AOD Design Foundation Programme
There are significant benefits from completing the AOD Design Foundation Programme before your degree programme. Eight months of study that prepares you for the degree programme is beneficial to anyone who’s straight after school or coming with a different background of study. A design degree is not easy... ask any of our degree students about the amount of work they put in and they will tell that it involves 100% dedication and passion. So, why should a three year degree be four years of study?
Choosing to study a design degree at AOD, whether it’s Fashion Design and Textile, Fashion Marketing and Design, Interior Design, Graphic Design, or Animation, it’s vital that it’s a conscious decision. You must have a sincere passion for your subject, and if uncertain, or you want to dip your toes before heading to the degree programme, the Foundation Programme is a great place to start.
Foundation Programme allows you to develop the skills you will need to succeed in tertiary education. In the eight months of the programme, you will be learning observational drawing, mixed media, composition and design, art history, design process, colour theory, life drawing, design thinking, and many others. It gives you a taste of what’s to come in the next three years of your life. You get a better understanding of the teaching system, the basic skills you would need, and of course, getting to know the college.
One of the key advantages of the degree programme is also discovering what you are passionate about. Your pathways could change; you will discover many opportunities to enhance your skills, what your strengths are, and most importantly, where your heart lies. This is important. A designer needs passion, and you will discover how to ignite it when you meet senior students and lecturers, see past and ongoing projects, and learn more about the course.
‘Design foundation was reinvented in January 2018. The course is designed to foster creativity and allow students to fully explore their artistic imaginations whilst learning how to harness this. The course covers everything from design thinking and practices during which learn the design fundamentals to the zeitgeist class where they learn designer 'must-knows' from past and present.
Our current foundation 2019 has been working on many exciting projects. They are currently designing a mural with a message of hope for a new Sri Lanka and they are also working on the flag project, a project about identity that has never been more pertinent than in the current climate. These students are the new generations of design thinkers and they have the opportunity to change many things not only in design, but society and beyond. Design Foundation plays a vital role in preparing young minds for the degree and for their (and our) futures.’
Kat Scott – Head of Foundation Programme, AOD
‘I genuinely think it’s a head start in starting the degree stage, and that it’s the best training wheels we could have on us in getting ready for the more challenging degree years. I think that this will definitely give us a head start in comparison to people that’ll be joining the degree stage right after a levels or something without doing the foundation. Also, especially all the lecturers make us feel at home and ease us on to the work load to come.’
Ranidu Samarasinghe, Design Foundation Programme 2019
“So before coming to AOD, even though I was drawn to design, I was never sure what direction I was going to go in or whether I was even cut-out for design. But after doing the foundation programme, it boosted my confidence and helped me a lot to find my style and to figure out what kind of designer I wanted to be and what department I should join for my degree.”
Liv Ratnayake, Design Foundation Programme 2018 (Current First Year)
It’s exciting to be able to figure out what you’re capable of creating and how much you can grow as a person and as a designer; every step was a chance into a creative zone (and beyond).
Keshi Wewegama – Design Foundation Programme 2017 (Current Second Year)
