A light painting by Stephen Knapp at the IIDEX NeoCon show Sept. 24, 2009. Photo: Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
A light painting by Stephen Knapp at the IIDEX NeoCon show Sept. 24, 2009. Photo: Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Simon Beck, editor of the Globe and Mail's education reports, will be in conversation with Stuart Thompson, a senior Globe and Mail graphic designer, at the Explore Design show on Wednesday, October 14. For the full program go to www.ExploreDesign.ca.
It's creativity with purpose, imagination with discipline. It's design and it's present in the form and function of almost everything we use in our lives — from the clothes we wear and the cars we drive to the buildings and communities where we live and work.
Today, a career in design could mean working for a graphic arts company, a video game developer, a car manufacturer, an architectural firm or an urban planning agency, just to name a few possibilities. It could mean getting creative with paint and pencil, or building schematics on a professional-grade MacBook loaded with the latest computer assisted design software.
Whatever branch of design you're interested in pursuing, the best place to start is a school of design. Fortunately, Canada boasts a wealth of design schools, including some that are recognized globally as leaders in their field.
Here is a random sampling of what the country's schools have to offer aspiring designers:
Concordia University's Department of Design and Computation Arts offers undergraduate degree programs in design and computing arts, as well as a graduate certificate program in digital technologies in design art practice. Design students in this Montreal school learn about graphic design, 3D object design and interactive media and Web design, while computation arts students delve into sound design, moving images, and interactive or immersive environments.
Bragging rights
Many Concordia computation arts graduates now work for such video game companies as Ubisoft and Electronic Arts. A number of design graduates have opened their own businesses.
Good to know
Students who deliver quality work in their first year of studies stand a good chance of getting into the co-op program with leading design and gaming companies in Montreal. The city has a particularly vibrant gaming sector, making it easier for students to land jobs after they graduate.
Emily Carr University of Art and Design
Founded in 1925 as the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts, this iconic institution — named after Canada's famous painter — was granted university status last year. Bachelor of design programs at this Vancouver school include communication and industrial design while bachelor of arts programs run the gamut from animation and ceramics to photography and sculpture.
Bragging rights
Design graduates Judson Beaumont and Robert Johnston each won a British Columbia Creative Achievement award this year for furniture design and industrial design, respectively. WEIGHT, a short film by film students Kevan Funk, Benjamin Loeb and Dustin Wadsworth was featured at this year's Vancouver International Film Festival.
Good to know
Emily Carr University has a master of applied arts program in design, media and visual arts. This intense full-time program runs for 21 months and includes an internship component. The university also offers a number of credit courses online.
Based in London, Ont., Fanshawe College's School of Design offers no less than 10 programs in fields that range from fashion and agriculture to graphic arts and urban planning.
Bragging rights
In 2006, fashion design student Stephanie Sarazin won the the first Youth Aboriginal Fashion Design competition for a gown based on the traditional teepee.
Good to know
Co-op opportunities in some diploma programs let you earn as you learn and get your foot in the door of potential employers.
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design
With three campuses in Halifax, NSCAD University provides a comprehensive arts education that starts with the basics and can expand into numerous areas, including media arts, Fine Arts, design and craft.
Bragging rights
NSCAD is one of the oldest schools in Canada, co-founded in 1887 by Anna Leonowens, a British teacher best known for being a tutor for the King of Siam and whose life has been immortalized in the movie and musical, The King and I. In 1973, a year after it awarded Andy Warhol an honorary degree, NSCAD was described by the magazine Art in America as possibly "the best art school in North America." Today, NSCAD attracts prominent visiting artists such as actor William H. Macy, whose woodworking talent has become almost as well known as his movies.
Good to know
Undergrad students start with a foundation year followed by a year of interdisciplinary studies. The third year offers a chance to choose a major or remain on an interdisciplinary path. Exchange studies are offered at art schools in 15 other countries, including Korea and Mexico. NSCAD also runs graduate and post-baccalaureate programs.
Ontario College of Art & Design University
Located in downtown Toronto, OCAD boasts a great depth and breadth in visual arts and design programs. This "university of the imagination" combines studio-based learning with critical thinking in programs that range from advertising and industrial design to printmaking and sculpture.
Bragging rights
The Ontario College of Art & Design is home to the Sharp Centre for Design, an architectural landmark that features a black-and-white "table-top" structure held by 12 multicoloured legs over OCAD's main building. Designed by British architect Will Alsop, the centre has been featured in magazines all over the world.
Good to know
This hip college is actually a university with undergraduate programs that lead to a Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachelor of Design. In 2008/2009, OCAD launched its graduate school programs.
Located in Kingston, Ont., the School of Computing at Queen's University lets students marry their love of design with their computer technology smarts. Through the Computing and Creative Arts program, students learn the skills needed to pursue careers in 3D game development, sound design, 3D animation, or computer graphics design.
Bragging rights
Last year, School of Computing professor James Cordy was named by the Association for Computing Machinery as one of 37 distinguished scientists and engineers, making him one of only two Canadians to have received the honour from the world's largest and oldest computing association.
Good to know
A computing background isn't a carved-in-stone requirement for this program, but you will need to take a course in elementary computer animation or computing science in your first year of study.
Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
Sheridan's School of Animation, Arts and Design attracts some of the brightest and most creative young minds in the country with its comprehensive menu of design programs. Want to design furniture, home interiors, textile, ceramics, websites or video games? There's a diploma program for each of these fields at Sheridan, located in Oakville, just west of Toronto. Together with York University, Sheridan also offers a four-year bachelor of arts degree program in design.
Bragging rights
A number of Sheridan design students have gone on to earn nominations and awards at such high-profile events as the Oscar and Genie awards. This year, animation student Chris Williams got an Oscar nod for the hit animated movie Bolt while Yuriy Sivers won the Best Animated Film at the Student Film Showcase of the Toronto International Film Festival for his three-minute film Humpty Dumpty is Scrambled.
Good to know
Fourth-year students in the Bachelor of Design program get to intern in design firms located in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles or even overseas. Classes for this program are held at Sheridan's Oakville campus and at York University in Toronto.
Special to The Globe and Mail
A selected list of art schools
A selected list of college programs
Simon Beck, editor of the Globe and Mail's education reports, will be in conversation with Stuart Thompson, a senior Globe and Mail graphic designer, at the Explore Design show on Wednesday, October 14. For the full program go to www.ExploreDesign.ca.
