Filipe is a current student on PG Dip Design For Visual Communication at London College of Communication.
Why did you decide to study PG Dip Design for Visual Communication?
I had worked for a while in the intersection of advertising and graphic design, but apart from what I learnt from work experience or sheer curiosity, I had no formal training on the latter.
I noticed that I enjoyed design projects the most, so I needed to have a better understanding of concepts and processes in order to feel confident and really consider myself a graphic designer.
Finding out about Pg Dip Design for Visual Communication was like finding a missing piece of a puzzle. Since the course starts by looking at fundamental principles and then expands, it allows us to pursue our own interests later on.
Which project have you most enjoyed working on?
It’s tough to pick one, but I’d say it’s a tie between the type hierarchy project and the editorial project. Both of these involve typography and print, which are subjects I’m very interested in.
They were excellent opportunities to exercise conceptual thinking, technical knowledge and they both had physical outcomes, which means I got to take advantage of LCC’s printmaking facilities.
What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt on the course?
That it is key for a graphic designer to constantly acquire knowledge, try things and develop (or refine) good judgement.
The latter is one of the main (sometimes overlooked) qualities of a designer and I never realised it was something to pay attention to prior to joining the course.
It requires good understanding of fundamental principles and ultimately allows us to immerse ourselves in any of the many areas of the graphic design spectrum while keeping the quality of our work consistent.
How do you find the facilities available to you at London College of Communication?
I believe it’s among the best things about doing a course here. The facilities are absolutely amazing and it’s a joy to discover and explore new areas where I can experiment with things that will not only enhance my projects, but will also bring me valuable technical knowledge.
You learn so much both by interacting with technicians as well as getting your hands dirty.
Has the course included any involvement with industry?
We’ve had a very nice experience with guest speakers from professional and academic contexts.
Not only did we get the chance to take a close-up look on their work, we also immersed ourselves a bit in their fields and drew from their experience in order to create work of our own.
At another stage we engaged on a collaborative project with an art venue, which allowed us to work on what was closer to a real life brief, while acquiring experience from people who were outside of the university context.
What are your plans for the future?
I would love to work in a design studio here in London. The city offers lots of opportunities to exercise creativity, meet talented people and learn new things, so it seems to be the ideal place to uncover even more about graphic design and me.
I came here thinking I had a pretty good idea of what kind of designer I wanted to be, but now I see so much that I want to explore that I don’t know where exactly I’ll end up.
Why would you recommend studying PG Dip Design for Visual Communication?
It is a very comprehensive route to researching, experimenting and working with graphic design.
The course allows us to understand fundamental design principles and then expands quite a lot, enabling us to pursue our individual interests and approach projects in a wide range of different ways, from traditional print-based media to emerging technology.
It strikes a very fine balance between boundaries and freedom, and projects can be pushed really far if you’re interested and invested enough in them. It’s intense, but to me it has been such a joy that I hope this year lasted longer.
Visit the PG Dip Design For Visual Communication course page.