‘Designspire 2018’ explores Design- the new power profession and inspires future Design revolutionaries of the country
AOD’s Design Career Inspiration Open House introduced students fresh after their O/L’s and A/L’s to hundreds of amazing design career paths and how they can embark on their future in Design
There are a multitude of careers which promise a safe and stable future but however lack personal fulfillment, continued inspiration and making a substantial impact in the world. In order to gain true success in the future, one needs to have financial and job security, personal fulfillment and to be inspired throughout their career and life. For those with unique thinking and a great imagination as well as a desire to follow their passion, Design is a new power profession that provides not only financial stability but also the rare opportunity of leveraging your inherent skills and building a successful future.
Design has become a major element in all the mega industries in the country such as apparel, hospitality & tourism and tea as well as many others as they rely on designers to add value to their businesses. It is a career which relies on an individual’s take on the world contributed to by their thinking and knowledge gained through the right standard of education. Therefore a designer can serve as a rare asset to a company, enhancing the business and ensuring that it stays relevant as time goes by and technological and social advancements come in to play. ‘Designspire 2018’ shed light to how an aspiring designer could take the first step towards a career in design through education and real industry experience. It was specially organized to make students and parents aware of the endless opportunities available in design for students who are at the verge of choosing a path for their higher education.
The core international faculty of AOD introduced the participants to the different education paths of fashion design, fashion design and marketing, visual communication design, interior architectural design and animation design and how gaining knowledge and developing skills in these fields of design could lead to highly lucrative careers in the future where one can independently work under their own design firm or join any industry such as apparel, architecture, advertising, hospitality, entertainment, automotive and many more. The students were able to draw inspiration from the career success stories of alumni who have managed to become top performers of the respective industries they work in, be it as a fashion designer, art director, interior designer, visual effects artist or a fashion marketer. Most students who were not aware of the more recent career paths in design and also those who want to move away from the traditional professions found these to be real life examples how one can create the future they love by following their true passion. The participants also got a great insight into what they will be gaining by following a degree in design and the Sri Lankan and International opportunities available to them after completion.
Participants were also given the opportunity of meeting and speaking to the international faculty of AOD on their concerns and to gain more knowledge about how their specific interests will be useful when following their chosen field of design. They also got the chance of witnessing student work and projects completed by graduates and were inspired by the high standards set for design in the country and how they will be able to define the future of the creative industries I the world.
AOD is the celebrated design educator that has won the support and trust of the business world and the government, as a leading authority in design and innovation. It is committed to educating and preparing young creative minds from Sri Lanka and rest of South Asia for fantastic careers in design both locally and globally and producing a generation of designers that have expertise in latest technology. The prospects presented to students and graduates of AOD are unique as the way design education is approached at AOD is different. The role of design in the business world is clearly understood where it becomes a mode of incorporating higher value, innovation and customer relatability to merchandise and services. Therefore the designers that are molded at AOD have this knowledge and skills instilled in them at the early stages of the programme with early preparation on the theories, practices and ethics of the industries that they may join. This along with the industry experience gained by students even before they graduate, it becomes a recipe for a successful future for both the student as well as the creative industries.
AOD partners with Northumbria University, UK in offering a portfolio of design degrees that can be completed right here in Sri Lanka while not foregoing the exposure to global experiences and the ability to gain a qualification recognized anywhere in the world. Looking to make the best of the world’s wealth of knowledge and expertise on design, AOD works with a faculty from all over the world bringing in their own experience and knowledge into the education provided. Among the impressive portfolio of programmes, visual communication design leads to a career that demands a high creative and strategic thinking input. The Northumbria UK BA (Hons) Graphic Design degree at AOD is a globally recognised programme designed to meet 21st century visual needs of the business world. A new industry that grows parallel to graphic design in Sri Lanka is animation design. AOD’s BA (Hons) Motion Graphics and Animation programme by Northumbria UK focuses on creating designers for film, television, computer games, advertising, software and new media.
AOD’s BA (Hons) Fashion degree is structured to help students join the powerful fashion industry by making their mark with own fashion brand or by joining Sri Lanka’s multi-billion dollar apparel industry. The newly launched Northumbria’s Fashion Marketing & Design degree at AOD is set-up to engage students in all aspects of fashion marketing studies, from forecasting, market research ifashion graphics, illustration, styling to promotional techniques and fashion media. The fashion industry has grown in leaps and bounds compared to a few years ago and there are various new career opportunities for those with the right set of skills.
Interior design is a fast-growing sector that presents some of the most rewarding careers available today. It provides spatial and experiential solutions for hospitality, tourism, retail and other significant industries by allowing people to experience space in a new way. The Northumbria UK Interior Design degree at AOD is structured to cater to this need and to create professionals who are creative and independent thinkers with a great understanding of space and its elements such as lighting, surface texture and movement etc. All these programmes are designed to create a design professional with a global outlook and the ability to challenge the norms and come up with innovative solutions that enhance and improve the business world.
