Faculty

Carol Aitken, Design Instructor / Co-Coordinator Admissions
Carol has worked as a designer for print and web in the UK, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Canada and has been a studio partner for most of her career. She studied graphic design in London, England, holds a Masters degree in Publishing from SFU and is an HFI certified usability analyst. She currently teaches design and typography, and through her own studio is involved in communication design and web interface projects.

Matt Anderson, Website Applications Instructor
Matt Anderson has a BFA and a Diploma in Applied Information Technology, and has been working as an interactive multimedia developer for the last twelve years. He provides graphic design, animation and programming services for digital media and the web.

Jeff Burgess, Illustration Instructor
Jeff is an honors graduate from the Alberta College of Art and has been a practicing visual artist and illustrator for 25 years. He is represented by Rep Art and has worked for most of the major advertising firms in Vancouver, Calgary, Seattle and Victoria. Clients have included Intrawest, Translink, Fairmont Hotels and BC Hydro. Jeff‘s paintings are in many collections across Canada, the U.S. and Europe including Microsoft, Alberta Arts Foundation and the Calgary Contemporary Arts Foundation. Jeff has won numerous awards for both illustration and painting.

Sean Carter, Design Instructor
Sean is a designer and one of the founding partners at Hangar 18 Creative Group. He is responsible for much of Hangar 18's branding initiatives, from early work for the Wickaninnish Inn and Gray Monk Winery to the current rebranding of Taymor Industries and YVR. Sean's work has been awarded by Communication Arts, Graphis, The One Show, New York Festivals, How Magazine, Applied Arts, Graphex, & Lotus among others. Sean is also a partner in The Pink Door Paper Company, a packaged paper goods product line which sells to retailers across North America.

Patrick Cotter, Content Development Instructor
Patrick has been developing award-winning content for business communications for more than 15 years. He is skilled in writing for a variety of media, including print, video, radio and the web, and for audiences ranging from Howe Street to Sesame Street. After earning a BA from the University of Toronto, Patrick continued his education in logging camp, a health ranch, hitchhiking and writing for tabloid newspapers.

Sue Dritmanis, Communications Instructor
Sue is an editor/writer with 20 years experience in the publishing industry. She has worked as a senior or managing editor at Travel Etc., Western Living, Vancouver, Vista, Canadian Living and Homemaker's magazines, and has written for many other titles including BC Business and Chatelaine. She is a co-founder of Art & Edit, a publishing consulting company, and teaches magazine editing in Capilano University's Magazine Publishing Program. Sue recently completed her Master's of Education degree at SFU, specializing in curriculum and instruction at the post-secondary level.

Fred Forster, Illustration and Life Drawing Instructor
Born and raised on the prairies, Fred graduated from the Graphic Design Program at the Alberta College of Art. After moving to Vancouver, he worked as an art editor and art director before establishing his own studio and continuing his evolution from designer to illustrator. His clients have included regional, national and international firms. He has taught at Capilano University for more than twenty years and continues to divide his time between teaching and illustration assignments.

Bruce Fraser, Design Instructor
Bruce Fraser has been a writer and Creative Director in the Vancouver advertising scene for 17 years. A graduate of the Capilano University Marketing Management program, his work has won numerous awards for creative excellence and results, including Lotus Awards, Communication Arts, Applied Arts, CASSIES (Canadian Advertising Success Stories), American Marketing Effectiveness awards, Extras, Crystals radio award, and others. Bruce has been the Director of Creative Services at Elevator Strategy, Advertising & Design, a Vancouver-based, full-service ad agency, for the past 10 years.

Milo Hicks, Design and Illustration Instructor / Co-Coordinator Administration
Milo has run a solo design studio for more than twenty years, creating solutions for a wide range of clients, including Pantry Restaurants, Ainsworth Lumber, Tourism Vancouver, BC Sugar, BC Gas, Wood Gundy, Pacific Centre and Concord Pacific. Born and trained in California, he started his career in exhibition design at the Ontario Science Centre and later joined the Vancouver office of Cockfield Brown, where he served as senior art director for seven years.

Kiff Holland, Illustration and Life Drawing Instructor
Kiff has won numerous awards in Canada and the United States for his painting. Recognized for his marine watercolours and luminous still life, he also works in oils, egg tempera and gold leaf. A past president of the Federation of Canadian Artists, Kiff was elected a signature member of the American Watercolour Society in 1992. Born in South Africa, he received his formal training at the University of Witwatersrand and the Johannesburg School of Art before moving to Vancouver in 1975. Kiff joined the Capilano University faculty in 1984.

Si Huynh,  Illustration Instructor
An alumni of the Capilano Graphic Design and Illustration Program, Si has been working as an illustrator, art director and designer for over 18 years. Originally from Vietnam, he now lives and works on Vancouver Island. His illustration clients include Honda, John Hancock, Canadian Art Prints, Canada Post, Addison Wesley, Xerox, PC World and Ellery Queen Magazine.

Karin Jager, Design Instructor / Co-Coordinator Curriculum
Karin is a graphic designer specializing in corporate communication. She began teaching design at Capilano University in 1995 and is actively involved in the continued development of the IDEA program. Karin graduated from Emily Carr and holds a Masters degree in Education from SFU. Giving back through her students motivates her passion for education and is the inspiration for her current research about establishing a national profile for graphic design education in Canada. Karin is a member of the Capilano University Senate.

Vida Jurcic, Design Instructor
Vida is a principal and co-founder of Hangar 18 Creative Group, an award-winning design firm specializing in corporate and retail communications. Vida’s expertise is mostly in art direction, layout and design, with a strong leaning towards retail. She has won numerous awards for her work throughout her career, and has been a judge for the Ottawa Advertising Association Awards and the Western Canadian Magazine Awards in the categories of art direction and layout for three consecutive years. She has strong working relationships with many of Canada's top photographers.

Sheila Kinakin, Design Instructor
Sheila has worked as a designer in print publishing as well as a broadcast designer for CBC television. She has won several international awards, including the Gold Medal for illustration from the Broadcast Designers’ Association. Her client list for illustration includes Palmer Jarvis, Sung Van Design, GVRD, Jager Design and Creative Wonders. Sheila is a graduate of the Capilano University Commercial Art Program, a precursor to the IDEA program.

Shayne Letain, Illustration Instructor
Shayne is a graduate of Capilano College's Graphic Design and Illustration program, and has been working as a freelance artist for the past fourteen years. Trained in traditional artist's media, Shayne now works almost exclusively with digital media providing illustration, design, animation and motion graphics to clients large and small.

John Lau, Digital Applications Instructor / Lab Supervisor
John has more than twenty years of professional experience with traditional imaging and has been actively involved in digital imaging almost since its inception. He has produced stunning reproduction quality images in a fast-paced commercial environment for a wide range of projects and art directors. As an Adobe Certified Expert, John helps others create commercial quality images for various organizations and institutes. As an Apple Certified Systems Administrator and Microsoft Certified Professional, John can also develop efficient workflows for any studio.

Dean Ponto, Design Instructor
Dean graduated from the notable Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, gaining valuable brand experience at advertising agencies as an Art Director. Combining award-winning concepts with a strategic focus he tackled the toughest print and broadcast assignments for both national and regional clients. His 25 years of agency experience has taken him on projects from New York to Australia. A former Creative Director of TBWA/Vancouver, Dean is now enjoying teaching and freelance as a career. Past clients have included Telus, Children’s Hospital, BC Lottery Corp, Alcan Aluminium, Vancity and Labatt’s.

Andrew Samuel, Design Instructor
Andrew is a principal at Saint Bernadine Mission Communications Inc., a mid-sized communications agency headquartered in Vancouver. Andrew began his design & advertising career as an Art Director at Copeland Communications, before moving to Vancouver to join Rethink Communications and eventually becoming Associate Creative Director. In his career so far, Andrew has created and produced award-winning work for clients like A&P Canada, NorskeCanada, Bell Mobility, BCAA, Shaw, Earls, and Granville Island as well as being ranked as one of the top ten art directors in Canada by Strategy Magazine.

Kym Stewart, Communications Instructor
Kym is a PhD student in the Faculty of Education at SFU. Kym uses the theories of Imaginative Education (Egan) to create media-education programming for teachers and students. Imaginative Education focuses on increasing the social and emotional engagement of students by providing ways of re-awakening imagination and creativity. Her teaching experience varies from elementary school in South Korea to the School of Communication and the Faculty of Education at SFU and in various districts across BC as a media education consultant.

Ben Tour, Illustration Instructor
Ben is a painter and illustrator. He graduated from the Illustration program at Sheridan College. Ben has exhibited in galleries from Los Angeles to Miami, Hamburg to New York. His work has been featured in publications including Playboy, Juxtapoz and Color Magazine. He has worked with clients such as BMW, Absolut, Nike and Burton Snowboards.

Jerome Valdez, Digital Branding Instructor
Jerome is an accomplished user experience designer who specializes in creating unique user experiences online. He has brought his expertise to clients ranging from Nike, Nintendo, Sportchek, Futureshop, A&E Networks, BC Hydro, BC Lotteries, Telus, and Electronic Arts. In addition to his information architecture, interaction design, and usability experience, Jerome dabbles in web design and front-end programming and brings that holistic knowledge to his work on all client engagements.

Dominique Walker, Design Instructor
Dominique currently designs at LightroomFX, working on brands such as Steve Nash Sports Club, Playground Resort Properties, Four Seasons, and the Kor Group. Prior to this she was at Identica Branding and Design (a division of Cossette Communications and formerly Koo Creative Group) where she developed her branding skills working on industry leaders such as MMUSA, Wal-Mart USA, and McDonald’s Canada. Dominique earned a BA from Simon Fraser University before completing Capilano University’s Design and Illustration program, now the IDEA program.

Lawrence Wu, Digital Applications Instructor
A faculty member since 1989, Lawrence was a music graduate when he transposed his background in music to production, and augmented his scope through academic studies. With the emergence of 20th Century digital technologies, Lawrence entered the frontier of new media and applied communications. Lawrence is also a faculty member in the Music program.

Daniel Yasinski, Design and Business Instructor
Daniel currently operates Virtual Metaphor, a firm specializing in electronic visual communications, e-commerce design and marketing. He has worked as a photographer, film cameraman, designer and art director. Clients have included Maclaren’s Advertising, Reimer Express Lines, CBC Winnipeg, Vancouver Public Library, Department of National Defense, National Film Board of Canada, Sea Span International and Paramount Pictures. Daniel, who has a BFA from the University of Manitoba, teaches in both the IDEA Program and the School of Business.