Second and third year students on London College of Communication’s FdA/BA Design for Graphic Communication course came face to face with 24 professionals from the world of design at an industry speed-dating evening last term.
A huge number of students attended and an hour and a half of frenzied speed-dating ensued in a packed and buzzy room. Students worked in pairs, showing their work and asking for guidance.
This is the sixth design mentorship event to be held for DGC students. Design companies in attendance included AKQA, Creative Interpartners, IDEO, Okido, SEA Design and many more.
Third year DGC student Theo describes the benefits of industry mentorship:
“I had some really useful feedback regarding the format of my portfolio and how to better direct it towards my field of practice. It’s all about face time with industry.”
Second year DGC student Gloria explains how the evening helped her:
“It was an awesome experience. There was great feedback, and the fact that the mentors were from very different backgrounds gave us the opportunity to have different points of view from our projects. For me it was especially helpful, not only because of the feedback but because it gave us the opportunity to come out of our shells and be a bit more confident about our work.”
The professional mentors also gained from the experience. Kate at Creative Interpartners commented that:
“It’s always great to see what the next gen are doing/thinking.”
Nic at SEA Design was similarly impressed:
“The students were all very charming. I was impressed with the standard of work, and how articulate and enthusiastic they were.”
More design mentorship events are planned this year.
Read more about FdA/BA Design for Graphic Communication.