Foundations in Design

Program Introduction

“What kind of designer do you want to be?” We bet you get that question a lot. The good news is, it’s OK not to know how to answer that just yet. In fact, that’s the whole point of the Foundations in Design program at The KPU Wilson School of Design. Our program is built for people who love making things, but haven’t landed on a favourite discipline. And honestly, why limit yourself at this stage?

During our eight-month program, you’ll get hands-on experience with 2D and 3D design, drawing, colour theory, and the same software professional designers rely on. Design history and the design process itself come next, including how to research a problem, generate ideas, and test them. Along the way, a full range of design paths will start to become available to you. At the end of it all, you’ll walk away with a portfolio strong enough to open doors at design schools across the country.

Find out how The KPU Wilson School of Design challenges your assumptions:

From crossing the stage to working in a design studio:

Why Study Foundations in Design?

Here’s what makes our program unique:

We only take a small group of top applicants each year, so you get genuine mentorship from faculty members who are also working professionals.
You’ll meet top design leaders through small-group guest speaker sessions on campus and visits to local studios or events. These are connections you won’t get sitting in a lecture hall.
You’ll share the purpose-built studio space with students from every other discipline, so ideas move between fields from day one.
Our grads can continue straight into one of our six other programs, or go on to study design at other leading art and design institutions.
Whatever direction you land on, the career paths are wide open: from graphic, interior or product design and fashion, to more specialized fields like environmental, transportation, or landscape design.
You might be surprised by some of the possibilities: museum design, event design, wayfinding, set and theatre design, or even design education. Foundations in Design is where you discover that these careers exist in the first place.

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Who Studies Foundations in Design?

Were you that kid who took things apart just to see how they worked? Maybe you were constantly rearranging your room to try and nail a particular vibe or altering your sister’s clothing when she wasn’t looking. Foundations in Design draws people who show signs of being a designer long before they’ve picked a discipline.

Our program is for high schoolers, career-changers, and anyone who’s design-curious but not yet design-decided. You don’t need a portfolio full of finished work. What you need is the drive to build real skills fast: drawing, digital design tools, and the research and problem-solving methods designers use every day. If you notice things other people walk past, and you’re ready to turn that into a craft, you’re in the right place.

A recent grad on how Foundations in Design helped her choose her career path:

Admission Requirements

Here’s what you’ll need to do in order to apply to the Wilson School of Design:

Meet our English Proficiency Requirement.
Submit an Entrance Package.

Click the links below to explore detailed requirements about this program.

How To Apply Admission Requirements

Foundations in Design Grad Profile

Rebekah Mercs didn’t know what kind of designer she wanted to be when she arrived at the Wilson School of Design. Through the Foundations in Design program, she got to experiment with fashion, graphic, interior, and product design, one project at a time. That hands-on exploration is what helped her land on product design as her path forward. She says the Wilson campus was the right place for that kind of self-discovery. Her fellow students were welcoming and excited to figure things out together. For anyone stuck on the “what kind of designer am I?” question, her path is proof you don’t need an answer on day one.

“I highly recommend taking the [Foundations in Design] program. I’m really happy I did it. I had a great experience and it’s just a great way to explore design at a higher level and understand where you want to go from there.”