OnDesign Talk: What the Grad School?
Join us for a panel with recent design graduates attending graduate university programs to answer all your grad school questions!
You can sign up for the free event tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1277377413229?aff=oddtdtcreator
SDA 2024/25 Elections Info Session
We will be having an elections info session this Thursday, March 13th, 2025. This will outline the SDA Roles, nominations, voting and more! You can attend at 5:15 pm in SUB Basement, 0-33 Juniper Room.
Women in Design Panel: Graphic, Architectural, UX/UI, and Product Design
SDA's second OnDesign talk of 2025 welcomes Patti L. Swanson, Amelia Nash, and Jane Handa for a panel discussing their experience in design!
Get tickets here: Women in Design Panel: Graphic, Architectural, UX/UI, and Product Design Tickets, Fri, Mar 7, 2025 at 5:00 PM | Eventbrite
The Women in Design panel hosted the day before International Women's Day will allow design students and faculty to learn about women in the field of design. This event will be run as a panel with a moderator and various speakers found below. There will be a question period and refreshments following the panel.
Patti L. Swanson is a former architect based in Edmonton, Alberta, who led Patti L. Swanson Architect, a full-service architectural firm, from 1992 to 2020. With a career spanning 28 years, Patti was dedicated to creating functional, meaningful, and beautifully designed spaces that reflected her clients' needs. Guided by her mantra—“How does it work? Does it work well? Is it beautiful?”—her work was driven by a deep commitment to building better and designing with purpose.
Amelia Nash is a Canadian expat and multidisciplinary creative based in New York City, where she merges design, brand strategy, and creative direction to build bold, sustainable brands. With over 12 years of experience, she thrives on curiosity, collaboration, and uncovering meaningful insights that transform ideas into unforgettable visual stories. Her approach blends creativity with analytical depth, ensuring every project is both strategic and visually compelling. Passionate about equitable design practices, Amelia believes in the power of design to inspire, educate, and connect. When she’s not immersed in creative work, you’ll find her chasing the perfect G&T, exploring colour palettes, or drawing inspiration from the world around her.
Jane Handa is an Edmonton-based planner currently working with the City of Edmonton. With a background in architecture from the University of Plymouth and additional studies at Royal Holloway, University of London, Jane brings a thoughtful and strategic approach to urban planning. Her expertise lies in designing functional, sustainable, and community centered spaces that enhance city living. Passionate about shaping the built environment, she is dedicated to creating meaningful, well-designed urban solutions.
OnDesign Talk: Berlin Communications - Career Advice + UX/UI
Join us for the first OnDesign talk of the year with Berlin Communications! Learn about the world of UX/UI design, get career advice, and discover the work Berlin is doing right here in Edmonton from Dennis Lenarduzzi, Paulina Van Vliet, and Nikki Howell.
There will also be a mixer after the event at Dewey's from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to continue the conversation!
Sign up before attending here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1257351826159?aff=oddtdtcreator
You can also take a look at Berlin Communications before attending here: Berlin - Home
BUILT Design Store!
Built is an annual pop-up shop organized and managed by the Student Design Association and numerous student volunteers. This temporary store offers a platform for up-and-coming designers to showcase and sell their creations in a commercial environment. It also serves as an excellent opportunity for Edmonton residents to buy locally-made products while supporting emerging talent. The selection of items available at Built are curated by a jury of design professionals and are held to professional standards. Students are encouraged to collaborate with local businesses in the production of their products.
This year is Built’s 10th year anniversary, the first pop-up store debuted in 2014 at Enterprise Square. In this first iteration, 70 design students brought 87 unique products to downtown Edmonton, amounting to $22,670 in purchases. We are excited to partner with CO*LAB this year. This is our first time partnering with them and building on the successes of previous years, we are eager to create an even greater impact this December.
The shop will be open until the 21st of December and the hours are 12pm to 6pm everyday except for Sunday the 15th.
SDA Community Table at OddBird Winter Craft Fair
The SDA will have a community table set up to sell upcoming Built products designed by students and alumni from UofA. This is OddBirds first winter art and craft fair spanning two weekends with tons of artists, designers and makers having tables there.
You can find more information about OddBird and the Winter market fair: Winter Fair — Oddbird Art & Craft Fair
SDA x VASA Hudson's Halloween Mixer
SDA X VASA @HUDSONS is finally here! Join us for a night of fun and excitement at Hudsons Canada's Pub. Get ready to mingle with fellow enthusiasts and enjoy great music, drinks, and vibes. This in-person event is the perfect opportunity to unwind and connect with like-minded individuals. Don't miss out on the first collaboration between SDA and VASA !
Get your tickets here: SDA X VASA @HUDSONS Tickets, Fri, 1 Nov 2024 at 7:45 PM | Eventbrite
Disclaimer:
By purchasing this ticket, you acknowledge that you are at least 18 years of age and agree to abide by the venue's rules and regulations. The management reserves the right to refuse entry or service to anyone. Attendees may be photographed or recorded during the event; by attending, you consent to the use of your image for promotional purposes. Please drink responsibly.
Ticket holder voluntarily assumes all risks and dangers incidental to any games or events for which this ticket is issued and waives all claims against the Student Design Association and the Visual Arts Students Association, and the Governors of the University of Alberta whether or not such claims arise from the negligence of any of the said parties.
Admission is subject to compliance with all laws and facility rules. Failure to comply with laws or facility rules may result in refusal of admission or expulsion. Ticket holder consents to reasonable examinations and searches to ensure compliance with laws and facility rules, and acknowledges illegal substances are not permitted on premises.
For a safe ride home, dial #TAXI on your cell phone.
BUILT Pitches Due
Start building! Everyone accepted should find out around October 27th.
Intake period of produced products is November 20th to 24th. Drop-off times will be specified closer to the date. Products can be dropped off at the SDA office.
In the product intake form, you must provide 4-5 high quality photographs, which will be used for the online store and promotional material.
Sign up to volunteer. If your product is at Built, you are required to volunteer a minimum of a 3 hour shift.
Grad Auction
The Grad Committee cordially invites you to our fundraising event, where hors d'oeuvres and refreshments are provided. Make sure to donate any offers for auction before you arrive.
We look forward to seeing you there.
BUILT Pitches Due (now pushed to 24th)
Built submissions have now been pushed to Thursday 24th.
Start building! Everyone accepted should find out around October 27th.
Intake period of produced products is November 20th to 24th. Drop-off times will be specified closer to the date. Products can be dropped off at the SDA office.
In the product intake form, you must provide 4-5 high quality photographs, which will be used for the online store and promotional material.
Sign up to volunteer. If your product is at Built, you are required to volunteer a minimum of a 3 hour shift.
Grad Auction
The Grad Committee cordially invites you to our fundraising event, where hors d'oeuvres and refreshments are provided. Before you arrive make sure to order your raffle tickets or donate an offer for auction.
We look forward to seeing you there.
SDA Mixer: Halloween Vibes
Come join us for: crafts, byo pumpkin carving, a spooky movie & snacks.
@5pm on Friday
Industrial Design 24hr Space
Built Project Submissions Due
Start building! Everyone accepted should find out around October 27th.
Intake period of produced products is November 20th to 24th. Drop-off times will be specified closer to the date. Products can be dropped off at the SDA office.
In the product intake form, you must provide 4-5 high quality photographs, which will be used for the online store and promotional material.
Sign up to volunteer. If your product is at Built, you are required to volunteer a minimum of a 3 hour shift.
Built Submission Pitch Deadline
Start with an idea to submit. This can range from a sketch to a final prototype you plan to mass produce.
Submit your idea using the google form (follow our newsletter or social for this update). It will ask for information about yourself and your products.
Once submissions are all in, we create a review committee consisting of professors, SDA members and Host Representative Representatives to review your products.
The committee will provide feedback on your designs
From there we’ll accept and deny all of the products
We will also provide conditional acceptance to pitches that need changes but we’d still like to see at Built
Student Mixer: Make Your Mark
Come help design the 23.24 SDA merch in our bi-weekly mixer event. It’s all brainstorming, socializing and fun design times!
Edmonton Design Week
Sign-up for the various Edmonton Design Week’s events at their page.
Here’s the break-down from the planners themselves:
“Edmonton Design Week started as a way to celebrate design in this great city. Over the years it has evolved to become a showcase for all things design in Edmonton.
Explore Edmonton’s diverse design world through interactive exhibitions, events, and talks by industry leaders. Our goal is to allow you to become part of the design process and shape your own future with design through ideation and creation.” - Edmonton Design Week
Hosted by Media Architecture Design Edmonton (MADE)
October 10-15, 2023
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Design Speaker Series: Todd Cherniawsky
Join Hollywood Production Designer and U of A BFA alumnus Todd Cherniawsky for a very special lecture presentation and Q&A.
About the presenter:
A Production Designer for film and television, Todd is known for Star Wars: Ahsoka (2023), Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), Star Trek: Picard (2020), Pet Sematary (2019), Splice (2011), and Ginger Snaps (2000). In addition to his PD credits, he served as Supervising Art Director on Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and Avatar (2009), amongst other award winning feature films. Lilo & Stitch (2024) and Distant (2024) are his most recent projects. Todd is a graduate of the UofA Bachelor of Fine Arts Program (1993).
There is no cost to attend
Welcome Back BBQ
Attention U of A design students: FREE FOOD!
Our welcome back BBQ is this Friday. Come eat some food and say hello to people you may or may not know (especially you, first year students!)
Friday, September 15th
5pm, ID courtyard
5pm-7:30pm
Don’t miss it! 🔥
Design Talk
Patrick von Hauff along with Thomas Jeffery are industrial designers that have been working together over the past two years and will provide an interesting presentation about how their ideas and outlook on design have changed as a result of working in health science education, and from time to time, also crossing over into design for healthcare and health policy. Tom is a recent graduate from the U of A while Patrick has been working in the field for about 15 years now and completed his degree at Concordia in Montreal. They have had similar and different experiences through and after school that they will be sharing with us.
FAB 2-20