During your time at The KPU Wilson School of Design, you’ll have the opportunity to work on innovative, boundary-pushing projects through our industry partnerships. These projects will present you with design challenges similar to what you’ll encounter in the real world — not only giving you valuable experience for your future career, but also the industry connections you’ll need to get started. These hands-on opportunities will set you up for long-term success in the vibrant field of product design.
Read on for some examples of student projects.
Industry Project Spotlight
Partner: OHM Electric Bikes
Course: 2nd Year Design Studio
Second-year Product Design students partnered with OHM Electric Bikes, a North Vancouver e-bike company. After visiting OHM to understand the company’s goals, aspirations, and vision for market growth, students spent several weeks on research and concept development, then presented three proposals to OHM in a presentation at our Richmond campus.
Two of these concepts are featured here. The first is a centralized control display integrated into the stem, which displays information on speed, GPS, heart rate, and other functions. Some setups require more than one display mounted on the handlebar. The second is a storage bag designed to fit both the aesthetics of OHM's bikes and the needs of their everyday riders.
"OHM Gear Bag" designed by Jas Singh, Justin Havard and Pilar Bildo.
"OHM Interface One" display system designed by Odette Mejia, Matthew Hill, Chelsea McCullough, and Elvis Roque.
Industry Project Spotlight
Partner: Santevia Water Systems Inc.
Course: Design Studio
Project: 2nd Year Design Blitz
Santevia water systems transform ordinary tap water into clean, clear, mineralized drinking water. They are based in Delta BC. In the Design Blitz, Product Design students were asked to come up with alternatives to Santevia’s existing pitcher design for the purpose of having a new look for a new smaller “slim” size pitcher (2.8 L capacity).
Industry Project Spotlight
Partner: Interactive Institute (Sweden)
Project: The Aesthetics of CO2e
We partnered with the Interactive Institute in Sweden, an interdisciplinary research institute whose Energy Design studio explores how design can motivate more sustainable everyday choices. One of their active research projects asked how climate goals could be made more tangible. They used wearable sensors and personal video tracking to map an individual’s energy use and carbon footprint against Sweden's national climate targets.
Our joint interest was more specific: what does a carbon footprint actually look like? How can we, through design, make the concept of a carbon footprint more concrete and tangible so that people can relate to it more? Students explored that question through the projects below.
Student Work:
'Penguin Paradise Game’
'AKMON your true footprint' by Odette Mejia
'CO-DAE Footprint Analyzer Ring' by Pilar Bido
Industry Project Spotlight
Partner: Canadian Sport Institute, Team Canada Wheelchair Rugby
Project: Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby Athlete Cooling Vest
Our faculty worked with the Canadian Sport Institute to design a cooling vest for Team Canada's Wheelchair Rugby athletes competing at the Rio Paralympics.
"Maintaining thermoregulation in elite athletes and in particular athletes with spinal cord injuries is essential to their health and athletic performance. Having the partnership with Jaymes and Laura with the support of the Wilson School of Design at KPU was very helpful for us as a team. They are the experts in design and were able to come up with a product that fits properly, looked great and most importantly helped cool our athletes while they were in competition at the Rio Paralympics."
Melissa Lacroix, Sports Physiologist, Canadian Sport Institute
Learn more about our partnership with the Canadian Sport Institute.