Which design school: ECIAD or Cap College?

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12 Responses to “Which design school: ECIAD or Cap College?”

1. 

   Richard Bird

   May 26, 2005

   Jeff. I’m completely unfamiliar with either school. But seeing you’ve already put in some time with a degree in art history (great foundation) and writing (even better), I’d go for whichever option gets your feet on the ground and running as quickly as possible.
   More school for a designer is not necessarily a good thing. More experience *is.*
   If one school more than the other will make a better, critical thinker and writer, choose that one.
   Two other points: 1) I like Capilano’s illustrative orientation. So many commercial/graphic design schools completely ignore the value of simply being able to draw. To draw extraordinarily well will give you a strong edge, and 2) I like the availability of Industrial Design at Emily Carr, another very valuable exposure. Any good ID program will involve quite a bit of drawing skill in early visualization, btw.
   So, none of that’s a clear choice. But, yes, food for thought.

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2. 

   Alistair

   May 27, 2005

   First of all congratulations again Jeff! You should be proud to have to make decisions like this.
   I know nothing about art, art school, design, or the two schools involved. If I had to make a decision like this (I sort of did when choosing a grad school) I think it’s important to keep in mind:
   – Do not underate your life and lifestyle during your school time. This is going to be three or four really good years of your life. You better enjoy that time. Which school has the most interesting and challenging projects? Are there any professors at the schools working on especially exciting projects or fields? Your lifestyle could even be determined by where you will live. Are you going to have friends nearby? Public transportation. Three years is a long time to be in a neighbourhood that you don’t like and is inconvenient.
   – If you are hoping this will improve your employment chances: do either of the schools give you a chance to interact with the industry?
   – I’ve got to stress the enjoy yourself aspect. If it’s a toss up and the schools are similar, pick the one that your gut tells you will be fun.
   My gut reaction is uni over college (degree over diploma) but that is a total prejudiced (snob?) reaction not based on anything. My only thought might be that EC is more widely recognized – but who knows if that is worth anything.
   btw – maybe you should just pick the one with the most nicely coded webpage (flash!??!!)

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3. 

   Catje

   May 27, 2005

   Hey Jeff, congrats on getting into both. [was there every any doubt?]
   Of course it’s all rumors and hearsay from weirdos on the internet, but I think the days of Attila Richard Lukacs and Douglas Coupland running wild through the halls of ECIAD are no more- gone to bitterly sophomoric ideological battles between the self-righteous anarchists and the walking Gap ads.
   On the other hand, it is the ‘name’ school of the two, and might offer better connections than Cap. Granville Island is also a pretty sweet hangout, although I hear it’s full of pretentious art students these days.
   My only real experience was a summer course at ECIAD several years ago, during which I concluded that foundation is boring if you do it with boring people, but alright if your fellow students are interesting [ie older than 17 and possessing of some measure of life experience]. That first year could be a slog, but it might be the same at Cap.
   Now, my dad the crotchety retired art teacher declares that Emily Carr is a waste of time whereas Cap students have been coming out with well-packaged magnificence for years. [Possibly because they don’t try to use Flash.] And that’s all I know about that.
   Good luck. Watch for signs.
   Cat

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4. 

   Dave

   May 28, 2005

   The wisdom of blondness has some strong options on this one. Emily Carr is known for only accepting the best who are truly gifted and talented. Hell, after doing some web searches I found people willing to travel from all across Canada just to attend this school because it has a reputation of being the best. Of course, I assume this is the best in design schools; and this is good. Your artistic skills obviously blow all of us out of the water, but you are even better at graphic design. And strangely, I suspect you enjoy design more so then drawing and such. It seems that during your spare time you gravitate towards design. Hell, go to Emily Carr with your skills and talent. You will naturally stand out from your peers as something special and the industry will recognize you. And if by chance you do disagree with the above, maybe that says something about which school you would rather be at too.

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5. 

   Jaybe Allanson

   May 30, 2005

   I am director of design at Ideographic.net and a graduate of Cap.
   My recommendation…
   If you are design focused go to Emily Carr. If you are illustration focused go to Cap.
   Its that simple.
   Good luck

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6. 

   Abi Huynh

   June 10, 2005

   I am a current 3rd year student of ECI Communication Design program. The Foundation program at ECI is really strong and it has some GREAT faculty teaching, Foundation is a good chance to get to do things you might otherwise never try like printmaking, ceramics, interdisciplinary media etc.
   The design program is balanced at pretty much 50/50 academic and studio. Truthfully if you just want to learn how to use programs and the technical side of design go get a diploma instead. On the other hand, I for one enjoy the ‘theoretical’ aspects of design a lot and the interaction and exchange of ideas with faculty and students more than makes up for lack of an extensive technical training (which honestly you can learn on your own just by playing around). There are opportunities for exchange and internship programs as well throughout your study. As with most schools you’ll find likes and dislikes along the way, but it’s not the institution that matters it’s the people that will be around you.
   Altogether a school could really just be about what you bring to it as well.
   If you decide to go to ECI email me or something.
   (oh and if you don’t like ECI, since it is acredited the credit courses you take will transfer to other universities easily)

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7. 

   vern

   June 12, 2005

   Hmmm! an interesting choice. I would ask myself if I was interested in personal expression or working in the applied arts. Once you answer this the decision should be easier. The general rule of thumb has been that over the longer term a degree is better, however, when you are looking for work in the applied arts field your portfolio not your education will be what gets you the job.

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8. 

   Hugh Griffith

   June 13, 2005

   Vern hit the nail on the head. School means very little if an individual lacks talent. However, based on your site you strike me as someone who has the talent, you just have to keep unlocking it.
   The absolute first thing you should ask yourself, is what medium do you want to design for: web or print? Both are drastically different. I’ve always believed in specializing. Dedicate yourself to one thing and become the best you can be at it. Keep your expectations realistic too. Unless you are working for yourself you won’t get to do print AND web all the time. Ninety percent of your focus will be on one, ten on the other.
   As a UI designer I’m obviously biased towards interaction design. (I’ve done print many times in my past but just find the web more satisfying.) I also feel that there’s more future in web design. Look around you, though it’s far from dead, print will slowly give way to digital. It’s only a matter of time.
   You’ve definately proven that web is one of your strong areas. I’ll focus on that path. That said, here’s a radical suggestion: don’t waste your time with all that school! Ordinarily I would never say that, but it’s proven that you don’t need a degree to be a successful designer. I’m not saying skip school entirely, it’s critical to learn the fundamentals of design. I just don’t feel it takes 3-4 years to learn it!
   It’s also important to know the technical side too. Learn to code. It will make all the difference in the world.
   Lastly, find a good mentor. Don’t take a job unless you feel you can learn and grow there. You can never know it all as a designer, there’s always a new direction to explore.
   Whatever you decide to do, I’m sure you’ll do well! Best of luck.

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9. 

   somebodi

   June 29, 2005

   i think that eciad is very strong on contemporary design theory, which is reflective of the contemporary design discourse in both academia and industry. it is not very strong on technical teaching, though you can glean as much knowledge as you need, if you are persistant and willing to pick the instructors’ and technicians’ brains and able to work long hours and try to work around stupid aministrative restrictions and technical meltdowns. Basically, everybody is helpful, though a lot of people seem to enjoy playing politics. this is a very small school, with very limited resources, you will work with a lot of people, very closely, you will be in each other’s face, constantly, but in the end you will have learned an immense amount of “stuff”, this is an excellent school, but it is very, very hard. i do not know much about cap college, because i am a student at eciad. i heard that their cg program is excellent ( computergenerated animation, 3ds max, maya, and the like)

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10. 

    Winston

    July 30, 2005

    Hey Jeff, congrats on getting accepted to both schools, you must be quite a guy. I’m going to be entering the second year of IDEA at Cap this September, and I thought you might like to hear from someone who is experiencing the program first hand. Cap is an amazing school, with an excellent faculty and an outstanding program.
    First year students will not be involved in anything digital, and instead will develop skills in traditional mediums such as watercolor, oils, acrylics, pencil crayon, india ink etc. There is life drawing as well, along with a basic design and basic photography course. Along with that there is an english class which covers the basics of communications in the field.
    Second years will start delving into digital mediums and have a course load more structured for design. There is an increase in business classes, and of course, more life drawing. Each student will have their own workstation with their own new computer that they lease from the school, which may be purchased for a $1 fee at the end of the third year.
    Third year students spend most of their time developing professional portfolios, taking business classes, and preparing for the grad show. On top of this is the regular slew of life drawing and traditional medium classes.
    The classrooms always have a positive atmosphere, the the relationships with the teachers is very personal. They care not only for your prefessional growth, but your personal groth as an artist as well. Each year is made up of thirthy students. For the next 3 years you will will have EVERY class with these same students, allowing a very close bond to form between you as a group. This also allows you to develop your teamwork skills and give you a taste of what life in a real design studio might be like.
    Cap is such a great school because it integrates functional design and illustrational techniques with an in depth overview of business skills.
    That being said, I will let you in on what little knowledge of Emily Carr I have. Reliable sources, including various professional designers and several of my classmates, attest that while Emily Carr may help develop conceptual skills, they offer little or nothing involving applying your new skills in the field. They maintain a reputation as a fine arts school, while Cap remains much more applied (thus IDEA: Illustration and Design: Elements and APPLICATIONS).
    I have heard very little of the positive aspects of Emily Carr. Thats not to say they are a poor school, just that they have a different approach. But to be honest we have a little feud going ;)
    For me, being at Cap for one year has been more valuable than most of my highschool education. Also keep in mind that most design firms and designers care next to nothing about a degree vs a diploma. Most of them won’t even accept resumes, from my experience. When it comes down to it, what you have in your portfolio is all that matters, and Cap will help you develop it.
    Your best bet is to contact Milo Kicks at Cap, my favourite teacher and the man who gave me the instruction I needed to get accepted into Cap. I can’t find his personal email but this is the email address for IDEA in general. Ask for him as his instruction will be invaluable.
    >>idea@capcollege.bc.ca<<
    Also feel free to email me with any questions. Maybe I’ll see you when I drop by to annoy the first year students :)
    Good luck
    Winston

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11. 

    Steph

    March 17, 2006

    I was in almost the exact same situation as you 4 years ago. 25, art history degree… wanting to go back to school. For me it simply comes down to what Vern said. If your interests run more towards visual art and expression, IDEA is not for you. If you want to be a designer, which it sounds like you do, IDEA is the place. That was my choice and now I’m working for a design company I love and really excited about my career. Catje said that the “name” of the school is important, and that’s probably true to some extent, but IDEA’s name is actually probably more respected than ECIAD’s when it comes to communications and design. (Visual Arts is a different ballgame). But also consider if you want to be a print designer or web designer. They are not at all the same and IDEA doesn’t have a huge web component to the program. Good Luck!

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12. 

    B

    July 24, 2006

    hey there! i graduated from cap last year, and i have used all of my knowledge i have learned from the IDEA program on my career. I have been keep in touch with many of my fellow classmates and all of them are doing not good, but GREAT career wise. Some are at EA, some are at Hangar18, Rethink, Kaldor, Carols, abd some even became internationally know vase designers:P, well, she is in hk now. And as for me, i work in taiwan right now and i think i was really well tranined since i could get started on various important projects right away. They hired me was cuz of my portfolio, not by my school name. A year has past, i use my marketing skills to sell my concept, business skills to communicate, design skills to make things happen. The most fun part is to deal with printers. In many decent sized firm, there is usually a production dept to take care of outputing, printing and stuff like that, but if a designer can do that by hie/herself, the results can be more reliable and satisfied. I can handle heavy workload and resolve many technical problems myself most of the time, cuz i was helped,(all of my classmates did as well), by a true GOD of computer tech which u dont often see in other school. In my class, there are many great desingers, illustrators and painters. SO doesn’t matter which areas u are going to focus on, its a perfect program for you.(not web design though) haha… But most of all, we all became friends and great networks in the future. Plus all the good stuff you heard from above, maybe you will know what to do.
    P.S. many of us got job interviews right away, after or DURING the grad show, just a FYI.
    It;’s just my personal opinion, but a very sincere one.
    Good luck!

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