Monica Reyes is the co-ordinator of the brand new UAL alumni group in Colombia. The group will meet up regularly for networking and sharing creative ideas and opportunities. She wants you to get in touch with her if you want to get involved…
Did you enjoy your time at London College of Communication?
Absolutely! I studied MA Publishing which gave me an excellent foundation in this industry and opened many doors for me. While completing my MA I was selected for great work placements, one at Penguin and another at Phaidon Press, the most important art publisher.
During the course I enjoyed working with my classmates on a project where I designed and commissioned artwork for a poetry book that was illustrated by Colombian illustrators, and which was later shortlisted for the British Design and Production awards in the student category. I was also able to research and write my dissertation on a topic I cared about, meeting a lot of important people within the field along the way.
What have you been doing since graduating?
I moved back to Colombia and took an in-house role as a designer for Editorial Planeta, a leading publisher in Spain and Latin America. After a while, I decided to get off the hamster-wheel of work and set off once again to travel the globe. I lived in Shanghai where I joined Island6, an art collective of tech-geeks and creative talents, and worked on a creative platform space as a curator and cultural event planner.
Since I graduated I have also been working as a freelance book cover designer. You can find my website here.
What made you want to set up a group in Bogota? What do you want to achieve from it?
While I was in Shanghai, I was a part of the alumni group there. It was very helpful to have a space to connect with other UAL professionals as it is great to share ideas, job opportunities and events related to art and design.
I also used to organise events related to the creative fields, and that made me appreciate the importance of networking. I moved back to Bogotá two weeks ago and as there is no alumni group here… I love helping other people and networking is a fantastic way to do this, so I decided to set one up. There are always lots of opportunities that arise – joint ventures, partnerships, connections, exchanges of advice, exciting things to do, plus, I think it is important to surround yourself with like-minded people that help you to grow. And (of course!) many friendships tend to form as a result!
I hope to get in contact with as many people who want to be part of the Colombian UAL alumni group, to build a community through social media channels and to organise networking events.
You can get in touch with the the new UAL Colombia group by liking them on Facebook or emailing them…