Via KPU Newsroom
The Wilson School of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) has launched a new journal underscoring the diverse ways research comes to life in design.
Assembly shares a curated collection of projects, critical essays, reflections and visual explorations. The inaugural publication features the work of 25 contributors, including numerous students who received project funding from KPU’s Student Research and Innovation Grant program.
“Research journals play a crucial role in capturing and distributing the intellectual work that often lives behind the scenes of design. Assembly is an opportunity to share not just what we make, but how and why we make it,” says Andhra Goundrey, Dean of the Wilson School of Design.
Carley Hodgkinson and Erin Ashenhurst, faculty instructors in the Graphic Design for Marketing program, created the biennial journal with support from research assistants and students Julianna Mayan and Sofia Piercey. Ashenhurst says the goal is to inspire a broad audience through scholarly essays, practice-based research, visual storytelling and reflective writing.
Assembly was created to document and share the creative inquiry and design projects of the Wilson School of Design community in a format that is tangible and accessible. It also serves as a valuable tool to showcase our technical and creative capabilities to potential industry partners and future students, says Ashenhurst.
From left: Sue Fairburn, Klara Joubert, Carley Hodgkinson, Andrea Leung, Julianna Mayan, Sofia Piercey and Erin Ashenhurst.
From left: President Bruce Choy, Dean Andhra Goundrey, Provost/Vice President Diane Purvey and AVP Academic David Burns
The journal’s name emphasizes both the collaborative nature of research and the convergence of ideas that drive the design process.
“We chose the title both because it made us think of school assemblies where everyone gathers together and you get to see people from outside of your cohorts. But ultimately because it captures the nature of the design process — the gathering of research, the ideation, the building out of concepts, all that collaboration and convergence that are behind the projects you see featured in this first issue of this journal,” says Ashenhurst.
Print and digital copies are available through KPU Library. Print copies will also be available for sale at the KPU Campus Store.
Assembly builds on the design school’s growing capacity for research and industry partnerships, and is supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) grant.
The Wilson School of Design offers programs that reflect the polytechnic nature of KPU: Foundations in Design, Fashion Marketing, Front-End Development for Interactive Applications, Fashion and Technology, Graphic Design for Marketing, Product Design, Interior Design and Technical Apparel Design.
View more photos from the Assembly Launch event.
In Assembly, we share a curated collection of projects, critical essays, reflections, and visual explorations from the Wilson School of Design’s creative community. Featuring contributions from students and faculty working in technical apparel, product, fashion, graphic, and interior design, the journal takes its name to emphasize both the collaborative nature of research and the convergence of ideas that drive the design process.
At WSD, we are committed to developing design solutions that respond to the needs of our community. Learn more about our research at thisiswilson.design/research
