CURRICULUM VITAE
THOMAS K. GIRARD, MA, CDP
thomaskgirard.com
thomas@thomaskgirard.com
SELECT EDUCATION
M.A. Liberal Studies, 3.950 Graduating GPA, Simon Fraser University 22
Accepted for M.A. studies to University of Oxford
Accepted for M.A. studies to Royal College of Art, London
SELECT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, PANELS & WORKSHOPS
• Tenth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies Sep 11, 2025 – Sep 12, 2025 at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris, France
• Twenty-Third International Conference on Publishing Studies June 25 – 26, 2025 University of Hawaii at Hilo
• Thirty-Second International Conference on Learning July 08 – 10, 2025 University of Granada, School of Education
• Nineteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society May 24-26 2024 Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
• Eighteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society July 05 – 07, 2023 Jagiellonian University Kraków, Poland
• Twenty-first International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities June 28 – 30, 2023 Sorbonne Université, Paris
• Seventeenth International Conference on the Arts in Society July 04 – 06, 2022 San Jorge University, Zaragoza
• Seventeenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices March 29 – 31, 2023 Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon, Lisbon
• Twentieth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities June 20 – 22, 2022 Department of Mediterranean Studies, School of Humanities, University of the Aegean (Rhodes Campus), Rhodes
• Thirteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices March 01 – 03, 2019 St. Petersburg University, Saint Petersburg
• Fourteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society June 19 – 21, 2019 Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon, Lisbon
• Fifteenth International Conference on The Arts in Society June 24 – 26, 2020 National University of Ireland Galway, Galway
• Fourteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices November 11 – 13, 2020 Pratt Institute, Brooklyn
• Fifteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices March 02 – 05, 2021 University of Monterrey, Monterrey
• Sixteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society June 15 – 18, 2021 The University of Western Australia, School of Design, Perth
• International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities June 29 – July 02, 2021 Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid
• Sixteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices January 19 – 21, 2022 University of Newcastle, Newcastle
AWARDS
• FASS Travel Award Simon Fraser University 22
• Graduate Fellowship Awardee Simon Fraser University 22
• Graduate Fellowship Awardee Simon Fraser University 21
• Emerging Scholar Award Recipient New Direction in the Humanities Conference
• Emerging Scholar Award Recipient Design Principles and Practices Conference
• Emerging Scholar Award Recipient Arts in Society Conference
• Emerging Scholar Award Recipient Arts in Society Conference
• Emerging Scholar Award Recipient The Image Conference
• Emerging Scholar Award Recipient Royal Bank of Canada Foundation
PUBLICATIONS
• Journal Essay Published in the BC Review on “Where we jump forward to…”
• Journal Essay Published in the BC Review on “Where we enter”
• Journal Essay Published in the BC Review on “Where is type going?”
• Journal Essay Published in the BC Review on “The history of typography”
• Journal Essay in Publication in the BC Review on “User Experience and Sophocles”
• Journal Poem in Publication in the BC Review on “New Delhi, Lahiri, Strang, Carson”
• Journal Essay Published in the BC Review on “Advanced Typography Workshops”
• Journal Essay Published in the BC Review on “Unique Ways of Prototyping”
• Journal Letter Published in the BC Review on “Letters from the Pandemic”
• Journal Book Review Published in the BC Review on “Things We Could Design”
• Journal Book Review Published in the BC Review on “Art+ DIY Electronics”
• Journal Book Review Published in the BC Review on “PRETTY PICTURES”
BOOKS
• Emerging Scholar: Gratitude of an Award Recipient ISBN: 9781777811709
• Emerging Scholar Second Edition ISBN: 979-8544930778
• Emerging Scholar & Oxford ISBN: 979-8793877152
• Emerging Scholar & TED ISBN: 979-8412405698
• Emerging Scholar: Assistant Professor Tenure-Track. ISBN: 979-8412407258
• Emerging Scholar: Lecture at the Sorbonne ISBN: 979-8412993355
• Emerging Scholar & Associate Dean Offer ISBN: 978-1990741081
• Emerging Scholar & The Oxford Centre ISBN: 978-1990741098
• Life or Death Typography ISBN: 9781990741128
• Emerging Scholar & Paris ISBN: 9781990741142
INTERVIEWS
• UI Narrative Podcast
• Next 100 Days Podcast
• Canada’s Podcast
• This Amazing Story Podcast
• Thriver Podcast
• Running Wild with Christine Podcast
• Ramblings of a Designer Podcast
• No Fun City Podcast
• No Fun City Podcast (return guest)
• (in)visible (de)signs Podcast
• (in)visible (de)signs Podcast (return guest)
• Live with CDP Podcast
• Chase Your Dreams Podcast
• Two Mic’s Up Podcast
SELECT COURSES TAUGHT
• Personalized and Adaptive User Interfaces
• Advanced Typography and Design
• Design for Print with InDesign
• Sustainable Design Standards
• Fundamentals of Sustainable Design
• INTD–210-S002–2018 Core Studio Interaction Design
• INTD–400-S001–2017 Core Studio Interaction Design
• INTD–2017 Prototyping Interactions
• INTD–2017 Interaction Design Principles
• CEIE-210-S001-2020 Mobile App Design IDES Jan 16 – Feb 19 2020
• CEIE-210-SU01-2019 Mobile App Design IDES Jul 18 – Aug 17 2019
• CEIE-210-S001-2019 Mobile App Design IDES Jan 16 – Feb 19 2019
• CEIE 110 F001 Design Fundamentals IDES Sept 14 – Nov 16 2015
• CEIE 110 F001 Design Fundamentals IDES Sept 12 – Nov 14 2016
• CEIE 210 S001 Mobile App Design IDES Jan 17 – Feb 16 2017
• CEIE 210 S001 Mobile App Design IDES Jan 19 – Feb 18 2016
• CEIE 210 S001 Mobile App Design IDES Jan 16 – Feb 15 2018
• CEIE 210 SU01 Mobile App Design IDES Jul 18 – Aug 17 2017
• CEIE 220 S001 Mobile App Production IDES Feb 24 – March 31 2016
• CEIE 220 S001 Mobile App Production IDES Feb 24 – March 31 2016 revisions
• CEIE 110 SU01 Design Fundamentals IDES Apr 4 – Jun 6 2016
• CEIE 210 SU01 Mobile App Design IDES Jul 19 – Aug 11 2016
• CEIE S001 Mobile App Design IDES Jan 16 – Feb 19 2018
• CEIE 210 S001 Mobile App Design IDES Jan 16 – Feb 15 2018
• CEIE 210 SU01 Mobile App Design IDES Jul 19 – Aug 18 2016
• CEIE 210 SU01 Mobile App Design IDES Jul 17 – Aug 16 2018
• Final Major Project
• Major Studio Project
• Digital Illustration
• Digital Photography
• Interactive Media Design
• Advanced Interactive Media Design
• User Interaction Design
• Programming Integration
• Typography
• Typography II
• Creativity and Problem Solving
• New Media and Interactive Environments • Page Layout
• Elements of Design
PODCAST
• 200 David Sedgwick Founder June 27, 2024
• 199 Dan Forster, Typographer June 18, 2024
• 198 “Nick” Benson, Stone Carver June 13, 2024
• 197 Greg Durrell, Founder / Leader June 12, 2024
• 196 Alex Biem, Founder June 11, 2024
• 195 Irene Au, Partner May 23, 2024
• 194 Barry Gu, Designer May 23, 2024
• 193 Josh Brewer, Designer May 16, 2924
• 192 Lex Wilson, Design Leader May 16, 2024
• 191 Aaron Poe, Designer May 5, 2024
• 190 Stephen Coles, Typographer May 3, 2024
• 189 Mira Malatestinic, Art Committee Member May 2, 2024
• 188 Paloma Rincon, Photographer Apr 25, 2024
• 187 Bill Buxton, Design Legend Apr 17, 2024
• 186 Diana Varma, Curious Human, Apr 11, 2024
• 185 Cheryl D. Miller, Graphic Designer Apr 11, 202
• 184 Laura Pol, Founder Apr 9. 2024
• 183 Sarah Boris, Designer Apr 6, 2024
• 182 Lisa Strausfeld, Designer Apr 4, 2024
• 181 Jonathan Barnbrook, Graphic Designer Apr 4, 2024
• 180 Grant Gibson, Writer Apr 4, 2024
• 179 Jim William, Author Mar 31, 2024
• 178 Azmina Poddar, Chief Creative Officer Mar 28, 2024
• 177 Kevin Hawkins, Design Leader Mar 26, 2024
• 176 Alfredo Enciso, Graphic Designer Mar 26, 2024
• 175 Nigel Holmes, Graphic Designer Mar 21, 2024
• 174 Veronika Burian, Type Designer Mar 20, 2024
• 173 Don Norman, Legend Mar 17, 2024
• 172 John Higgins, VP ECD Mar 16, 2024
• 171 Nick Longo, Creative Executive Mar 14, 2024
• 170 SNASK Mar 14, 2024
• 169 Terea Sdralevich, Graphic Designer Mar 12, 2024
• 168 Sadie Red Wing, Graphic Designer Mar 6, 2024
• 167 Natalie Nixon, PHD, CEO Mar 5, 2024
• 166 Anthony Burrill, Graphic Artist Mar 4, 2024
• 165 David Lockie, Founder Feb 29, 2024
• 164 Kevin Poveda, Tattoo Artist Feb 29, 2024
• 163 Martina Flor, Lettering Artist Feb 29, 2024
• 162 Irene Pereyra, Designer Feb 27, 2024
• 161 Jay Grandin, Co-Founder Feb 21, 2024
• 160 Josh Clark, UX Design Leader Feb 20, 2024
• 159 Bonnie Siegler, Graphic Designer Feb 19, 2024
• 158 April Greiman, Design Legend Feb 16, 2024
• 157 Aarron Walter, Author Feb 14, 2024
• 156 Lisa Congdon, Illustrator Feb 12, 2024
• 155 Elizabeth Tunstall, Academic Leader Feb 10, 2024 1
• 154 Jesi Carson, Interaction Designer Feb 8, 2024
• 153 Paul Boag, Digital Leader Feb 6, 2024
• 152 Jeff Gothelf, Author Feb 5, 2024
• 151 Jessica Hische, Lettering Artist Jan 30, 2024
• 150 Alison Rand, Experience Designer Jan 29, 2024
• 149 Rachel Botsman, Speaker and Author Jan 25, 2024
• 148 Alastair Simpson, VP Jan 23, 2024
• 147 Barry Katz, Talent Manager Jan 19, 2024
• 146 Andy Budd, Design Leader Jan 18 2024
• 145 Darren St Laurent, Realtor Jan 16, 2024
• 144 Greta Costilio, Art Direct Jan 15, 2024
• 143 Chriselle Erguven, Student Jan 14, 2024
• 142 John E. McGlothlin, Adjunct Professor Jan 13, 2024
• 141 Kevin Buthane, Author Jan 12, 2024
• 140 Nick Finck, Design Leader Jan 11, 2024
• 139 Mike Kuz, Designer Jan10, 2024
• 138 Sarah Hyndman, Author and Speaker Jan 9, 2024
• 137 Chloe Kwok, TED Speaker Dec 20, 2023
• 136 Bruce Haden, Architect Dec 18, 2023
• 135 Pengmin Xu, Graphic Designer Dec 17, 2023
• 134 Marian Bantjes, Design Legend Nov 23, 2023
• 133 Jakob Trollbäck, Founder Nov 22, 2023
• 132 Eli Woolery, Lecturer Nov 20, 2023
• 131 Irene Vlachou, Type Designer Nov 20, 2023
• 130 Amy Lima, Product Designer Nov 15, 2023
• 129 Adam Urklinski, UX and HMI Designer Nov 11, 2023
• 128 Chloe Gottlieb, Executive Coach Nov 07, 2023
• 127 Vida Jurcic, Founding Partner Nov 05, 2023
• 126 Lili Gao, Consultant Oct 28, 2023
• 125 Lauren Von Dehsen, Experience Designer Oct 22, 2023
• 124 Glynis Tao, Business Consultant Oct 17, 2023
• 123 Ezgi Akcinar, PhD Oct 11, 2023
• 122 Ellen Lupton, Design Legend Oct 09, 2023
• 121 Nick Shinn, Typeface Designer Oct 03, 2023
• 120 Patrick Neeman, VP Oct 01, 2023
• 119 Kurt Whitelaw, Creative Director Sep 26, 2023
• 118 Sachin Chaves, Web Developer Sep 23, 2023
• 117 Mahyar Saeedi, Digital Media Designer Sep 20, 2023
• 116 Zaid Hisham, Architect Sep 13, 2023
• 115 Bruno Oro, Academic Sep 12, 2023
• 114 Miklos Philips, UX Leader Sep 11, 2023
• 113 Kris Krüg, Storyteller Sep 07, 2023
• 112 Abhi Murali, Storyteller Aug 31, 2023
• 111 Lasse Joergensen, Videographer Aug 30, 2023
• 110 Chris Do, Designer Aug 24, 2023
• 109 Karla Mercado, Designer Aug 24, 2023
• 108 Jean François Porchez, Type Designer Aug 21, 2023
• 107 Alexandra Sumina, UI/UX Designer Aug 10, 2023
• 106 Roman Wilhelm, Type Designer Aug 09, 2023
• 105 Christian Nicolay, Artist Jun 20, 2023
• 104 Pauline Lai, Designer Jun 08, 2023
• 103 Connor Lowe, Designer Jun 08, 2023
• 102 Gail Anderson, Design Legend Jun 05, 2023
• 101 Ria Chatterjee, Student May 25, 2023
• 100 John Bondoc, Industrial Designer May 24, 2023
• 99 Evan Lee, Artist May 11, 2023
• 98 Mark Simonson, Type Designer May 02, 2023
• 97 Jesse Showalter, Internet Personality Apr 20, 2023
• 96 Julie Van Oyen, Designer Apr 13, 2023
• 95 Bhumika Kalra, Student Apr 10, 2023
• 94 Steven Heller, Design Writer Mar 24, 2023
• 93 Richard Saul Wurman, Architect Mar 21, 2023
• 92 Timothy Goodman, Artist Mar 13, 2023
• 91 Jessica Helfand, Designer Mar 12, 2023
• 90 Flora Gordon, Ghost Designer Mar 10, 2023
• 89 Seb Curi, Artist Mar 02, 2023
• 88 Chavi Sethi & Noor Bains, Designers Feb 23, 2023
• 87 Lucy Hogg, Photo based Feb 09, 2023
• 86 Tara Rice, Creative Direction Feb 06, 2023
• 85 Peter Sobchak, Editor in Chief Feb 01, 2023
• 84 Todd Omotani, Senior VP Jan 14, 2023
• 83 Raymond Larabie, Type Designer Jan 11, 2023
• 82 Christopher Lee Sauve, Pop Artist Jan 11, 2023
• 81 Meg Stiven, Director Jan 07, 2023
• 80 Bisi Williams, Global Thought Leader Jan 04, 2023
• 79 Erik Spiekermann, Typography Legend Dec 20, 2022
• 78 Hasan Namir, Author Dec 18, 2022
• 77 Rebecca Baker-Grenier, Artist Dec 18, 2022
• 76 Lori Goldberg, Artist Dec 17, 2022
• 75 Carolina Becerra, Creative Dec 12, 2022
• 74 Tolu Garcia, Product Designer Dec 09, 2022
• 73 Jordan Girman, VP of User Experience Dec 07, 2022
• 72 Tori Zhao, Front-end Engineer Dec 06, 2022
• 71 Stephanie Walter, Designer Dec 03, 2022
• 70 Terri Rodriguez-Hong, Designer Nov 29, 202
• 69 Eric Lee, UX Designer Nov 28, 2022
• 68 Jarell Alvarez, Product Designer Nov 28, 2022
• 67 Joel Hladecek, Worldwide Creative Officer Nov 24, 2022
• 66 Claire Lee, Student Nov 19, 2022
• 65 Ken Skistimas, Manager Nov 18, 2022
• 64 Ally Mona, Bespoke Branding Co Nov 18, 2022
• 63 Thuyen Nguyen, Graphic Designer Nov 13, 2022
• 62 Kyle (Shàwinipinesì) St-Amour-Brennan, Entreprenuer Nov 11, 2022
• 61 GB Lee, Designer Nov 10, 2022
• 60 Priti Saini, Associate Director Nov 10, 2022
• 59 Jonathan Nodrick, Founder Nov 09, 2022
• 58 Robin Wood Stethem, Cofounder Nov 08, 2022
• 57 Rogier van der Heide, Lighting Designer Nov 08, 2022
• 56 Itamar Medeiros, Director of Design Nov 05, 2022
• 55 Trevor Jones, Educator Nov 04, 2022
• 54 Stevie Thuy Anh Nguyen, Designer Nov 02, 2022
• 53 Dr. Maria Lantin, Academic Oct 29, 2022
• 52 Eric Quint, Author Oct 28, 2022
• 51 Bruno Porto, Graphic Designer Oct 27, 2022
• 50 Sharad Khare, Digital Journalist Oct 27, 2022
• 49 Gagan Diesh, Sabbatical Oct 27, 2022
• 48 Rafael Puyana, Educator Oct 25, 2022
• 47 Debbie Millman, Chair Oct 18, 2022
• 46 Alex Trochut, Graphic Designer Oct 17, 2022
• 45 Paul Conder, Principal Oct 17, 2022
• 44 Mana Saei, Artist Oct 14, 2022
• 43 Kelly Small, Author Oct 13, 2022
• 42 Erik Olson, Artist Oct 12, 2022
• 41 Casey Hrynkow, Facilitator Oct 07, 2022
• 40 zeldasauce, Gamer Oct 03, 2022
• 39 Candy Wiyono, Senior Designer Oct 01, 2022
• 38 John Maeda, Chief Technology Officer Sep 29, 2022
• 37 Meena Kothandaraman, Experience Strategist Sep 29, 2022
• 36 Kushal Jadhav, Director Sep 25, 2022
• 35 Scott Bremner, M.A. Student Sep 24, 2022
• 34 Sughandi Luthra, Brand Protagonist Sep 23, 2022
• 33 Garth Mc Intosh, Environments Sep 17, 2022
• 32 Germaine Koh, Artist Sep 13, 2022
• 31 Arndt Klos, Communication Designer Sep 12, 2022
• 30 Jason DaSilva, Film Maker Sep 11, 2022
• 29 Hien Do, Accountant Sep 01, 2022
• 28 Dr. Am Johal, Director and Associate Aug 29, 2022
• 27 Dr. Ron Wakkary, Professor Aug 26, 2022
• 26 A. Laszlo Lazuer, Engineer Aug 26, 2022
• 25 Filip Zagórski, Graphic Designer Aug 25, 2022
• 24 Matea Kulić, Executive Director Aug 23, 2022
• 23 Dr. Ron Burnett, Order of Canada Aug 22, 2022
• 22 Yasaman Hoorfar, Fashion Designer Aug 21, 2022
• 21 Scott Mallory Jr., Artist Aug 20, 2022
• 20 Sugandhi Luthra, Brand Protagonist Aug 20, 2022
• 19 Sonny Assu, Artist Aug 18, 2022
• 18 Merunisha Moonilal, Lecturer Aug 18, 2022
• 17 Dan Segal, Associate Principal, UX / CX Aug 12, 2022
• 16 Izabela Sroka, Art Director Aug 10, 2022
• 15 Dr. Marco Bevolo, Adjunct Professor Aug 10, 2022
• 14 Angela Fama, Artist Aug 08, 2022
• 13 Dr. Philippe Pasquier, Professor Aug 08, 2022
• 12 Jo Wong and Dan Szuc, Co-founders Aug 06, 2022
• 11 Paresh Choudhury, Professor Aug 04, 2022
• 10 Sneha Rai, Flight Attendant Nov 26, 2023 (republished)
• 09 Katrina Heschel, UX Researcher Nov 26, 2023 (republished)
• 08 Michael Peter, UX Researcher Nov 26, 2023 (republished)
• 07 Keith Tam, Academic Nov 26, 2023 (republished)
• 06 Alan Jones, Curious Human Nov 26, 2023 (republished)
• 05 Nicole Ho-Sang, Personal Coach Nov 26, 2023 (republished)
• 04 Dr. Garnet Hertz, Canada Research Chair Nov 26, 2023 (republished)
• 03 Mahyar Saeedi, Podcast Host Nov 26, 2023 (republished)
• 02 Srushti Kulkarni, UI/UX Designer Nov 26, 2023 (republished)
• 01 Natasa Razak, Interior Architect Nov 26, 2023 (republished)
SELECT PRAISE
Thomas is an instructor of mine at Emily Carr University. He has a really clear teaching style and is always there when an extra opinion is needed. I really enjoyed Thomas’s class because he is genuinely trying to improve our projects. He is proficient at implementing current trends into his curriculum.
• Rosanna Chiu
Thomas is an incredible leader, mentor and teacher, who is really invested in his students ca- reers. I saw these qualities first hand, when he was our mentor in a 24 hour hackathon. In the time pressure our team had, Thomas stepped in and steered our team in the right direction. Providing us with strategic and design direction, when our team needed it the most. He fosters a truly collaborative environment in his classroom, and always brings about the newest design trends and practices to the forefront. I am incredibly grateful to have Thomas as a teacher and mentor, in my design career. He is a visionary and a thought leader, who I would highly recom- mend, for any role.
• Shua Baber
Thomas’ mentorship is unparalleled to any other I’ve experienced. He has an incredible talent for creating emotional value which is such a huge part of the user journey. Furthermore, I was very impressed with his creative methods of moving through the ideation process. I count my- self lucky to have learned so much from Thomas within such a short span of time.
• Jared Zecchel
Thomas was my instructor for Mobile App Design at Emily Carr University of Art & Design. It was very evident upon first meeting him that being a designer is more than just his job, but a way of life. He has a strong commitment to refining his own practice, and this dedication in- spires his students to follow his lead. What I appreciate most about Thomas is how much time and space he gives students to take their ideas, and run with them. He provides direction when necessary, but it is usually open to interpretation, which allows students to develop their own unique design process. Skills I have learned from Thomas’ class will serve me throughout my entire career, regardless of where it takes me. I would highly recommend him as an instructor, and a design professional.
• Hilary Romans
My first encounter with Thomas was at Emily Carr University during the Continuing Studies Interaction Design certificate. He taught Mobile App Design during my second semester. Thom- as got personally invested in everyone’s projects and genuinely wanted everyone to succeed. Thomas has an amazing view on design concepts, patterns and was very clear during all of his lectures and presentations. His class was very hands on and gave me the time to be challenged and experiment with different design concepts, but most of all, truly understand. In the dura- tion of this course, I started developing one of portfolio pieces and it will turn into the perfect project, thanks to Thomas. I am thoroughly enjoying the time I have in Thomas’ class. I first encountered Thomas as my instructor for Mobile App Design in the Emily Carr Interaction Design Certificate Program. Thomas is a highly enthusiastic and perceptive instructor. He shares his unparalleled knowledge of design processes with the students in a way that builds our confidence while shaping our understanding. He has a talent for quickly identifying a stu- dent’s strengths and helping them to advance their ideas based on those core skills. Thanks to his instruction and feedback, I feel ready to take on any challenge the field may throw at me. I strongly endorse Thomas for any creative and educational role.
• Eva Prkachin
I had the pleasure of having Thomas as my teacher for Mobile Application Design. His teaching methods were inspiring and encouraging. UI research was never my forte, however after taking his class I learnt to enjoy the process. Thomas gave very useful feedback and really pushes his students out of their comfort zone and forces us to try new things. He’s incredibly supportive and you can tell he really cares for each student. Thank you so much Thomas for such an amazing and unique learning experience!
• Caitlin Seward
I had the pleasure of having Thomas as an instructor during my time in the Interaction Design program at Emily Carr University. Thomas is a wonderful, organized, attentive, and inspir- ing teacher. Right from the beginning, he was able to connect with and recognize everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, and made sure to help everyone grow in their knowledge and abil- ities. He was constantly making sure to give each individual student attention and provided positive and helpful feedback, while maintaining a fun and safe classroom environment for everyone to excel. Thomas is a dedicated and passionate teacher, even arriving early and stay- ing late to answer any questions, ensuring that we were supported throughout our project. His creativity and experience make him unlike any other teacher, I’m so grateful to have had the chance to learn from him!
• Melanie Deschner
Thomas provided very useful feedback for me for a major project I worked on. He is an excellent source for guidance if you need help on anything you work on with his high insight to interac- tion design. He will be a big plus to any industry he enters with his vast knowledge in designing experience for various audiences. He also has amazing ability to adapt to different environ- ments, as well as catering to different individual needs.
• Kevin Park
Thomas was my instructor for Mobile Application Design at Emily Carr University of Art & Design. He catered the course to align with each students abilities and it proved to be incredibly fruitful. In a single course taught by Thomas at Emily Carr, he inspired his students with drive, confidence and curiosity in user experience design. The development of each student reflects his ability as an instructor and mentor and it certainly did not go unnoticed. I appreciate all the feedback and advice Thomas provided and would be excited for the chance to collaborate with him in the future.
• Sarah Tan
It has been a pleasure to have Thomas as my instructor for the Mobile Application Design course at Emily Carr. He provides a welcoming and supportive environment where everyone can discuss and explore challenges and possibilities. His ways of incorporating new teach- ing strategies into lessons reflect his passion for design and education. My conversations with Thomas has made an impact on the way I think of creating a valuable user experience.
• Patrick Espiritu
During my time at Emily Carr, I had the pleasure of having Thomas as one of my instructor’s in Interaction Design. He truly cared about the success of his students and continuously provided us with different tools and techniques to carry out our work. He was always available for guid- ance and support. Thomas encouraged collaboration and innovation, allowing us to take our creativity to a new level. He is a true gem in the industry.
• Alice Vax
I was lucky to have Thomas as my instructor for Mobile App Design at Emily Carr University of Art & Design. From day one, Thomas showed such commitment to the success of each and every one of his students. Thomas’ innovative and collaborative teaching style created a space where students felt inspired, challenged, encouraged and valued. He was genuinely interested in our developing ideas and designs and was always ready to chat and answer questions or give feedback. It is rare that you come across an instructor like Thomas. The best of the best.
• Sarah Bartley
I met Thomas while enrolled in the Emily Carr Interaction Design Essentials program where he taught Mobile App Design. His authenticity and professionalism in teaching the class are far beyond the normal way of teaching. Thomas’s methods are rich, yet easy to follow, allowing his students to engage and perform at their best. He was able to bring out my personality and cre- ativity by giving me space to explore. He is always available for feedback and direction when I needed it. He is dedicated to helping all his students succeed, going above and beyond to mentor us both in and out of the classroom. Thomas is a natural mentor, and I am glad that I have met him.
• Lilian Salloum
During my time in the interaction design programme at Emily Carr, I had the pleasure of work- ing with Thomas. He is a driven and organized instructor who develops stimulating relation- ships with his students. His unique teaching style allows students to explore multiple iterations of their concept, while working in a highly collaborative environment. Thomas uses his exten- sive experience to introduce many valuable insights into the user experience industry. During class sessions, I have seen Thomas give extra attention to each student, in order to develop their unique strengths. In addition, he is always available before and after class to provide support and guidance. Thomas’ innovative and collaborative teaching style has provided great value to my creative experience.
• Ayoob Ullah
I feel extremely lucky to have had Thomas as an instructor at Emily Carr University. From the get-go he pushes his students to get outside their comfort zone and be the best they can be. You can feel he genuinely cares about his students and their journey to succeed, which was so refreshing and gratifying. I also appreciated his unique teaching methods, like the daily head dumps (which were a constant source of inspiration) and his hands-on approach to learning. He gave us the space to explore our creativity while always being available for feedback and direction when we needed it. Thomas is a natural-born mentor so if you get the chance to have him as an instructor, take it!!
• Jennifer Phan
Thomas is a unique and creative instructor who truly wants to see his students succeed. His energy is infectious and his professionalism is top-notch. He took the time to learn about us individually as humans and professionals in advance in order to tailor the time in class to the needs of our group. He is a rare and wonderful teacher who creates an environment in which people feel supported, encouraged, and respected for their own areas of interest and expertise. He definitely does things in a very non-typical way which creates not only a great space to be in but really awesome results. Some of my best ideas and problem-solving processes have come out his class!
• Kristle Bokitch
Thomas provides his students with one of the best learning environments I have had the pleasure to be a part of. He is genuinely interested in the success and participation of his students in both their educational and professional careers. As my instructor at Emily Carr University for the Mobile App design course, Thomas taught me how to plan a design project from start to finish, as well as proper techniques for creation of new ideas, Specifically overcoming obstacles, Paper Prototyping and User Testing. Thomas was always ready to chat about questions or con- cerns, or to give me feedback on projects. What I enjoyed the most from his methods of instruc- tion are that he uses his students existing background to direct their work, which allowed us to created informed designs which turned out really well. Thomas was a pleasure to work with, and I look forward to keeping in touch throughout my creative career.
• Max McDonough
Thomas created an inspiring, safe space for me to be creative and take risks. The class dynamic was really great, Thomas has so much excitement and energy for his students, I felt like it made the whole class so much more excited to learn and to develop our ideas. In Thomas’ class I was able to explore the process of a project from start to finish and gain more confidence that my crazy ideas would land, and when they did, how to organise them in a way other people could understand, too! Thomas’ teaching style is really focused on trying things and iteration, which is really great because I often get stuck on ideas and wondering if they’re good enough. In the classroom, Thomas got us to put our ideas out there so we could quickly get feedback from him and fellow students to see what worked and what could be improved upon. I learned so much about myself in his class and my ideas of my future became more focused. Thank you so much Thomas for being such an inspiring teacher!!
• Christina Loffler
As a lifelong learner with several university degrees, including a PhD, I have been exposed to many instructors over several decades and it was with great pleasure that I lucked into having Thomas for two courses in design at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Thomas has a special ability to not only energize a classroom with his idiosyncratic methods of teaching through head-dumps, “blue sky projects”, hands-on exercises, and month-long app design proj- ects, but more importantly through his ability to ignite a fire under each student individually. Thomas took time mentoring and guiding each of us; pushing and pulling us and our ideas. He was always at the ready for our questions and to help us through our road blocks, and was genu- inely interested in our developing ideas and designs. I know I’m not alone in saying that Thomas has a real passion for teaching and learning and imparts that energy to his students. Sara Mori- son, psychologist, visual artist, and budding UX designer
• Sara Morison
Thomas is absolutely, fully committed to the success of each student in his classes. He challeng- es his students to use their existing background to inform their work and elevate the value of the group’s time in studio, and helps students identify blocks that will limit them as designers. He encourages students to push themselves past the limits they once thought possible, supports them by reviewing portfolio work and resumes, and makes industry introductions where appropriate.
• Katrina Heschel
Thomas has been an invaluable mentor to me, he has helped me grow both as a young designer and as a person. I first met Thomas while enrolled in the Emily Carr Interaction Design Es- sentials program where he taught Mobile Application Design. I am now studying in London at Ravensbourne University as a Product Designer. Thomas is committed to making sure I am constantly improving my work by consistently checking in with me, providing feedback and critique which I have found helpful and quite necessary. Thomas has been supportive, kind and has aided me without any ask for anything in return – I believe this is his most admirable trait; his desire to help all of his students with remarkable care and attention. I hope this speaks to what a great mentor and friend Thomas is, I am very glad to have met him and would recom- mend him wholeheartedly.
• Hafeez Dawood
Thomas was my instructor for several courses during my time at Emily Carr. He was an excel- lent mentor who was able to inspire me to push my creative thinking and abilities. His dedication to helping every student showed and he was always very willing to give up his personal time to offer individual help to every student. Overall, I believe that Thomas is was an integral part to my learning and development throughout the entire program.
• Natalie Lim
Thomas is committed to helping all of his students achieve their individual goals through his design experience and industry connections. He has a lot to offer his students if they are will- ing to seek his assistance. As a recent graduate of the University of Waterloo with a bachelors degree in Knowledge Integration (a collaborative interdisciplinary program) with a varied background in work and design experience, Thomas has helped me narrow my focus and better understand potential career paths. He has gone out of his way to help me focus on future direc- tions and helped align the work I am doing in class with career goals. Thomas’s classes at Emily Carr leave a lot of room to explore and push boundaries. He is knowledgeable, articulate, and very open- minded when giving critique and feedback making his classroom a very safe space to design in freely. I look forward to designing and learning from Thomas in second term.
• Clarice Chin
He is a great talented designer, artist, creative problem solver and an ethousiastic instuctor who is always try to share his knowledge with his students with out any deficiency. I found him as a teacher who always dedicated to help and courage his students to grow based on their skills and experiences to be successful. Thomas was not only my unique instructor also one of my good friends.
• Mona Meysami
Thomas is an amazing instructor who has the unique ability to help students understand ab- stract ideas in a very simple way. He is extremely creative in his teaching style and is very ded- icated to his craft. I had the privilege of being in his classes at Emily Carr University which elevated my skills as a designer. His talent in the industry is translated into the classroom where he pushes the boundaries of art and technology and motivates each student to be at their best. Thomas brings a fresh perspective to every session and goes above and beyond to help his students think in a different way. His depth of knowledge and dedication to design is thought- ful and rewarding. Thomas embodies what every instructor aspires to be, and inspires anyone interested in design to realize what is possible. His mentorship and guidance as an instructor is unmatched.
• Andrea Mah
I had the pleasure of taking several classes with Thomas during my time in Emily Carr Univer- sity’s interaction design program. Coming from an Ivy League liberal arts background, I was challenged by Thomas’ teaching style to think and create in a way I had never before. Integrat- ing conceptual development with a variety of hands-on techniques, Thomas provided an envi- ronment for students to stretch their skills base and build confidence in their creative process. Extending beyond design, his methods are relevant in any field where one needs to communi- cate and reach a targeted audience effectively. Above all, Thomas is a great mentor who gener- ously supports students in their career development, both during and after the program.
• Misty Liang
I too was lucky enough to have Thomas as my mobile app design and UX teacher. He taught us current trends and methods of design thinking, prototyping, user testing, and each of their re- spective importances in modern design. He fostered a great learning environment and he regu- larly encouraged us as a group to get together and share our successes and frustrations with our post-schooling careers. Not only does he do a great job teaching, but he genuinely cares! 10/10
• Brian Corber
Thomas is a very thoughtful, genuine and observant individual. His feedback was crucial for me in my professional growth as a designer and how I would take steps beyond Emily Carr into the industry. Our conversations throughout my internship application process to FCV was incred- ibly helpful as he shared what it was like to be a budding designer and how to follow up with formality but keen interest while keeping in mind about the company’s timeline. This made my application process a lot less stressful. I continue to keep in touch with Thomas and there is good reason why. He is a truly keen and passionate individual that believes in the power of Design and Design thinking and mentoring students beyond the classroom.
• Shiao Shiao Chen
Thomas has a genuine passion for all things design – this enabled him to build an interesting and varied course structure. He excited our class by allowing us to design ‘blue sky’ ideas, but then grounded us in reality by presenting true-to-life development/client scenarios. He fostered an open culture of sharing with daily ‘brain dumps’ for students to either absorb or contribute design knowledge. I really felt he gave us the opportunity to shine while provided us useful techniques, tools and insights to bring into the real world. Lastly, his unique and sometimes quirky personality was refreshing among the monotonous lectures and homework of student life. Great experience overall!
• Sam Flores
Thomas cultivates community and inspires his students to stretch beyond their bounds and push for excellence. He truly cares about each of his students’ goals and aspirations. I entered the Emily Carr Interaction Design Essentials program with over ten years experience in com- munications, marketing and project management. I have always loved design and took the leap to follow my passion. Thomas helped me to realized that having a diversified background is an incredible asset within the field of Interaction Design. In addition, he took time to work with me one-on-one to tailor my portfolio. I spoke with Thomas about my hopes to one day work within the UX team at Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics and he kindly connected me with one of his personal friends who worked at the company. I feel very lucky to have the guidance and support of Thomas in achieving my career goals and would like to one day pay it forward in supporting others in achieving their goals.
• Jennie Reckon
I was lucky enough to have Thomas as my user experience design teacher. He taught us the pro- cess of design thinking, real world prototyping, user testing, and their importance. No exagger- ation, he’s one of the best teachers I’ve had, and I regularly apply the methodologies he shared with us.
• Craig Huff
Thomas is smart, perceptive, caring, and deeply committed to helping his students succeed, calling on them to challenge themselves when in school as well as to unreservedly pursue learn- ing beyond it. His positive outlook and sincere belief in community are catching, and have led his students to establish meaningful connections with each other that spread far beyond each graduating class. His approach pushes students to further their thinking, take action on their career aspirations, and undergo remarkable growth as a result. He has a knack for drawing out students’ unique strengths and bringing them into dialogue together so that each plays off the others to lift all. Thomas’s emphasis on teaching design thinking, process, and methodology helped me build on my own existing educational and professional experiences in ways I couldn’t previously have anticipated, and following my studies at Emily Carr, I was accepted into the MA Information Design program at the University of Reading’s Department of Typography and Graphic Communication.
• Andrea Wong
Thomas communicates a deep knowledge and instinct for the iterative design process. It was a pleasure to study under his tutelage for 6 months. Learning a vast range of design methods and processes that really helped me in strategizing and reaching my goals. Thomas is patient, thoughtful, and an enjoyable team leader that really strives for the betterment of the whole and each individual based on an assessment of skills and interests. He has the ability to help you understand a subject from multiple perspectives and use your own mind to produce amazing insights, helping you really construct original and practical approaches to solving really any problem. Thomas was a joy, and made himself available at all times for feedback, or help guide everyone.
• Kyle St-Amour Brennan
Great teachers become immortal _ they make undeniable impacts on their students, and Thom- as is without doubt one of them. He is an incredible person and an amazing teacher, and it was a great privilege for me to be in his Interaction Design classes at Emily Carr. Thomas is a devoted instructor who truly cares about each and every student he comes into contact with. You can often find him in his classroom outside class hours, making himself available to those who need help. When teaching, he is not only extremely knowledgeable and experienced but also has the ability to bring the subject to life through interesting and meaningful activities. That is why the entire class immensely enjoys interacting with him. To me, he is an inspiration and instrumental in developing my skills as a designer.
• Mo Torabi
It’s rare that you come across an instructor such as Thomas. He has tremendous initiative, a desire to continue to learn and a willingness to modify his teaching methods based on his class’s needs and personalities. He consistently does this by observing and adapting a no “ego” ap- proach about preferred teaching styles. I have had the enjoyment of experiencing this first hand at Emily Carr University participating in classes such as Design Fundamentals and Mobile App Design. Thomas displays the qualities that make a teacher successful. He is dependent, motivat- ed and in tune with the needs of his students. I am very grateful and would like to thank Thom- as for his invaluable support and mentorship on my successes as a Web Design Freelancer.
• Jennifer Mills
Thomas was an exceptional instructor. He always took his teaching beyond the classroom. He would meet one-on-one with students, encourage them based on their individual skill, chal- lenge them to grow, and help them pursue career opportunities even after our classes with him were complete. Thomas posesses the traits of a great professor of design: someone who is not only thoughtful and critical, but also caring and fun. He is exceptionally knowledgable about all aspects of design and industry trends. I would highly recommend him as a professor of design.
• Kathryn Alcock
I was extremely lucky to have Thomas as my instructor for Design for Design Fundamentals and Mobile App Design during my Interactive Design Essentials program at Emily Carr. He was not only very knowledgeable but also very dedicated to helping all his students succeed, often going above and beyond to mentor us both in and out of classroom. Not only did Thomas impart to us his knowledge and experience in interaction design, he challenged and encouraged us to apply what we have learnt outside of the classroom setting at events such as hackathons. I am very thankful for Thomas’s ongoing support and mentorship throughout and beyond the IDES program.
• Mimi Xia
It takes years of practice to be a good designer, the effort of becoming a good teacher grows exponentially. I did my design program at Emily Carr University of Art and Design and had the pleasure to meet and study from Thomas. We all know creativity doesn’t just come from mem- orization, great designers have great empathy and can feel the world. Thomas’s class has always been the one that bring out our personality and creativity, he didn’t just tell us the rules and the principles in design, but rather he used a variety of approaches to inspire us and guide us to explore. I now worked as a UX/UI designer at Conquer Mobile, and what I have learnt from his classes certainly got me very prepared, and more importantly, very excited for entering the industry.
• Desmond Gao
Thomas has done everything in his power to assist me in reaching my goal of becoming a pro- fessional user-experience designer. He’s made himself available to meet for coffee, he sends timely emails and he also encouraging me be better on a daily basis. Over the years, he has helped me and many other students to flourish, by teaching us to network and he also has amazing insights which have brought our design projects and resume to a really good place. Under his guidance, I’ve had the privilege of meeting with talented designers working at Mozil- la Firefox, Ayogo and Domain 7. The guy just wants to help his students and the satisfaction of seeing us succeed in life is why he’s put in so much of his time.
• Ryan McKaay
First of all, I really appreciate Thomas taught me something new and useful about design and art stuff in the ECU program about UI/UX + App + web knowledge. Thomas’ classes are like good tea or good wine, you may not taste the difference at the very first but the great taste will come out after a second. Honestly, I didn’t understand the importance of card sorting and mood board in the first 2 weeks. When the courses in the program had more and more design deci- sions to make, those new skills were very useful. More than just brainstorming, card sorting helped to choose the better paths for many projects. Basically, the skill reroutes the way I think not only about design but also about my photography work. I miss Thomas’ Monday morning class in the Summer.
• Raymond Leung