I am a direct entry student from India. Hence I joined this course in year 2 after completing a year at a university in India.
The Graphic Design course at Northumbria is very different compared to the one I was pursuing in India and I quite like Northumbria’s holistic approach towards design. The course structure ensures that we, as designers, challenge our creative limits. The course is extremely focused especially since we pick our specialisation. The tutors go to great lengths to ensure we have an in depth understanding of the branding process and creating a brand with a story and values.
We are expected to research and delve into the depths of any brand before re-branding it. This gives us a unique insight into the brand and helps us improve it. We also try and understand the customer’s psyche and how the brand’s standing on various issues and the values that it upholds affects this customer base. All the research comes together towards the culmination of the project to help us create a unique brand with an enticing story.
This approach removes the subjectivity out of design and gives us an upper hand while creating solutions. The effectivity of this approach is visible by the number of coveted D&AD New Blood awards Northumbrians have bagged in the past few years.
FACILITIES
We have some of the best facilities in the Graphic Design building, it is up-to us to use these during our time at university.
I love working in the branding studio which is a brightly lit space with inspirational and minimal designs on the walls.
We have not one but two Mac labs with iMacs and the most up to date software. These i-Macs are soon going to be your best friends. With their large screens and amazing resolution, they help you inspect every minute detail of your work and help you ensure that it is precise and professional.
With the advance in technology typography and packaging has become much easier. But sometimes a brand’s merchandise needs a human touch, hand done work to show a kind of individuality. That’s what the letterpress and screen print labs are for. You could also step in there just to have some fun and get your hands dirty in ink.
EXPERIENCE
A key part of our course is the weekly interaction and review sessions with our tutors. These sessions are very helpful and enlightening. The tutors who have vast amounts of experience guide us throughout helping us maintain industry standards in every aspect of our project.
We also get opportunities to work on live briefs from clients. This helps immensely as it puts things in perspective and shows us what working outside of university in the real world feels like. It helps us understand how to present to a client and understand what they want from the brand.
GROUP PROJECTS
A lot of our assignments are completed in groups as even in the industry large projects can’t be completed single handedly.
Recently we worked on a live brief for the Newcastle Society for Blind People in groups of 4. It was an amazing experience and each member of the group ensured that they contributed as best as they could to the project. Brainstorming together, dividing the work load, planning what works and what can be improved and trusting each other’s counsel are some of the key benefits of working in a group. This works to inexplicably improve the quality of the project.
STUDENT SERVICES
Northumbria University has a lot of Student Services which prepare students for the industry and make sure you spend your time at university more efficiently.
One such service is the Careers Service located in the library. You can go visit them any day and sit down for a little chat about your aspirations, part time jobs and they even guide you while creating C.V.s and review it for you.
Even the student queries service is impeccable. They are very organised and make sure you have no hassles while studying at university for the entire length of your course. As an international student, I had to rush there a couple of times for passport related issues. The staff were most helpful and looked into the matter and sorted it out immediately.
Even the student queries service is impeccable. They are very organised and make sure you have no hassles while studying at university for the entire length of your course. As an international student, I had to rush there a couple of times for passport related issues. The staff were most helpful and looked into the matter and sorted it out immediately.
