All students enrolled in the Graphic Design program at Holland College must ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD). Enrollment in this program requires you to own a laptop computer for your studies that meets the minimum requirements listed below. This device is necessary for curriculum work both in-person and distance. We will provide you with a large monitor to extend your workspace while working in the studio.

Hardware Requirements

• Mac Book Pro (or PC Equivalent)
• 1TB+ Hard Drive
• 1TB+ External Hard Drive for Backup
• Operating Systems: macOS 10.15 (Catalina)
• or Windows 10, 1909
• RAM: 32GB
• GPU: 4GB

Software Requirements

You need to purchase your student version of the Adobe Creative Cloud software suite. We recommend that you wait until September to set up your account and take advantage of the student rates. We primarily use Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop, but you will also have access to and utilize many other applications. The software requirements for each application are frequently updated.
Review all current system requirements

These materials are a requirement for participation in the Graphic Design program. Having them for the first day is a best practice and will help keep you from falling behind.

Books

You can download textbooks from the college library at no charge. Some students prefer to have a paper textbook. You can purchase Meggs’ History of Graphic Design 6th Edition if this is the case. Even a used copy would be beneficial.

Art Supplies

• Drawing pencils, HB, B, H, etc.
• Acrylic/Gouache water-based paints (buy colors in jars, tubes, or a set. You should have black, white, red, yellow, blue and green)
• A set of good quality coloured pencils (a 24+ colour set is recommended)
• Black markers: white and thin line tips and brush pens
• Brushes for acrylic, sable, or synthetic equivalent, No. 2, 4, 6
• Green or blue painter's tape

Paper supplies

• Sketch/notebook with grids, size 8.5”x11” or larger

Art Supply Stores

*The brands mentioned are recommendations only. You can order these materials from a variety of art supply stores or online, including the following:

Deserres Art Supplies (Halifax)

Currys Art Supply (Toronto)

Above Ground Art Supplies (Toronto)

Please check back soon