Digital Design
Learn the in-demand skills to become an interactive user experience or motion design industry professional
Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
Steve Jobs
Entrepreneur + Inventor
Every day, our attention is directly or ambiently connected to digital tools and information. Yet, how many times have you gone to use a website or a new app and found that the frustratingly poor user experience makes you want to throw your phone out of the window? You expect your digital experiences to be efficient and enthralling; to get you where you want to go, to give you the information you need, in a way that holds your attention and cuts through the clutter. Don’t be part of the chaos. Make your design have a positive impact on the way people interact with the world through technology. Help the world be better by design.
An Education in Digital Design
Digital Design Appetizers
Head of VFS Digital Design, Louise Lee, takes you inside Appetizers, an industry night that invites design professionals to see innovative and unforgettable work created by students in the one-year Digital Design program at Vancouver Film School.
Interactive User Experience Design
Create compelling experiences that meet the needs of people who interact with a product or service, while conveying a branded message.
Motion Design
Merge animation with live action footage and sound, to create the illusion of movement in short narrative pieces.
Program Breakdown
Understand fundamental design approaches, identify target audiences and leverage your understanding of current tools to tell simple, powerful stories.
Manage more complex technical projects, and develop strategies to create beautiful projects that focus on humanizing information, 3D graphics, typography, and cross-screen media.
Gain experience with a real client (an NPO based in Vancouver). Create ideas that engage a target audience, communicating information design across portable and cloud-based media devices.
Specialize in Interactive Design, or Motion Design. Create more sophisticated work for your portfolio with help from faculty. Pitch your big idea for your graduate project to industry mentors.
Execute a comprehensive design brief, manage the intricacies of studio-scale production, and work with your mentor to build and refine your graduate project.
Work with experts in portfolio development, employment strategy, and the business, law, and ethics of design to develop your own professional identity.
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program length
12 Months
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Time spent with instructors
1000+ Hours
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Design companies you'll come in contact with
20+
Specializations
Interactive User Experience Design / Motion Design
See program breakdown and full course descriptions for more information.- A Diploma in Digital Design
- A portfolio showcasing your work
- Access to the VFS Alumni Directory and Job Board
Student Work
Breanne Jansen
Motion Design
Synopsis: The world is full of beauty and mystery. It was created for us to explore and enjoy, so get out there! Don't let your time wind down before tasting and seeing that it is good.
Ignacio Osorio
Motion Design
Synopsis: The journey of a photon traveling billions of light-years through space until it reaches its destiny, Planet Earth.
Macarena Poo
Interactive Design
"Through this experience, I learned that you cannot get married to an idea, because it's very likely that you're going to have to change it. It's a lot about trial and error with interactive design, and you have to be okay with it, and with evolving the project on the go."
Yan Jamacaru
Motion Design
Synopsis: A woman travels to Brazil in search of the best fortune teller to help her on her quest for love. Instead, she finds out something that will change her life.
Alejandra Porta
Interactive Design
Synopsis: An app that helps parents share and track their lent baby goods.
Robert Huynh
Motion Design
Synopsis: Experience the magic and wonder of animals, lit from within and packaged in poetry. This motion piece is a promo for a conceptual lantern sculpture theme-park.
Nicholas Ferreira and Dominik Grejc
Motion Design
"The Main Title Sequence for MOVA is a journey through multiple environments that aims to explore the creative process of bringing an idea to life. The project became more powerful with the astonishing sound design by White Noise Lab which was a key factor in conveying the emotions we were looking for."
Marisa Brignole
Motion Design
Synopsis: Celestial is the story of a young girl obsessed with flight. Marisa spent two months in production, with mentorship by two industry professionals.
Key Faculty
Our Digital Design instructors come right from the industry, and offer an unparalleled education based on decades of real-world experience, designed to give students the skills, contacts and confidence to kick start their careers.
Peter Walsh
Head of School of Creative Technologies
Peter Walsh brings a wealth of experience from 15 years working in marketing, technical software development, games, programming, and education management. He is the author of numerous technical books, has worked on several projects that generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, and his projects have won internationally recognised awards including BAFTAs.
Christopher Quine
Senior Instructor
Christopher has created Interactive Cinemas and Exhibits for clients ranging from The Smithsonian Institute to Dr. Robert Ballard, discoverer of the Titanic. He was Interaction Designer for mobile media projects at The Banff Centre and helped design Rockheim; The world's first Interactive Rock and Roll Museum in Norway.
Dougal Muir
Instructor — Branding
Dougal is an experienced designer and creative director who uses his talent for translating difficult concepts into powerful, seductive messages to help organizations speak to their audiences simply and clearly about what they do.
Sergio Toporek
Instructor
Sergio has produced art for more than 70 CDs and worked with Sony, Warner, BMG, Atlantic Records, Universal, and EMI. His art has been exhibited in galleries in Mexico, Canada, and the USA, where he has also given workshops and conferences.
Gagan Diesh
External Examiner
Over the past two decades, Gagan has focused on crafting effective digital experiences and leading teams that build them. He practises, teaches and speaks about experience design, branding and the intersection of business and design; helping businesses work with design and technology to connect with their customers.
See more Instructors and staff
Faculty Career Highlights
Campus Life
Your year inside Digital Design will put you in close contact with students, including collaboration opportunities with the Programming department. Our downtown training facility features near round-the-clock access to computers, work space, and production resources. You'll also be surrounded by the city's best cafes, restaurants, and cultural attractions – not to mention some of the leading animation studios, film productions, and design agencies.
Program Events
Industry Night: Appetizers
Appetizers is a marquee showcase that attracts packed audiences of recruiters and design professionals who are there for one reason: they want to meet you. You'll show them your best work, mingle, and get invaluable exposure.
Guest Speakers
Gain valuable career insights from industry guest speakers who will give demonstrations or answer questions about their specialties.
Digital Design Slam
Every four months, during the already busy year, you'll take on this two-day design sprint. You have eight hours to conceptualize, visualize, produce, and present your creative solutions. You'll power through every roadblock and learn from every misstep until your final design concepts are put to the test in front of a panel of industry judges.
Studio Tour / Agency Visits
Visits to local studio facilities give you first-hand exposure to industry work and culture, as simulated in the Digital Design program. You'll come to realize how close you are, geographically and developmentally, to industry professionals.
CAREERS IN DIGITAL DESIGN
As a graduate of Digital Design from VFS, you’ll be trained to perform in a variety of roles across the entire industry. Your expertise and interests will help you decide which area of Digital Design to pursue.
Interface Designer
As an Interface Designer, you’ll create compelling interactive visual displays for websites, game interfaces, DVD menus, software applications, wireless devices, kiosks, and many other types of media.
Motion Designer
In this role, you’ll create animated stories, utilizing 2D, 3D, and video compositing workflows to communicate ideas and information. You’ll develop motion graphics for website design, game cinematography, interface design, broadcast animation, animated typeface, title sequences, commercial production, and music video production.
Interactive Designer
As an Interactive Designer, you’ll combine a deep understanding of the latest technologies to build interactive experiences through interfaces that engage visitors.
Explore Your Other Career Options
User Experience Designer / Information Architect / Creative Director / Art Director / Communication/Graphic Designer / Packaging Designer / Project Manager/Producer / Motion Graphic Artists / Videographer
Alumni Success
Vancouver Film School grads are some of the most successful professionals in the User Experience and Motion Design industries. Take a moment to browse some of their accomplishments and achievements. The Alumni Success Stories feature tales of triumph and fame, and will open in another window to take you to the VFS Blog page. Grad Career Highlights offers a glimpse at some of our amazing alumni credits and contributions to the industry.
Alumni Success Stories
Grad Career Highlights
Unbounce
Alejandra Porta — Interactive Designer
Carter Gilchrist — Director of Product & User Experience
Cecilia Martinez — Interactive Designer
Cole Derochie — Product Designer
Denise Villanueva — Interactive Designer
Felix Hyun Jae Cha — Customer Success Videographer
Luis Francisco Baroni Coutinho — Interactive Designer
Macarena Poo — UI Developer
Matt Coady — UI Developer
Novita Prasetia — UX/UI Designer
Rick Perreault — CEO
Giant Ant
JR Canest (Jorge Canedo Estrada) – Art Director
Shawn Hight – Motion Designer
Nicholas Ferreira – Motion Designer
Testimonials
Admissions Info
To make sure you have accurate admissions information please select your region based on country of citizenship.
Tuition
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Start Dates
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Requirements
You will be asked to submit one of the following along with your application. Your advisor can help with selecting the best option.
Your portfolio should demonstrate your familiarity with a range of visual work (e.g., print design, web design, etc.). You'll find information on how to send your portfolio in the application form, or you can ask your Advisor.
When you talk to your Advisor, let them know that you've completed the Foundation program and they will put a copy of your diploma in your file for you.
For more about language requirements and other information for international students, visit the International Students page.
We Can Help
We’re here to help you submit an application that best reflects your abilities, and gives you the best chance of being accepted. We've helped thousands of people complete a successful year at VFS by answering questions like these:
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