Seeking a creative outlet that her degree course couldn’t give her, Yana Kernerman tells us how the Graphic Design short course has provided her with an arsenal of transferrable skills and has given her a reason to believe in herself as an artist.
Originally from Israel, Yana has been based in Berlin since 2017 and is currently a student at university studying Computer Science and Media. On paper this appears to be a unique combination of disciplines, but Yana says the course allows her to unite two of her interests; mathematics and creative design.
Now in her fourth semester at school, Yana admits that the creative aspect of her university course has been reduced significantly. “I miss the design aspect of my course,” she tells me. In future years she knows she will be able to specialise in whichever direction she wants, but she was keen to learn more about what it took to become a designer, which is why she decided to take the Graphic Design short course offered at Chelsea College of Arts.
On the course Yana says she was able to get a real sense of what it’s like to work as a designer. “We were directly involved with real life tasks a designer would undertake, for example creating logos for a client and learning about general business design. I learned to think in a completely new way, which has helped me to improve my work.”
Since the course, Yana has managed to apply the skills and creative way of thinking she learned on the short course into a plethora of other creative avenues. “I've been working in a marketing company for half a year. There, I’m helping and supporting the company in all areas, with skills I learned while on the course.”
Amidst her busy schedule, Yana also found time to create her own fanzine using the skills she learned from the short course. “The course really motivated me to build myself up as an artist. Using what I learned about what makes a good layout and how to create the right vibe to a magazine, I created my own fanzine.”
Seeing how much she was able to get out of the short course for herself, what would Yana say to students entertaining the idea of doing a short course?
“It's worth it! You are investing in a course, but you’re also investing in yourself. A short course will equip you with a different perspective of your own art and the feedback from the tutors will help you to improve your skills.”
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If you have a passion for Graphic Design but you’re not sure where to begin, our article on How to create a graphic design portfolio will help you find your feet and give you the confidence to curate a stand-out body of work to showcase your talents.
Or if like Yana you want an outlet for your creativity, our Graphic Design (Online Short Course) offered by Chelsea College of Arts and our Graphic Design for Beginners (Online Short Course) at Central Saint Martins will equip you with the tools you need.
For a full look at all of our short courses, our upcoming online short courses page has details on the short courses we will be running in the coming months.
