In September of last year, I made the decision to go for my Masters in Graphic Design at Arts University Bournemouth.
I've been a practicing designer since completing the UX Certification program at Parsons School of Design four years ago, but never really had "formal" design training. I wanted to learn more and deep dive into Graphic Design, and be mentored by experts in their craft. I looked at a few programs and for me what felt most natural was talking to Stephanie Horan, the Course Leader at Arts University Bournemouth. She let me know this wasn't like the average design degree, that it wouldn't teach the fundamentals, but that it would make me think, and that I could grow in the fundamentals on my own. I wanted to go to a university outside of the United States because I wanted to get outside perspectives and learn from a diverse group. It's been an incredible ride. My class is diverse in opinions and experience and I'm learning more than I ever thought I would about graphic design. It makes me wonder why I didn't go for the BA and study it for four years.
The course encouraged you to think beyond what design is and instead think about the type of designer that you want to be. For me, I want to be a designer that is in tune not just with what is going on in the United States, but to be a citizen of the world, to think globally, to work across the globe and to immerse myself in diverse ideas, design or otherwise. I've been lucky to be the only American on an Israeli AI team, and work with developers in Pune. They've pushed me to understand more about the world and to question things and see things from their perspective.
Part of my degree required me to complete a Manifesto of what I'd like to get out of the two years, and to think about a brand of myself. The brand below incorporates 70s, psychedelic elements and bright colors. I do believe this is a good representation of me. I like to see the positive in things, I'm also very influenced by the 70s from my father who gravitated toward 70s hippie music, buddhism, taoism and other influences.
My manifesto includes creating intentional time for my practice, learning from other cultures, taking risks, and considering the impact of my design choices. I hope that at the end of two years I can say that I accomplished all of that and that I made my practice stronger. Looking forward to an awesome two years with my professors and classmates at AUB :)
