For a century, Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU) has shaped the artists, designers, thinkers and experimenters who help transform our world. To mark its 100th anniversary, the university launched a major institutional campaign created by Paprika, celebrating its creative legacy while boldly affirming its role in the century ahead.
Launched across Canada’s leading cultural centres, including Vancouver, Toronto and Montréal, and supported by an international digital campaign reaching audiences in Canada, the United States, Europe, South Korea and Australia, this major initiative marks a new milestone in the institution’s national and global visibility.
The centennial campaign was developed as an extensive process of listening, dialogue and engagement. Through a series of strategic workshops and consultations bringing together the many voices within the university — students, alumni, faculty, researchers, administrative teams, cultural partners and collaborators — Paprika worked with ECU to redefine its collective narrative and its ambitions for its second century.
This process revealed a shared vision: ECU’s legacy is not fixed in the past; it is alive, carried forward by a constellation of voices, practices and ideas that continue to shape the culture of today and tomorrow. The campaign manifesto embodies this philosophy: “We’re listeners and trailblazers — artists, designers, thinkers and experimenters. We’re making the future our legacy and our legacy the future. Because art and design don’t just reflect the world. They shape it.”
Built around the signature 100 Years in the Making, the campaign challenges the traditional approach to institutional anniversaries: it does not simply celebrate a century of excellence — it opens a new chapter. It positions ECU as a cultral institution actively engaged in today’s most pressing issues, at the intersection of art, design, technology, sustainability and social innovation.
“As Canada’s top university dedicated exclusively to art and design education, Emily Carr University of Art + Design has spent one hundred years supporting the artists, designers, thinkers and experimenters who help transform our world. Our centennial year has been a unique opportunity to recognize those who have shaped our institution across generations, while deepening our commitment to those who will continue this story. What makes this campaign extraordinary is that it was brought to life through the work of our own alumni, making the creative expression itself a testament to the legacy we are celebrating.”
— Dr. Trish Kelly, President + Vice-Chancellor, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
“From the beginning of the project, we understood that Emily Carr University of Art + Design’s greatest legacy was not only its history, but the community of artists, creators and thinkers who bring it to life. Our approach was to listen to these voices in order to create a campaign that does not simply look back, but transforms this legacy into an energy directed toward the future.”
— Daniel Robitaille, Creative Director, Paprika
The campaign unfolds through a broad communications ecosystem including large-format outdoor advertising in major Canadian cities, an international digital presence, social media platforms and a suite of institutional tools. This multiplatform deployment enables ECU to connect with its local and global communities, strengthen its visibility and reaffirm its unique position as Canada’s leading university entirely dedicated to art and design.
Through this centennial campaign, Emily Carr University of Art + Design expresses a clear vision: honour the past, amplify the voices that shape the present and support those who will carry its future forward.
About Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU) is where creativity meets practice. As Canada’s leading art and design university, ECU offers hands-on, practice-based learning that equips students to experiment, take risks and drive innovation.
Since 1925, ECU has championed bold ideas and emerging talent through a close-knit, interdisciplinary environment that connects students with award-winning faculty, cutting-edge facilities, studio spaces and real-world opportunities. Based in Vancouver, ECU serves more than 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students, with thousands more engaged through continuing studies.
As we celebrate a century of creative leadership, we continue to ask what art and design can make possible. 100 years in the making, we are shaping what comes next.
About Paprika
Founded in Montreal in 1991, Paprika is an internationally recognized graphic design and strategic communications agency specializing in corporate and institutional communications. Known for its ability to create distinctive and deeply strategic visual solutions, Paprika develops identities, campaigns and brand experiences that combine intelligence, emotion and longevity to help institutions and organizations at home and around the world stand out.
Paprika Media Relations Contact:
Joanne Lefebvre
Founder and President
joanne.lefebvre@paprika.com
T. 514-276-6000 poste 222