Creative doer and thinker
Essex, England
I loved studying Graphic Design at school, but always found branding to be the most interesting part for me. LCC offers a course that specialises in branding, which covers so many aspects of the topic, whilst also incorporating more traditional graphic design.
The course is relatively small so everyone knows everyone. Tutors are easily contactable for feedback, or to answer any questions. You feel like you’re part of a creative team similar to a studio setting, rather than not knowing the majority of the people on your course.
Welcoming and friendly. Also a big creative hub that brings a lot of colour and life to Elephant & Castle.
Last year, in Year 1, on a fashion branding brief. It was the first group project I had done and it taught me a lot about collaboration and sharing ideas. We were tasked with creating a lookbook for a sustainable clothing brand.
There was so much research that went into the concept, target audience, USP that it really lifted the visual side of the outcome. It was fun to consider everything, from the style of the shoot and copywriting, to the type of paper used for the physical book, in order to tell the brand narrative in a convincing way.
Have the attitude that everything counts from the offset - it helps give you the right attitude towards your work and practice. Also, check your emails! Some of the best opportunities I've had have come from checking my emails on my commute into uni.
I was recently part of an exchange project within the university called NY-LON, which is a cultural exchange between UAL students and scholars from the Shawn Carter Foundation in New York. After beginning the project in London, I had the opportunity to be part of a group travelling to New York for a week to work on a live brief for Ford.
We got to work in the Vault 49 studios for the week, with guidance from their creative team. We ended the exchange by pitching our work at the Roc Nation offices overlooking New York City. The project (something initially out of my comfort zone) taught me so much about my own skills, abilities, a new culture and the industry.
Adobe Creative Cloud, a good Spotify playlist and Tombow marker pen.
Living in London is great, even if it does have its moments of overcrowded hot tubes. There’s so much on offer, lots of it free or subsidised. Make sure you sign up to things like the Tate Collective and get an ArtFund pass; make use of all the free galleries and museums.
View the BA (Hons) Graphic Branding and Identity course page.