The Gig Economy and the Creative Class – AOD equips students for the new ‘work world’
With digitisation and its many advances, the workforce has shifted towards an economy that is increasingly global and significantly more mobile. Throw in an incapacitating pandemic into the mix, and the many advantages of remote work -to both workers and employees- become even more well-defined. While mature employees and employers knowingly attempt to transition strategically towards more flexible and durable work arrangements, students too, are contemplating how best to navigate a changing world order, without losing sight of their dream career.
AOD Digital Design Studio, Colombo Innovation Tower
What exactly is ‘visual communication design’?
Visual communication design is the art of communicating with images. This might sound simple enough, but visual communication design is a serious education path that demands an in-depth study of a large but extremely interesting subject area. Visual communication designers are trained to become experts in creating and assembling images (or videos), typography (letters in specific font styles), symbols, colours and visual cues to send out a specific message, exactly as intended. Who needs this type of skill? All businesses in every part of the world need this. Visual communication design is what drives the advertising, marketing and promotions component of business as well as corporate identity consisting of logo design and branding. A visual communication designer properly trained with international standard education has a vast knowledge of how visual messages in colour, shapes and symbols are perceived by the general public; therefore they can craft a brand message or a promotion using exactly the right visual elements to create the needed outcome. That’s not all, the publishing industry needs visual communication designers for layout, editorial design, cover design etc. while product and merchandise sectors need it for packaging.
Simultaneously, industries like television, film, photography also rely on visual communication design. The opportunities are endless.
Why is a graphics / visual communication designer, a must have for anyorganisation in any industry?
In a time of transformation, communication is an essential part required to strengthen this transformation and reflect the new fronts of every industry. And in this world of transformation, communicating visually trumps all other modes of communication. Content creation and distribution in the current world is majority visual communication. Therefore where there is transformation, there is an essential requirement for strong visual communicators.
How would AOD visual communication designers become future proof professionals?
The key philosophy in a visual communication designer of AOD is to always have an aspiration to autonomously learn to make the world a better place. So AOD doesn’t create a graphic designer, we create a trans disciplinary content creator who adapts, evolves and collaborates with any platform, industry, idea, venture to deeply create, enhance and elevate the stories they need. And these stories are always one of a kind. So now everyone does need a visual communicator therefore
Why are visual communication designers a must have
for Sri Lanka?
It goes back to transformation. Despite popular belief, Sri Lanka, especially from a point of creative economy and knowledge economy are in essential need of this caliber of visual communicators. They will make this transformation be able to sit on par with the international world from a point of visual communication. The standard of branding,
publication design, UI/UX design, packaging design, info graphic etc. are a reflection of content creation representing the skills set of visual communication
in Sri Lanka.
For those hoping to pursue their careers abroad, AOD’s partnership with Northumbria University also gives students at the Visual Communications programme the opportunity to take advantage of its unique hybrid study model; a transfer program with the option of completing the final year of their BA Hons Degree at Northumbria University in Newcastle following two years of study in AOD’s campus in Colombo.
AOD invites all O/L and A/L graduates looking to pursue a career in one of the most sought-after professions of the new economy, to enrol for the September 2021 intake of the BA Hons Visual Communications Degree Program. For more information, please reach AOD Colombo on 0775727772, email info@aod.lk or walk in between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday – Colombo Innovation Tower, No 477, R A De Mel mawatha, Colombo 4 www.aod.lk