Carolina, originally from Imperia, graduated from MA Data Visualisation at London College of Communication in 2021.
What attracted you to postgraduate study, and MA Data Visualisation?
I've always been increasingly interested in design, especially graphic and communication design, however I had never studied it specifically. It was at a friends graduation party when I started to think it was about time to do it.
I chose the MA Data Visualisation because it ticked all the boxes for me: a combination of creativity and exploration of fascinating topics, having the opportunity to prompt positive change.
Did the course provide opportunities to engage with industry?
On many occasions we heard from people who are directly engaged in the industry during live events.
We learnt from practitioners working in diverse fields, from data vis specifically to data art, graphic design, speculative and discursive design and many other sectors in the broader context of design. They touched on many aspects, from the practice itself to the ethical implications and the role designers can have in the society.
I also worked on a brief set by the Beyond Words studio, and with the support of Tiz Alocci as a tutor and lecturer, I presented them my final outcome.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone thinking of studying the course, what would it be?
Make sure you participate in any event you are even remotely interested in, book workshops and be extremely curious! LCC offers a tremendous amount of opportunities for professional development that also benefit and complement the course itself.
I think that engaging with these extra curricular activities can really elevate your experience and satisfy your desire of learning and experimenting.
What was the most important thing you learnt from studying MA Data Visualisation?
I think the key of this MA, which reflects one paramount aspect of the postgraduate level in general, is critical thinking.
The ability to take into consideration all the voices involved in a given issue, never assuming a point of view is necessarily right and always, always questioning my own and revisiting my work; the most hard-to-achieve as well as the most precious skill I acquired (or at least I know I should always aspire to) is thinking critically about the sources, the context and my own work.
Why would you recommend studying your course to others?
This course really opens up a world to people who are interested in social dynamics, sustainability and any issue of this world really. Those who are committed to learning and communicating facts to the world, at any scale in terms of audience and proportion of the topic at hand, can explore and experiment during this MA, being able, in the end, to go out there and find their place in the industry.
Now that you have graduated, what are your plans for the future?
I am currently working with one major client, mainly providing graphic design services. I also plan to join a design studio, hopefully one that also engages with data vis, in order to further improve my preparation and experience in the field.
Visit the MA Data Visualisation course page.
View Carolina's final project, Kaleidoscope, on UAL Showcase.
Telephone
+44 (0)20 7514 6500