani (IDEA BDes Grad 2026)! Her first-year self-portrait for IDES 133 - Visual Studio taught by Jay Bassan is shown above.
“I have been pushed beyond my creative limits and discovered new talents with them and it is so helpful to learn about all the different career paths I can achieve with the skills I am learning... I would recommend including a range of mediums in your portfolio,” writes Neeka
Read Neeka’s story and check out some of her other work for a glimpse into student life at IDEA School of Design at Capilano University.
Scarlett Side (IDEA BDes Grad 2026) wins 3rd Place in CAPIC Rodeo 16 Student Illustration Contest with “Emotional Portrait”
Congratulations to Cassie Valenzuela Poon (IDEA Grad 2025) for winning the Top 10 in the CAPIC Rodeo 16 student contest for Illustration with “Burst Music Festival” (shown above).
Many congratulations to Capilano University's IDEA School of Design students who continue to dominate the CAPIC student awards in illustration!
Check out this award-winning student illustration project!
Cassie Valenzuela Poon wins Top 10 in CAPIC Rodeo 16 Student Illustration Contest with “Burst Music Festival”
Congratulations to Cassie Valenzuela Poon (IDEA Grad 2025) for winning the Top 10 in the CAPIC Rodeo 16 student contest for Illustration with “Burst Music Festival” (shown above).
Many congratulations to Capilano University's IDEA School of Design students who continue to dominate the CAPIC student awards in illustration!
Check out this award-winning student illustration project!
Andy Chau (IDEA BDes Grad 2026) wins Top 10 in CAPIC Rodeo 16 Student Illustration Contest with 'Eating Away at My Own Time'
Congratulations to Andy Chau (IDEA BDes Grad 2026) for winning the Top 10 in the CAPIC Rodeo 16 student contest for Illustration with “Eating Away at My Own Time” (shown above).
Many congratulations to Capilano University's IDEA School of Design students who continue to dominate the CAPIC student awards in illustration!
Check out this award-winning student illustration project!
JJ Eng (IDEA BDes Grad 2025) wins Top 10 in CAPIC Rodeo 16 Student Illustration Contest with “Untitled (making Pride parades accessible)”
Congratulations to JJ Eng (IDEA BDes Grad 2025) for winning the Top 10 in the CAPIC Rodeo 15 student contest for Illustration with “Untitled (making Pride parades accessible)” (shown above).
Many congratulations to Capilano University's IDEA School of Design students who continue to dominate the CAPIC student awards in illustration!
Check out this award-winning student illustration project!
Ari Thompson (IDEA BDes Grad 2025) wins Top 10 in CAPIC Rodeo 16 Student Illustration Contest with 'Loyal Defender of the Tundra Clan'
Congratulations to Ari Thompson (IDEA Grad 2025) for winning the Top 10 in the CAPIC Rodeo 16 student contest for Illustration with “Loyal Defender of the Tundra Clan” (shown above). Ari is an illustrator and character designer with a love for dabbling in branding illustrations.
Many congratulations to Capilano University's IDEA School of Design students who continue to dominate the CAPIC student awards in illustration!
Check out this award-winning student illustration project!
Rayna Lai (IDEA BDes Grad 2026) wins Cash Scholarship to Attend DesignThinkers in Toronto
HUGE Congratulations to Rayna Lai (IDEA BDes Grad 2026) one of nine RGDs across Canada awarded a cash scholarship to attend DesignThinkers in Toronto, November 7-8, 2024!!!
Student RGDs and Associate RGDs were invited to submit a short video expressing why they wished to attend the Toronto conference. Rayna was selected as a winner and sponsored by Pound & Grain.
Check out Rayna’s video!
Shruti Karthikeyan (IDEA BDes Grad 2025) wins Top 10 in CAPIC Rodeo 16 Student Illustration Contest with 'The Plague’s Fury'
Congratulations to Shruti Karthikeyan (IDEA BDes Grad 2025) for winning the Top 10 in the CAPIC Rodeo 15 student contest for Illustration with “The Plague’s Fury” (shown above).
Many congratulations to Capilano University's IDEA School of Design students who continue to dominate the CAPIC student awards in illustration!
Check out this award-winning student illustration project!
Anais Bayle (IDEA BDes Grad 2024) wins the RGD Award for Social Good Design, RGD Award for Colour, and RGD Student Award for Brand Design - Honourable Mention with “Creo Toys”
Huge congratulations to Anais Bayle (IDEA BDes Grad 2024) for winning the RGD Award for Social Good Design, RGD Award for Colour, and RGD Student Award for Brand Design - Honourable Mention with “Creo Toys.”
Capilano University’s IDEA School of Design Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication students were represented in almost every category—well done!
Check out this award-winning student project!
Rayna Lai (IDEA BDes Grad 2026) wins 1st Place in CAPIC Rodeo 16 Student Illustration Contest with 'Emma'
Congratulations to Rayna Lai (IDEA BDes Grad 2026) for winning 1st Place in the CAPIC Rodeo 16 student contest for Illustration with “Emma” (shown above).
Many congratulations to Capilano University's IDEA School of Design students who continue to dominate the CAPIC student awards in illustration!
Check out this award-winning student illustration project!
Shruti Karthikeyan (IDEA BDes Grad 2025) wins Top 10 in CAPIC Rodeo 16 Student Illustration Contest with 'The Introspect'
Congratulations to Shruti Karthikeyan (IDEA BDes Grad 2025) for winning the Top 10 in the CAPIC Rodeo 16 student contest for Illustration with “The Introspect” (shown above).
Many congratulations to Capilano University's IDEA School of Design students who continue to dominate the CAPIC student awards in illustration!
Check out this award-winning student illustration project!