Sean Kinson completed the Graphic Design short course in 2017 and recently exhibited in our short course exhibition. Here, Sean shares his work, answers our questions and explains how the short course lead him to study MA Graphic Communication Design at Central Saint Martins. Graphic Design is an ideal course for those with a curiosity to learn more about graphic design and graphic arts, through tackling a range of design brief’s students will become confident in generating ideas and producing a strong design concept.
What is your background?
I originally studied fashion design and technology for my BA and worked in commercial womenswear design in the Netherlands after graduation. I difficult to distance myself from the ethical and moral conflicts I was faced with on a daily basis in the industry - and was drawn towards disciplines in which outcome can be conceptual, an idea, or text-based, as opposed to mass manufactured.
Which short course did you study and why did you choose it?
I studied Graphic Design in 2017. I chose the course as I had already studied another design discipline for my BA, and was self-taught until this point in graphic design - I didn't want a beginners introduction, but more of an intermediate experience. I attended the course over 10 weeks, so I would have more time to access the facilities available to me at Chelsea during my time there.
What 3 words best describe your short course experience at Chelsea?
Exploratory, comprehensive, accessible
What did you enjoy most about your course?
The course was structured in such a way that students could either attend with a very specific idea of the kind of graphic practice they wanted to pursue or could complete a broad range of exploratory, diagnostic projects. I was a little in-between; I had a loose idea but was keen to explore other sub-disciplines within graphics. Feedback provided was 1-on-1 and comprehensive and helped me decide where I wanted to take my practice afterwards.
How has this course benefitted your career and personal development?
I didn't attend the short course to apply to UAL, but during the course, I became interested in the MA and PG diplomas offered in graphic design. After completing the course I reworked a set project to create a 16-page zine, which I expanded to become a larger publication of my own poetry, fiction, critical writing, and digital illustration. It became a significant part of my application to the MA Graphic Communication Design at Central Saint Martins, which I am midway through now - developing a practice between critical and experimental writing and print media.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about taking a short course Camberwell, Chelsea or Wimbledon Colleges of Arts?
I would highly recommend making as much use of the library facilities as possible, especially the journal and magazine archives, which are an amazing resource to access regardless of where you are in your journey as an artist or designer.
Sean Kinson - Glitch Journal
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You can see more of Sean's Graphic Design on his website:
