AOD Design Foundation Programme sets O/L graduates up for a career head start with a globally-ranked design education
As our world becomes more visual –and increasingly relevant across diverse fields- design graduates of the 21st century find themselves applying their skills across industries that are not often associated with creative enterprise. The immense impact of design in our lives now can be witnessed in the fields of manufacturing, communication, architecture, advertising, publishing, and even healthcare, and as a result, choosing the life of a creative practitioner now offers a wide range of job possibilities and a high market demand.
From expressing ideas to providing answers to the needs or challenges of society, what is often understated is the influential role design creativity plays when it comes to societal upliftment, economic empowerment, and as a force for positive transformative change in the global landscape. Through creativity – both individual and collective- and its critical application, design is now used as an instrument to question and build the social, technological, and environmental aspects of the world in which we live.
As a result, it is critical for design institutions to truly comprehend the responsibility that comes with providing a creative education that imparts to their student body world-class pedagogy coupled with the stimulus to change the world for the better.
A good design education can –and should!- broaden perceptions, encourage critical thinking, as well as catalyse both problem-solving and people skills; all the while providing unique insight into how the contemporary world functions and how students can harness their study as well as unique skill sets in their roles as responsible design practitioners.
The Academy of Design, Sri Lanka’s pioneering design institution, although more sought-after for its undergraduate programmes, also offers younger design aspirants the option of getting a head start on their creative education trajectory. With the Design Foundation Programme, O/L graduates who have already set their eyes on a future in design, can get a taste of the corporate or entrepreneurial world they hope to soon inhabit.
With its carefully curated curriculum, the Design Foundation Programme provides students with the opportunity to experience the broad spectrum of creative design disciples in a fast-paced yet intensive, thorough yet enjoyable, creative course; allowing students to learn, explore and also develop their own artistic abilities prior to choosing an undergraduate degree. Here, they will build on core creative skills from each subject, while also enriching and enhancing their academic, practical, and creative abilities; eventually allowing them to make a more informed decision when it’s time to choose their undergraduate progression route.
The multidisciplinary modules included in the curriculum include Sketchbook & Journal Development, Design Thinking & Realization, The Zeitgeist, The Language of Design, Visual Style & Illustration, World of Design Works; all of which will be taught in the form of workshops, tutorials, field trips, and showcases – as opportunities to start building on their own creative portfolios an entire year before their older counterparts. An experienced faculty of globally-qualified tutors –each with their own areas of expertise- not just dispense course material, but also cultivate an interactive and engaging learning environment, with a strong focus on each student’s individual requirements and competencies.
Even more enticingly, students who have successfully completed the course will be eligible for direct entry into any AOD undergraduate programme of their choice; be it the BA (Hons) Fashion & Textile Design, BA (Hons) in Fashion Design & Marketing, BA (Hons) Interior Architecture Design, the BA (Hons) in Graphics & Visual Communication Design, or the BA (Hons) Motion Graphics & Animation Design programmes. All 3-year BA programmes at the design institution are affiliated with the Northumbria University in the UK – consistently rated highly in global rankings, but more recently recognised as UK University of the Year for 2022 by Times Higher Education.
Additionally, Design Foundation Programme students will have access to the same industry-standard facilities as students of the undergraduate and graduate courses from AOD. With an address at the iconic Colombo Innovation Tower (CIT) located centrally in the country’s burgeoning metropolis, the younger student body too gets to soak up valuable inspiration and flourish in an environment that fosters innovation.
Enrolment for AOD’s Design Foundation Programme is now open, and the university encourages all O/L graduates and aspiring designers to learn more about the course and how rewarding it is to get a head start on a fulfilling and secure design education pathway. For more information, please contact AOD on 0775727772, email info@aod.lk or walk in between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday – Colombo Innovation Tower,
No 477, R. A De Mel Mawatha, Colombo www.aod.lk
