Jacques Giard

Jacques is the mentor for you, if you are interested in: Pedagogy, i.e., the teaching and learning of design, and academic administration, i.e., the operation of academic units in the greater context of a university. 

Jacques Giard’s professional background is industrial design. He earned his undergraduate diploma in furniture design at l’Institut des arts appliqués (1969) in Montréal and his graduate degree in industrial design (engineering) from the City of Birmingham Polytechnic in the UK (1971). Upon his return to Canada, he practiced industrial design in Montréal and Québec City and was involved in the sailing industry (Performance Sailcraft) as well as the wayfinding system for the 1976 Olympic Games.

Professor Giard began his academic career first by joining the Department of Art and Design at the University of Alberta as a visiting faculty member. In 1979, he joined the School of Industrial Design at Carleton University and eventually became its director. He also served as national president of the Association of Canadian Industrial Designers. In 1998, Professor Giard accepted the position of Director of the School of Design at Arizona State University, where he retired in 2020 with the title of Professor Emeritus.

Professor Giard’s connection to Concordia University is through his PhD, which he earned in 1987.