Group of students at a table working together

Faculty of Design

About the Faculty of Design

Designers of everything from products and advertisements to buildings and apps impart their perspective in each of the designs they create, whether consciously or unconsciously. As such, designers must reflect on the potential impact of their designs. At OCAD U, emerging designers learn to design innovative and creative solutions that nurture community, harmonize technology, meet market needs and empower individuals.

As producers of objects, communications and environments, our students define, enhance and transform the world around them. Students choose from six programs: Advertising, Environmental Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Industrial Design, or Material Art and Design.

In the Faculty of Design, this means using a variety of creative approaches to:

Design innovative and sustainable solutions that solve problems and meet market needs.
Centre the voices of those most affected by designs.
Value different cultures and ways of knowing and making.
Embed Indigenous learning and principles into the design process including our relationship to the land.

The Faculty of Design also works closely with OCAD U's graduate design-based programs including Inclusive Design and Design for Health.

Student working on a drawing at a drafting table

Students in a workshop talking in front of a laptop

Undergraduate programs

Advertising, BDes

We foster creative thinkers as changemakers, focusing on critical thinking, alternative design approaches, strategy, copywriting and the art of visual imagery. The power of advertising communication is balanced with the sense of accountability and responsibility towards broader communities.

Environmental Design, BDes

Students learn the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and urban design. The program focuses on various approaches to designing and planning our build environments through a critical social, cultural and ecological lens.

Environmental Design: Interior Design Specialization

In this specialization, students not only take Environmental Design courses but also complete four specific courses that are tailored to the field of interior design. The curriculum is designed to prepare graduates for their entry into the interior design profession.

Graphic Design, BDes

Students gain a foundational understanding that graphic design is rooted in communication, cultural contexts and technological advancements. We prioritize type, image and various design practices and methods including motion, interaction and information coupled with critical thinking skills development.

Illustration of a woman with red hair and rope weaving out of the canvas

Illustration, BDes

Students develop individual artistic expressions to critically reflect on society. The program is centred on building knowledge and skills that create effective, communicative and artful images that function as a complement to the written word.

Two photos of an iPhone with an app open

Industrial Design, BDes

Students learn to design products, processes, services and systems that consider impacts on future generations. Areas of student include furniture, interactive and experience design and strategic foresight.

Photo of a person wearing dark blue demin pants and shirt

Material Art & Design, BDes/BFA

In this program, relationships to the materials that connect us to the craft of making are deepened. Concentrations are offered in Jewellery and Textiles, allowing students to work from either an art or design perspective.

Image credits Jessica Sanchez Martinez, Batoll Nassery, Chieng Luphuyong, Yigit Toprak, Nik Clydesdale, Victor Kosic, Kayla Bullen.

Minors

Black Studies Design & Art Minor

The multidisciplinary Black Studies in Design and Art (minor) comprises core courses in Black art and design practices, culture, history, and critical theory to enrich exploration of decolonized futures by bringing in the voices of Black designers and artists. Students from Faculty of Design, Faculty of Art and Faculty of Arts and Science may enroll.

View all Minors

Faculty of Design events

Faculty of Design news

Cafe Talks: Designing the Future, the Future of Design

Designing the Future: Decolonization, Disruption, and the Art of Creating Your Own Seat at the Table The inaugural DesignMeets Café Talk wasn’t just a conversation; it was a call to action. On a brisk January evening, as Toronto’s streets turned to ice, design minds gathered in the warm embrace of Ethica Coffee Roasters for a discussion that was anything but lukewarm. The topic? The future of design education, the dismantling of outdated silos, and the necessity of decolonization. Leading the charge was Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel, the newly minted Dean of Design at OCAD University, with systems thinker and design strategist Michael Dila steering the conversation. https://designmeets.ca/event-summaries/cafe-talks-1-recap

February 12, 2025

Glenn McArthur to give lecture at International Islamic Art Festival

Our very own Glenn McArthur is in Cairo, continuing his photography for the Muqarnas: Form and Light project. He has been invited to give a lecture as part of the International Islamic art festival (21-25 Feb 2025), at the Lahore Museum in Lahore Pakistan.

February 6, 2025

Mejuri Bursary Announcement

It is with great pleasure that wecannounce the Winners of the Mejuri Design Excellence Bursaries for 2025. Congratulations to Alexis Arayata and Zahra Mansuri!

January 27, 2025

Illustration Student Mural Alert - 6th Floor!

Congratulations goes out to our very own ILLU student, Shanae Winslow! You can check out the mural on the 6th floor at 100 McCaul! Great job Shanae!

May 29, 2024

Faculty of Design Professor Given Award

A big congratulations goes out to our very own Professor Maya Desai who was part of a group who received the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Advocate fo

May 29, 2024

Faculty of Design Professor Part of Prestigious Panel

Faculty of Design, Environmental Design Chair, Professor Maya Desai was part of a panel on Social Justice at the RAIC Academic Summit, co-presenting on disabili

May 29, 2024