Collaborative Design Challange

Next Workshop: September 7-11, 2026 – Join us for a week of intensive workshops exploring the capabilities of local AI models: zero cost, energy efficient, and 100% private.

This upcoming MDES 6006 course at NSCAD builds upon our January 2026 Collaborative Design Challenge, which was held under the motto: “Empowering Students to Create and Innovate with Current AI Tools in the Design Industry.” During that period, students participated in intensive daily workshops exploring professional design tools (Google AI Studio, Google Gemini 3 Pro, and Figma Make). Projects included the creation of:

• Non-commercial social advertising spots highlighting societal issues to trigger behavioral change;

• Tools, apps, or websites that facilitate learning through vibe coding in Figma Make;

• Interactive digital tools utilizing sound and/or motion tracking (including hand, face, and gesture recognition).

While digital design tools have long existed—with the Adobe Creative Cloud serving as the primary industry standard for decades—the advent of generative AI is transforming how creative projects are conceived, organized, and executed. Designers now utilize AI to build custom workflows and develop their own specialized creative tools.

In the current job market, employers prioritize several key competencies:

• Originality, creativity, and critical thinking;

• Communication skills, including articulating vision to teams/clients and communicating intent through prompts for effective AI integration (e.g. vibe coding);

• Technical proficiency in prototyping and executing concepts using both industry-standard software and self-developed tools.

In a competitive professional environment where profit depends on operational efficiency, design teams must manage time strictly. As AI accelerates both production phases and concept delivery, the ability to generate high-quality ideas and output rapidly will become the new standard. Designers who cannot efficiently leverage these new tools will find it difficult to compete in this landscape.

To ensure our students succeed, our programs must adopt a focus that recognizes the vital role of emerging technologies—specifically AI. Our Collaborative Design Challenge is designed to meet this need.