Lance Carlson, president and CEO of the Alberta College of Art and Design, is — somewhat ironically — one of the only art and design colleges incorporating design thinking into the curriculum in a comprehensive way…
“Our new Institute will explore and foster work in these areas, and provoke internal dialogue at the college as well. The reaction from the corporate community has been encouraging. We have been in discussions with several companies exploring pilot projects and the provincial government and community-based groups have been supportive. Who doesn’t want to nurture innovation and creative action?“
Responses
I would agree that it is ironic that an Alberta University is incorporating design thinking, however as a student of the Ontario College of Art & Design I can attest to my school’s emphasis on design thinking. Although I still feel we are not doing enough we still are. However I believe these are the only two in Canada.
As Canadians struggle to find their role in business I find it odd that more schools aren’t incorporating this type of thinking. This is one area that Canadian designers can excel at and yet we are not changing fast enough.
And of course there’s Roger Martin carrying the torch at Rotman. I’ve also met some folks starting a small business design consultancy in Toronto.
Canada – hot bed of design thinking?
Technology has changed the way we draw, the way we design, and the way we think. It is redirecting our aesthetic tastes and moving us into more fluid, organic solutions. New design universities, such as ours is a phoenix in the evolution of design.