In this quick yet insightful chat, AND learner Sannidhi Goyal discusses her career transformation from an Assurance Associate to a Graphic Designer. Read on to know all about her experience, motivations, challenges, projects, ambitions and advice for future AND learners.
“Enrol only if you are willing to take up the challenge and put in the work.”
I was thrilled when I received the notification that AND learner Sannidhi Goyal had accepted my calendar invite for an interaction. I prepared eagerly for the upcoming meeting, and couldn't wait to hear all about her journey. She was just about to finish her course at AND Academy, so I knew she'd have some amazing insights to share, and I was to be proved right!
Sannidhi had studied finance before working as Assurance Associate at Ernst & Young (EY). Then, along the way, she decided to explore design as a profession, and chose to enrol for the PG Diploma Graphic Design Course at AND Academy, which she is currently pursuing. She also plans to learn UX UI Design in future. In our conversation, Sannidhi went on to relive the moment when she decided to pursue her passion for design and also gave ample insight into her growth, key learnings, the challenges she faced, and the project that she worked on.
Here is a sneak peek into the things we discussed during our interaction:
Contents:
- 1) Sannidhi’s background
- 2) What made her want to pursue design
- 3) What drew her to graphic design
- 4) Why she chose AND Academy
- 5) Top 3 aspects of her learning journey at AND
- 6) Challenges she faced during the course
- 7) Her experience with projects
- 8) Her visual narrative project
- 9) How AND has helped her grow
- 10) Career aspirations
- 11) Advice to future AND learners
Let's dive right into it now, shall we?
1. Could you tell me a little bit about yourself and your background?
I'm not entirely sure how far back I should go, but I'll keep it simple and stick to the most recent and relevant information. Right now, I'm based out of Raipur and the city has been great to me so far. Going back in time a little, I landed my first job as an Assurance Associate at Ernst and Young after finishing my undergraduate education - BBA Finance and Accounting - from Christ University in Bangalore. Over the past few years, I've had the chance to explore different places and job roles and this has been quite an adventure.
3. What is it that drove you specifically towards graphic design?
I was always drawn to art and design as a child, though I was relatively less serious about it as compared to the passion for design I have today. I even took a few classes and attended workshops every now and then, but that was about it. Later on, when I was in the eleventh grade, I recall attending a design workshop after which I was sold on the idea of pursuing design professionally. However, my parents suggested that I look at “safer” options like management or finance. And I did. I’d pretty much abandoned the idea of pursuing design and ventured into the field of finance. But somehow, now that I've had a taste of what a career in finance has to offer, I'm even more sure about pursuing design professionally.
Also, during the lockdown, I found myself, much like most people during that time, spending a lot of time consuming content online. I observed that most of the content I consumed was primarily about design. This further helped me realise where my interests lie and convinced me to pursue a design course.
That is a fascinating journey into design. Sounds like you know exactly why you're here now, which is fantastic!
What is it that drove you specifically towards graphic design?
One of my reasons was my natural ability to understand the technical aspects, and another, more important, reason was my fascination with motion graphics. For instance, when bingeing on Netflix, I was particularly fascinated by Netflix’s logo animation that came on the screen before a movie or show started. Watching something transform into another visual design on the screen was interesting. I simply wanted to learn how to make such designs and that is why I chose to enrol in the Graphic Design course at AND Academy.
Oh, so I see there are a few disciplines within design that interest you.
4. What led you to choose AND Academy when you decided to pursue graphic design formally?
This one was almost a no-brainer. I’ll tell you why. At the time when I took this call, I wanted to pursue my career and my studies at the same time. As a full-time employee at Ernst and Young, I didn't have the luxury to pursue a full-time course that demanded campus attendance. AND Academy provided a way for me to balance my job and my education without having to sacrifice any bit of my learning experience. The classes were held online and that too from 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm, which was ideal for me because, by the time the classes began, I would have finished my work and would be able to give my full attention to the classes.
That is great to hear.
5. So, what have been the top 3 aspects of your learning journey at AND?
Relatability tops my list. When I enrolled in the course I couldn't possibly imagine what kind of peers I’d be dealing with. Surprisingly, every student in my part-time batch was a working professional, so even though we all came from very different backgrounds and harboured diverse ambitions, we were in the same boat in a very fundamental way. And that was very comforting to know.
The learning environment of the course, which was the way it was because of the mentors, comes in at a close second. The mentors truly hold the course together. Their guidance was exceptional and perfect. Throughout the course, I encountered numerous challenges that I could bring to any of my mentors and they’d dish out solid advice every single time. I remember there was a time in the course when I needed some guidance and my mentor took the time to speak with me even though she was on leave. The best part is that this guidance, be it in the form of advice or suggestions, came from a place of honesty and was all intended to push me to do better.
The third highlight of the course, for me, has to be the curriculum. Thanks to the way the course was structured, it simplified all aspects of learning graphic design. Even though the curriculum was extensive, at no point did I feel like it was too difficult to grasp what was being taught.
7. AND’s project-based approach to learning design is one of its better-known features. How was your experience of working on the projects in the course?
Well, there is one considerable challenge that I’d like to talk about. At the beginning of the course, whenever we were presented with problems, tasks and assignments, I found myself coming up with solutions quite easily. However, I had no idea how to execute or even approach the execution of those ideas in a way that would lead to a desirable design outcome. This stemmed primarily from my inexperience with using the software programmes required to digitally render designs.
I discussed this issue with my mentors at length, and as a result, all of us were given additional mentor-led sessions on software programmes and this proved to be extremely beneficial to me.
AND’s project-based approach to learning design is one of its better-known features. How was your experience of working on the projects in the course?
The projects were demanding. In our second module, the print and publication project and the campaign design project were highly demanding in terms of both creativity and skill. Similarly, the brand identity project, to which we dedicated almost seven whole weeks, pushed us to do and learn a lot. In retrospect, I'm extremely glad to have gone through the projects, because they helped me create a strong and meaningful body of work.
Well, it is great to know that. In fact, we have heard some really amazing things about your projects too!
8. Could you take us through your visual narrative project?
I will be happy to! Just to set some context, our visual narrative project was based around Jamboree - a collaborative creative confluence organised by Kingston School of Art, Kingston University, London, and Indian Institute of Art & Design (IIAD), New Delhi, where experts discuss a variety of design subjects every month.
What particularly stood out about this project was its very well-thought-out timelines. It went on for 7 weeks, which was just the right amount of time for all of us to understand, implement and execute something innovative.
Our project task was to learn about Jamboree’s branding and create a visual narrative social media post that adhered to its guidelines. In the post, we were supposed to communicate a key takeaway from a chapter of the book
"The Art of Creative Thinking". The chapter I was assigned was called “If you can't be too good, be too bad”.
Visual narrative project: Jamboree’s brand guidelines - voice, objective and colour
This chapter talked about the importance of perseverance and practice and the takeaway was that one shouldn’t give up on something just because they are bad at it. There was a line in the chapter which went something like - it's okay if people remember you for doing bad work because it shows that you were willing to try something new… that you were willing to attempt something difficult and fail rather than not attempting it at all. This line not only struck a chord with me, it also entirely took away my fear of failure. This was important for me and I noticed a shift in my perspective from that point onwards.
Anyway, I went on to jot down the chapter's most important lessons and decided to go ahead with expressing one key idea in my post, which was:
While self-criticism can paralyse creativity, passion and enthusiasm fuel the creative engine.
The next step was for me to sketch at least three concepts to show how I am planning to communicate them visually. I wasn't satisfied with my initial solution, but after getting some advice from my mentors, I was able to tweak it and come up with a workable alternative. After many iterations, I decided to represent the creative engine through the visual of a car's fuel gauge.
Visual narrative project: Rough concept sketch
I designed my social media post as a carousel, with the first slide depicting a car running out of ideas (fuel). As the slides progress, we see the car pull over at a petrol station, and instead of fuel options, the labels above the fuel injectors read “passion”, “enthusiasm”, and “self-criticism”. The rest of my post demonstrates how self-criticism does not fuel the car and how it requires a combination of the two other ‘fuels’ - passion and enthusiasm - to make the car move forward.
You’ll also perhaps notice that my post makes extensive use of colour. This was a conscious decision in order to align with Jamboree’s vibrancy as a brand.
That is a very relatable and clever visual metaphor!
9. Taking a step back and looking at your learning experience, how would you say AND Academy has helped you grow?
The quality of education I received at AND remains unparalleled and the experience was truly enriching. To say I've learned a lot would be an understatement. While the learning curve was steep and challenging for me, the environment at AND was ideal for me to succeed as a designer.
As a working professional, I remember debating whether or not to pursue design, as I previously stated. But those doubts vanished right after joining AND. I knew, almost instantly, that I was at the right place. Within the first few weeks of the course, I was able to visualise the transformation I was progressing towards - a transformation in my skill set, in my ability to think like a designer and in my professional goals and ambitions too.
10. So what are your ‘transformed’ career aspirations after the Graphic Design course?
I have enrolled in the UX UI design course at AND because right now I'm inclined towards learning more. As part of the course, I'll be starting a two-month internship in the coming months, and I am positive that it will help me better define my career goals and trajectory. But if I had to choose right now I would consider a career in either branding or UI UX design.
That’s wonderful!
11. To conclude, if you had to offer some advice to future AND learners, what would it be?
Hmm… If you are considering enrolling in AND Academy’s Graphic Design course, don't make the mistake of thinking that it is simply a 2-hour session thrice a week. It is much more than that, in a good way. It is for the ambitious. So, enrol only if you are willing to take up that challenge and put in the work. Else, you will be wasting your time.
So long as you are willing to put in the effort, there’s a lot that you can learn from your mentors and peers at AND. Trust me, when you finish the course, you will be extremely proud of yourself because you will have so much to look back on, in terms of design work and feats that you wouldn't ever have imagined you’d accomplish.
That sounds like fantastic advice! Thank you so much, Sannidhi, for this insightful discussion. It was a total delight talking to you, and I’m sure these thoughts will be extremely helpful for other design aspirants.
So, do you think you have what Sannidhi says it takes to learn design the AND Academy way, and give wings to your design dreams?
If you do, then check out the different Graphic Design Courses we offer: part-time Certificate (16 weeks), Diploma (32 weeks) and PG Diploma (1 year) courses. Alternatively, if you can commit to a full-time course, take a look at the comprehensive and immersive full-time PG Diploma in Graphic Design (36 weeks).
For any immediate queries about the courses, contact our Course Advisors, who will be happy to assist you.
Note: All information and/or data from external sources is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication.
