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Your entire high school career is filled with choices and once you finally leave school, it doesn’t end there. Here’s what you need to know about chasing your creative dreams in Visual Communication.
How can you make one decision that could change the course of your life forever? If you are lucky, that decision is left solely on your shoulders, but for others it’s not as easy to deny the pressure of outside influences (namely PARENTS), especially if the path you’re destined to take is considered unconventional and CREATIVE. Just the mere sound of the word sends shivers down the spines of expectant, concerned parents. While some parents may be supportive of their child’s dream to pursue a career in the creative industry, there is still a large majority of them who have their doubts about the industry’s perceived instability.
The good news is that you no longer have to be a struggling artist. There are now over 30 career possibilities in the visual communication field, and as the industry grows, so will the demand for skilled professionals.
What is visual communication?
Visual communication uses images to entertain, inform, enlighten and persuade an audience of products, ideas and messages. It also happens to be one of the fastest growing industries in the world. It is said that by 2020 there will be a range of new and exciting careers that are not even in existence now. Graphic designers, filmmakers, user experience designers, illustrators and interactive designers all use various forms of visual imagery to communicate their ideas.
Hone Your Skills
As with any industry, the competition is fierce and the most sought-after employees are the ones with the most impressive body of work.
Before you decide where you would like to study, you need to decide what you would like to study. Do you want to specialise in a specific field or are you more of an all rounder?
A degree in your relevant field is essential when pursuing a career in this industry, but ensure that the tertiary institution is fully accredited and that the programme emphasises portfolio development – because this is the best way to showcase your skills. The curriculum should consist of course work and practical work. Creative and critical thinking and conceptual work are prominent features in any good programme.
Open Window
The Open Window Institute in Southdowns, Irene offers BA degrees and Honours degrees specialising in Design Studies, Film Arts and Interaction Arts. They are known for their hands-on, multidisciplinary approach and have an in-house design and media agency where students are exposed to real life briefs and experience before they have even graduated.
For more queries about Open Window, here are the contact details:
Email: info@openwindow.co.za
Phone: +27 (0)12 648 9200
Success Stories
If the thought of pursuing a career in the creative industry leaves your parents panic-stricken and breaking out in cold sweats, gently inform them that current 3rd year student Willem van den Heever’s film Coffee received international recognition and got selected for the 2014 National Film Festival for Talented Youth in Seattle, where he won the Best New Director award.
Loerie award-winning designer, illustrator and businesswoman Karabo Moletsane is one of the winners of the Sustainable T-shirt Design Competition. This forms part of the Woolworths and Pharrell Williams collaboration entitled ‘Are you with us?’ Pharrell Williams himself selected all the winning designs. Karabo has walked away with a cash prize and her winning t-shirt design will be manufactured and sold in Woolworths stores nation wide. Not too shabby for someone fresh out of university…
Go for it!
The creative world is wide, terrifying and full of potential and opportunities for those brave enough to step outside of the box. Now is the time to decide whether the creative path is an adventure you dare to dive into. The choice is yours and the most important pre-requisite for this destination is your passion!
FundiConnect 2cents
If you love what you do, chances are that you do it well. When you have made your work your pleasure, you’ve done it right. Whatever it is that inspires you, drives you, and fulfils a purpose in your life, is what we want to see you pursue. If you happen to have mainly creative wiring… well, then let those sparks fly!
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