Humber College – A Degree That Almost Kills You, But Makes A Killing In The Field

A review of the Humber College - Industrial Design program.
By Andy T. who graduated in 2008. 3,325 views.

While still in High school I knew I wanted to be an Industrial Designer. I had researched several other schools including OCAD and York, but the program outline at Humber offered the most well rounded courses as well as a handsome entrance scholarship. After choosing Humber, I planned my last two years of high school so that I would be able to meet the requirements of the program. It’s a good idea to make sure that you go into the program with at least some basic knowledge of art and design, but you’ll learn a lot there so if you have already chosen your classes don’t sweat it. You should also be prepared to show your best work in your portfolio, as you’ll have a one-on-one interview prior to admission.

Sometimes you just have to hear the brutal truth to improve upon yourself.

Industrial Design At Humber

The Industrial Design Degree at Humber is a 4 year course with a mandatory 14 week work-term to be completed before graduation. The number of students in any given class was almost always under thirty, most likely due to the very specific nature of this Degree program. This did allow more one on one time and individual critiques with the professors. The faculty is always willing to give you their advice whether it be good or bad. Sometimes you just have to hear the brutal truth to improve upon yourself. And I can honestly say, they have some of the best profs I have ever had the chance to learn from.

The first year focuses on basic skills such hand rendering and drafting. There are also a couple classes that look into the history of Industrial Design. The second year builds upon the first with more techniques and the addition of CAD classes. The third year is where you have to decide on whether to move into automotive or product design, with design projects reflecting the choice of the designer. In the summer between the third and fourth year there is a mandatory 14 week work-term where each student is required to find a paid design position for the summer (the school will help with sourcing but you are expected to go out there and look for yourself). The final year is the most important with the biggest project being your thesis which is a project that sums up what you have learned throughout the four years you have been there.

The exposure alone has made the program worthwhile.

Luckily for me (well…not so much luck as it was hard work), my thesis won best in category at the 2008 Rocket Show (thesis competition between Carleton, OCAD and Humber with design professionals as judges). Putting so much effort into a design feels so worth it when your peers can see the value in your work. The exposure alone has made the program worthwhile. In the last year alone, my work has been shown at the 2008 Canadian International Auto show, the 2008 Rocket Show and my thesis has been “blogged” about around the world in many different languages. A simple Google search of Andy Tioh Bike Pack will pull up about 5+ pages of blogs.

The worst part of the course (and I will be brutally honest here) were the amount of essays expected, it was a general consensus among the students that we spent more time writing essays than sketching. As said before, the learning experience at Humber was excellent, the varied nature of the classes allowed me to be better equipped to deal with the stresses of a real design job. Even though I hated some classes back then, they seem to make sense now. Just knowing the difference between blown and injection molded plastics seems simple enough, but it makes a huge impact on a client who has never been educated on the manufacturing processes.

It is an excellent mix of design techniques, real world manufacturing processes, with a bit of the business on the side.

The Verdict

I would strongly recommend this program to anyone who would like to peruse a career in design. It is an excellent mix of design techniques, real world manufacturing processes, with a bit of the business on the side. Overall the learning experience was amazing and the amount of knowledge really equipped me for my first design job.

Going into the program, the one thing I wanted most was not only to land a great job but to be great at it. I can say now that the program at Humber has fully prepped me for working in the design field. However, it has to be said that even though the program at Humber was thorough you have to enter a design job with the willingness to learn even more.

Post Humber

I have been out in the design field for about a year now and even with the recession I was able to get a great full time design job as well as several freelance projects in Canada and the United States. I would most definitely recommend the Industrial Design Degree from Humber as it has certainly prepared me well for my career. For the future, I just want to keep working and getting more experience in the field so that I can keep evolving my design style.

You can see some of my industrial design work at www.ndtodesign.com and some of my more recent work on my coroflot page.