4th year Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication students share their excitement for upcoming industry practicums
Capilano University's IDEA School of Design has always had a strong connection with the Vancouver creative industry. We have deepened our involvement through the launch of our fourth-year practicums now in their second year.
IDES 490 Industry Practicum
This experiential learning course takes place primarily off campus. Students work within a studio/agency environment or with a personal mentor in a capacity related to visual communication. Students undergo a placement interview and both parties work to strict contractual guidelines that guide behaviour and learning in a professional environment. Students provide written reflection and a final report on their work experience.
We reached out to the busy IDEA19 graduating students to see how they’re feeling about their upcoming 2-month industry practicums and share a bit about the process of choosing their practicum hosts last Fall.
Shown above: 4th year students prepping their business cards and grad materials with instructor and Lab Supervisor, John Lau.
“Cossette was one of my top choices for practicum because I love their work and wanted to experience working at a large agency. I was really lucky because my process went quite quickly. They were the first host to contact me, so I did my interview and accepted the offer the next day! I’m both excited and nervous to work with and learn from everyone there. ”
“My practicum will be at Rethink and I’m feeling equally excited and terrified because I know it will be really exciting to work there but it will also test my mental capacity, limits and skills. The process in applying for Rethink was a bit tough because they specialize in advertising (and I don’t really) but I wanted to expand my horizons and see what that’s like. Hans interviewed me and gave me a tour of the place, and it helped me imagined how great it would be to work there. I also chose Rethink because I think it’s one of the best agencies to cultivate my growth as a budding creative. ”
“My practicum will be taking place at the video game studio Anemone Hug Interactive, in Gastown. I’m nervous, but excited for the experience. The process involved my reaching out to the company, and arranging a meeting with the CEO. Afterwards, we arranged a meeting over lunch where we talked about what I hoped to get out of the experience. We then toured their office. They agreed to bring me on before I left that day. I chose AH because I wanted to get experience in the games industry before completing my degree, and had heard good things about the company.”
“I’m feeling very excited about my practicum at BAM Communications. I haven’t had the chance to work in industry yet so I’m eager to learn workflow and be a part of an inspiring creative team. BAM is a holistic design agency that focuses on branding, interactive, 3D and interior design. The process was pretty straight forward, the IDEA faculty facilitate good connections in the industry. The interview process with the agencies I applied to was a good opportunity to meet industry professionals and expand my network. Being in the branding concentration, working at BAM would be a valuable learning experience. BAM is a branding agency that works a lot in real estate development. An exciting opportunity to contribute to a fast paced work environment and deliver creative branding solutions to the community.”
Jessica Peng (IDEA19)
“I will be working my design magic with science at TRIUMF up at UBC! TRIUMF is Canada’s national particle accelerator centre. I am excited and look forward to working on their boutique hotel rebrand starting my practicum (hopefully). The interview process was smooth, but extensive. My past internship was at creative agencies so I would like to get a taste of an in-house design department.”
“My practicum will be with 123w this Spring. I chose their studio because I feel that I resonate with their office atmosphere. Sincerity is an important quality, so I loved their openness to provide feedback during my interview. 123w works on a variety of different projects, from advertising to branding which sparked my interest in working with them. I’m super excited and eager to get started.”
“I’m doing my practicum at DDB in the advertising department, I’m super excited to be placed at the same company as my mentorship. For the interview process, I went over my portfolio and asked a few questions about what I will be doing for the practicum. People at DDB were very approachable and encouraging.”
“My practicum will be at Will Creative. I chose Will for it’s diversity of work, mid-sized studio, and raving reviews from past practicum students/interns—it’s a great learning and working atmosphere. After sending a sample of my work, I was contacted for an interview which ending up going really well. It felt much more like a casual conversation than an interview and everyone was very warm and welcoming. I’m excited and nervous at the moment, but definitely good nervous.”
Left to right: Jominca Engelbrecht and Jackie Duck (IDEA19)
“I will be doing my practicum at Porchlight Press. They do letterpress work in Vancouver and I’m incredibly excited about working there for the rest of the semester. The process of finding a practicum spot was very nerve-racking, and in the end it was a difficult decision to make. Every company had something valuable and interesting to offer that I would have wanted to be a part of. I have been admiring Porchlight’s work for a while now and met Heather (the owner) a couple of times before I went for my interview and instantly liked her. When she described her plan for the practicum I knew that it was an amazing opportunity and that I would be able to play a key part in creating something great. That really won me over! I will also be learning more about paper, mixing inks and hand-setting type; and as an added bonus I get to work “offline” for the next few months which is a welcome change after working mostly digitally for the last few years.”
“I’m excited to be starting my practicum at Bazoof! Magazine. After speaking with the publisher, TeLeni Koochin, I was glad to hear that the tasks I would be working on would be diverse and varied, including both illustration and design which was quite important to me. Additionally, I really wanted to find a practicum where the target audience was children, as those are the kind of companies that I hope to work for in the future, so Bazoof! was the perfect fit.”
“My practicum is taking place at Carter Hales and I am SUPER STOKED ABOUT IT! The interview process was fun as I love meeting and talking to new people. Sean was welcoming and made me feel comfortable during the interview. I chose Carter Hales because their work is amazing, the team is extremely talented and seem like people I would want to surround myself with every day. Based on my direct experience I think that Carter Hales will be an awesome fit for me and I’m looking forwards to day one!”
“My Practicum will be at Mustang Survival. I chose this company because I felt connected to their brand. Throughout my childhood, my parents had a sailboat, so I was often on the water. As well, I chose Mustang Survival because I enjoy doing a wide variety of design and was told there would be opportunities to do a variety of work for the company. The process was fairly straightforward. After a few emails to send over my portfolio and schedule a meeting, I headed down to their main headquarters in South Burnaby and talked about my work as well as what the practicum would involve. After taking a tour around the office, I was offered the placement. I’m feeling really excited about the opportunity and can’t wait to get started! ”
“My practicum will be at Thought Shop Creative. I’m really looking forward to it but hesitant to start. The process was natural and encouraging. Initially, I emailed to ask if they would be interested in having on a practicum student. When the owner, Jonathan Mentzos responded with an enthusiastic yes, I talked about it all with him over a phone call. After that, I met with him in person at his Studio in North Vancouver and had an informal interview over coffee. The owner and I have a mutual friend who recommended I look into Thought Shop. Company Culture: Mountain Bikers/Outdoor enthusiasts, dogs. Engaging, clever old-school style website. Owner: Past IDEA Grad, our personalities click/likeminded, share values regarding work/life balance. Opportunity to learn in a small but full-service studio environment that does it all from Print to Digital to Media to Interior.”
“My practicum will be at Chairman Ting Industries working along with Carson Ting and a team of creatives including a Photographer, Designer & Assistant, and Surface Designer at Production Road Studios. I am really looking forward to gaining real world experiences and learning more about the freelance illustration industry and how that ties with Design. It was a valuable experience getting placed as I had to go on many interviews and see what is out and available to me. I met so many creatives and was able to see a different side of Vancouver and what it has to offer. I chose Chairman Ting Industries because it offered me a chance to learn in a studio setting with freelance artists. The energy and enthusiasm in wanting me to learn the most that I can throughout my practicum from the team persuaded me to choose them. See you soon February!”
For more information on IDES 490 Industry Practicum see: capilanou.ca.
For more on the companies mentioned in this story, see:
