Sisi is a student on MA Graphic Branding and Identity at London College of Communication.
What attracted you to postgraduate study, and MA Graphic Branding and Identity? After my BA in Advertising, I realised that advertising was just one way to build brands. I also wanted to upgrade my visual and graphic communication skills. Therefore, I chose MA Graphic Branding and Identity so I could explore the field of branding as a designer.
What experience did you have prior to joining the course? After my BA study, I worked as an Art Intern at McCann in Shanghai. The department was mainly responsible for the visual design of L’ORÉAL, including videos, ads, websites, etc. It was this internship that made me realise my lack of design ability.
Therefore, I want to learn more strategies and methodologies to develop any design brief in MA.
Can you tell us a little bit about your favourite project completed on the course so far? During the Collaborative Unit, I worked with a team of five other students on the brand identity of a new product from Kraft Heinz.
We were asked to develop a new brand within two months, which was very challenging. This project exercised our collaborative ability and gave us a chance to communicate directly with customers.
Has the course provided any opportunities to engage with industry? Of course, we have many guest tutors from various industries related to design and have rich working experience. We also can have tutorials with these tutors individually, where we can discuss interesting topics with them or ask questions.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone thinking of studying the course, what would it be? I'd suggest you think about why you are taking this course because it is not easy. During the process of learning, when you decide to do something, it is better not to presuppose a "right answer" but to continue to explore and reflect in the field. You will eventually gain much more than a "right answer."
What is the most important thing you learnt from studying MA Graphic Branding and Identity so far? When you choose a topic to research, it feels like for every two steps forward, you’re taking one step back. But it is normal to get this feeling at some point during a project.
It comes about because some of your project activities, especially exploration, design and presentation, are 'try-and-error' ones. There are bound to be some errors. The important thing is that it's a learning process and you can even learn from your errors.
Why would you recommend studying your course to others? Our course tutors are very kind and responsible, you can communicate with them if you have any study or life problems.
Paul and Rob are both lovely and patient. When we were anxious about the epidemic, they reassured us by working hard to ensure the quality of online instruction and create a more favorable learning environment. I believe that good tutors are critical, and that's why I recommend this course.
What are your plans for the future / career ambitions?After finishing my MA study, I will return to China to work. I hope to be engaged in brand design and participate in brand decision-making and brand management as a designer.
Visit the MA Graphic Branding and Identity course page.