Inspiration is all around
Creativity and expression are born from observation. Artists are never not looking and have a tendency to always find the magic in the mundane. It is an inner eye, an innate desire to see beyond the surface and crack open new possibilities. Inspiration is all around, and those with a curious mind, are sponges to the wonders of the everyday.
Grace Dawson knew she wanted to do something creative, but Graphic Design wasn’t necessarily her first choice. It all began with her restless need to see the world through a new lens. Having always enjoyed drawing and painting, it was no surprise that when her A-levels presented an opportunity to explore photography, she dived in headfirst.
“I became passionate about using photography to portray narratives and capturing nature or candid moments through a different viewpoint either by image manipulation or film photography.”
Find your path in unexpected places
Having learned the techniques of darkroom printing as well as manual camera skills, Grace truly understands the craft of photography. After all, you cannot take something into the future without first learning about its past. But while her passion for photography grew, there was still a piece of her inner creative that was eluding her, something just wasn't quite fitting. And so, she began to seek out the road upon which to follow her path. And sometimes life is just waiting to provide you with the answer.
“I came across the Academy whilst exploring career paths for photography and discovered graphic design. I didn’t know much about graphic design when I first came across it, and the more I researched, I discovered that graphic design covered a wide range of creative avenues which was exactly what I was looking for.”
And indeed, Graphic Design does cover a multitude of areas of specialism. Graduates can pursue branding, logo, typography, poster/print design, illustration, motion graphic, UI/UX design – the list goes on. The perfect choice for a multi disciplined creative.
When in a mental learning zone, and perhaps especially when seeking your own career path or creative niche, there are lots of other lessons that can be learned as much by osmosis as by education. Grace has been absorbing new skills and techniques but also learning about herself and her own strengths and weaknesses.
“Through my studies, I have learnt that I can be quite critical of my work, which has been a good thing. After each key point in a project, I can critically review my creative process and designs to analyse how well it is working or what could be improved, and then how I can go about solving any issues or changes needed. This has helped me produce my assignment projects to the best of my ability.”
Be Brave
Learning something you did not previously know you were capable of, not only injects some objectivity into your perspective, but it also introduces a level of courage you may not realise you could access. Some people pick one thing, they work really hard at it, get better and better and eventually succeed. But those who push the boundaries of what they know, those who step into the unknown and test their own limitations, they are the creatives who thrive!
“I have found that the most challenging part of this course has been to push myself to think outside the box when coming up with ideas for projects and designs.”
And this is where the sense of achievement, the self-pride and satisfaction is found. Because anything that comes easy has no true sense of worth. It is that which we must strive for, that which we must make sacrifices and even to a point, suffer for, that is where the value of achievement lives.
“The most rewarding aspect of the course has been submitting my assignments with a completed project that showcases my design journey and a final outcome that I am proud of. It is gratifying to be able to see my progress within a project and generally of myself as a designer knowing that I will keep improving with every design I create.”
Graphic design may have a number of fields that a designer can choose from, but most areas of design will follow similar principles. When students first enrol in design courses, there is often a misconception that much of the time will be spent focussed on the aesthetic aspect of creating a piece of work. But true design is in fact an exercise in creative problem solving and in effect, changing how your mind works.
“I have learnt that there is so much more to consider when creating a completed design, even from the very beginning of a project. It takes a lot of research and preparation to understand where the creative direction can go for a project.”
The road will open before you
And sometimes that “problem” is where your studies will take you. When Grace began her course, she did not have a clear vision of where she wanted Graphic Design to take her. She was open to finding a new path, one she may never have previously considered. As an avid reader, she has found herself drawn to designing book covers, which was not something on her radar when enrolling in the Academy.
“Even though the saying is to ‘not’ judge a book by its cover, that is exactly what everyone does when choosing a book, and this led to me designing my own book covers of my favourite reads as a fun side project whilst doing my coursework.”
And so, the seed has been planted. Today Grace says her “dream ambition within graphic design would be to work with a publishing company and produce book cover designs.”
And why not? Grace is only in chapter one of her Graphic Design story. Every great novel has a few twists and turns along the way, but the thing that makes them great is the gut-wrenching truth that comes from finding oneself inside the pages.
