Grad 2026 IDEA Talks: Favourite projects and highlights from IDEA School of Design first year students
IDEA Talks is a tradition to close out first year, before we set students loose for summer. Students are asked to bring an original or colour printout of their favourite 2 projects from this past year from any class, and be prepared to share 3 personal highlights from the past year, too. As IDEA Talks is part of IDES 132 Survey and Principles of Illustration II, attendance is anticipated and expected. Classroom critiques in a creative community are a highlight for IDEA School of Design students. Shown above: Self Portrait in Oil by Siobhan Barry.
Here are some favourite projects and highlights from IDEA Grad 2026!
Psychedelic Album cover by Siobhan Barry
This project was really fun for me because I got to think about making art in the style of one of my favourite eras of art and music (the 60s and 70s). I took an illustrative approach and really noticed that what I'd learned throughout the semester from instructors and my peers helped guide me to the final product. I incorporated a lot more detail, shading, and complexity than I've ever tried working with before. I like how the finished piece looks both in terms of the assignment, and the overall style. I'd like to emulate a more colourful, decorative style like this in future work!
“A major highlight was the creative community of the cohort. I learned so much from all the talented people in my class, and really benefited from critiques and getting feedback. I had not experienced that before coming to IDEA, and I can’t believe how much I was missing out on the learning/growth/joy of being creative in community.
Another highlight was getting to learn traditional mediums. I’ve never taken a fine art class in my life, and it was really fun to explore a variety of mediums that aren’t digital, and see my ideas take shape in new ways. I can’t wait to work on more paintings now.
A final highlight for me was seeing how much growth and improvement as an artist and designer I experienced over the course of the year. It was a major decision for me to return to school in my late 20s, and I am really happy to see that it was worthwhile and the work paid off. I’m happy to be here and excited to keep learning!”
Self Portrait in Oil by Siobhan Barry
Before coming to IDEA School of Design, my background was mainly in graphic design and digital art. Adjusting to traditional mediums was a steep learning curve for me, and felt really challenging at times, but ultimately really improved my overall creative technique. This was my second attempt at an oil painting for an assignment, and compared to the result of the first one, I felt like I improved and got the hang of working with oil! I'm proud of how it turned out.
“Multi-faced Woman” modern art-inspired illustration by Rachel Lu
“The main highlight of the year for me was realizing that I could do design and art as a viable career. Before coming to the program there was an internal battle between choosing science over art. I ultimately decided to go with my passion for art and haven’t regretted it since. IDEA has offered me a space in order to learn and grow as a designer and illustrator.
The second highlight of my year was exploring and learning about my identity and interests. I had never in a million years expected to see myself working as a graphic designer or in Ux/Ui. However, because IDEA offers such a wide range of courses I found myself drawn to these areas despite coming in with the intention of pursuing illustration. Overall the program has definitely opened new possibilities for my future.
The last highlight of my year was learning to accept failure with open arms. I used to be a stubborn perfectionist. If something was slightly off I would write the project off as a bust or mull over the smallest details for days. After getting used to critique sessions I’ve learned to love the moments that I fail and see them as opportunities for personal and professional growth. Every mess-up now goes into my mental list of areas in which I can explore and learn in order to broaden myself as a person. ”
100 Emotions: The 100 Project by Rachel Lu
“Deftones” Psychedelic Vinyl Album Cover Design by Sophia Pan
“Having critiques for all the classes was the most enjoyable part of the school year, especially seeing everyone’s work! That was truly my favourite part.
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Illustration by Jessica Baik
“The IDEA talk was great! My highlight of the year was gathering around with classmates and giving critiques to each other’s work and making the artwork better!”
“100 Desserts” by Jessica Baik
“Lighthouse Keeper: The Big Storm” illustration by Amilia McGill
“Coraline” movie poster by Louis Yau
“Top 3 highlights: Our first day. Halloween party. Seeing all the different work everyone produced throughout the year.”
Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” watercolour book cover design by Louis Yau
Book cover design for George Orwell’s 1984 by Jerry Kambashi
“My 3 highlights from first year: #1 would have to be the moments where I got to bond with my classmates, whether that be outside the classroom, or just staying after class to work on projects. #2 would be the many times I was pushed outside of my comfort zone, especially doing so much analogue art throughout the 1st semester. #3 is my growth in terms of illustration and graphic design.”
Shopping bag design for the country of South Korea by Jerry Kambashi
Shopping bag design for the country of Iran by Neeka Yazdani
“My first highlight of the year was when our class hosted a small Halloween party in the classroom. Our day was filled with games, tons of sweets and snacks, laughter, LOTS of “Just Dance”, and it was a very nice way to unwind and get to know each other better. The whole class wasn’t involved, just a small portion, but we definitely want to aim to have a bigger party next year!
My second highlight was during our comic book assignment in Chelsea’s class (DSGN 122 - Creative Thinking). We were put into groups, and I was lucky enough to be blessed with the most amazing team members ever! Everyone was so cooperative, helpful, and inspiring, and it was nice to just sit and work together or brainstorm. It felt like a great bonding experience, and we really exercised our art skills, especially digitally as I am a huge newbie to digital art. It was even better when each group presented their comics and I felt very proud of the class as a whole and was very invested in everyone’s stories.
My third highlight is the relationship our class has with each other. I came into this program pretty intimidated and only knew maybe two people at most. Even then, no one was close yet, but we managed to push past any awkwardness and became really close! I feel I can talk to everyone in the class, and we have many valuable memories together. I really appreciate how we collaborate with each other and help each other out because, as we always say, we’re all in this together. That sentence has been said multiple times throughout the year whenever we were struggling as a class, and it’s been quite helpful knowing that we’re not alone. Our community encourages creativity and improvement and I’ve been lucky to have classmates that teach me new things and inspire me every day.”
Edgar Degas modern art-inspired painting by Neeka Yazdani
“I think a highlight would be that I feel like oftentimes photography can be overlooked when creating a design. First, the creator has to pick between illustration or photography, much like in the real world with an art director. In this case, you are the art director. Personally, I feel more comfortable with using photography to express my design, which was my decision with the Book Cover project for IDES 142. As for the Editorial project, I enjoyed the process of planning a theme and searching for inspiration to create the look I envisioned. I was very happy with the outcome of the photo shoot, and when I pieced it together with the layout and type, it just felt right. I think this was the first work that I had felt satisfied with personally.”
“IDEA Talks went really well! I really enjoyed seeing everyone’s work and listening to what they had to say about this year. I would say that we also have a very constructive discussion about the program after the highlights.
Some of my personal highlights about this year had to be when we got to visit Lonsdale Quay as a class for photography and taking a hike in the area around the school to photograph our zines. The Quay was a great opportunity to apply our skills in a bustling environment as well as get real time help and feedback from our instructor. We also got to run around on our own during this time which was awesome for getting totally unique shots from each other. As for the zines, some of my classmates took the chance during some photoshoot time to go to a nearby skate park. The goal was to take some Instagram worthy photos but we ended up getting lost and stumbling upon a court where we played ball games.”
“We had IDEA Talks in the Capilano University Library this afternoon. The food and drinks were pretty good. I shared two of my favourite works and three highlight moments from the year. We also gave feedback and ideas about the projects we had in the first year.”
“One highlight from this year is finding inspiration from my peers’ works!”
“My three highlight moments
I have never touched digital drawing before I join in the program, I watched lots of video tutorials this year and I pretty improve a lot.
The museum project in IDES 151 is the longest project I have ever come across before which last few weeks. I have been through the Maritime museum three time during the projects，it‘s far away from the capu’s dorm. I learnt so much in interaction ideas and some other history of Maritime history.
Speaking of the hardest one in this year must be the DSGN 122. The schedule is tight and all the projects in it are new to me. Especially the villains comic and zine. I have to finished different process each week and combine them together in the last week. I am glad and really proud of myself about finished everything now. Everyone is so talented, I really learnt a lot in design and layout ideas.”
“There are so many things that I learned this year during my first year and Capilano University’s idea program. There are too many memories and a lot of creative vibes throughout the two semesters. Lots of pressures, but ultimately looking back it was a really fun year. Seeing everyone’s work in class was amazing! Producing your own work was amazing.
One of the main things that the first year has taught me was to manage your time well as a creative individual. Learning not to do designs last minute and pacing yourself throughout the given time by making lots and lots of versions of the same work is a must. The best way to produce great work is to not be limited to one idea but to have lots and lots of ideas. And when you’re out of ideas; take a break, nap, walk, do whatever, and go back and tackle it again and I promise you you will do some of your best work when you push yourself out of your procrastination and mental fog.”
“One of my highlights from this year while touching upon my self-reflection in my illustration and design work: is to set a future goal by adding more social commentary and meaning to benefit others and the world where I can. I feel like meaning within art within movements makes myself and others feel more connected to art and even compelled to act, and if I am able to make such work, I would make sure to endeavour further in these concepts within my personal and school-related projects for the rest of my life.”
“One of the major highlights many people mentioned during the IDEA talk was how tight-knit the community is, and I have to agree. I think it’s truly a unique experience to be so close with each other as a cohort, and although I’m not a social person, I’ve made many friends along the way. I was genuinely surprised I even got into this program, so I’m always grateful to be in a class full of people who have great chemistry with each other!”
IDEA School of Design Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication Class of 2026
