TORONTO – Starting this month, third-year industrial design students at the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) will get to work shaping Canada’s booming wireless industry with an innovative new design course, OCAD and Telus announced Wednesday.
The OCAD/Telus Handset Project, part of the curriculum of OCAD’s Industrial Design program course “Emerging Technologies” will teach students how to design handsets for wireless phones that will meet the future needs of Canadian mobile users.
This collaboration, a first for both OCAD and Telus, will draw upon the students’ and the university’s vast design experience, while educating about the intricacies of wireless device design.
The most innovative and functional design will be considered by Telus for further development and possible commercialization in the mass market.
The key to a successful design will be the identification of behavioural and usage trends in the mobile phone industry that may become popular in the mid-2009 launch timeframe.
Third-year students in Industrial Design will work together in small teams with frequent mentorship from Telus team members.
This collaboration, a first for both Telus and OCAD, “represents an innovative initiative to develop the creative and imaginative capacities of emerging Canadian designers,” Dr. Anthony Cahalan, Dean of the Faculty of Design at OCAD, said in a statement.
“Communication, teamwork, problem solving, user understanding, insight, design opportunities and the adept application of technology are key facets of this program,” he said.
“This innovative partnership between two leaders, one in art and design education and the other in innovative products and services, is set to contribute to the global design community,” said Stephen Ospalak, Telus’ vice-president of Subscriber Devices. “We are proud to help Canadian youth grow their talents in creative innovation through this program and through our support of OCAD.”
To further assist in the development of Canadian design talent, the student demonstrating the strongest abilities will be offered a four-month summer internship with Telus. Through the co-op term, the student will gain hands-on experience, working side-by-side with the product development team.
