Our conversation with alumni Kanupriya Baghel sheds light on how her learnings at AND helped her start her professional journey as a graphic designer. Learn how the course shaped her current understanding of graphic design and more!
“I used to think graphic design was all about software but this course taught me it is so much more.”
We are back with our Student Journeys, and in this edition, we are discussing the experience of AND Alumni, Kanupriya Baghel who pursued a Diploma in Graphic Design with us. Let’s explore her experience with the course and how it has helped her gain a better understanding of the digital design landscape.
Here is a brief overview of what we discussed.
- Kanupriya’s Background
- What made her pursue graphic design
- Why she chose AND Academy specifically
- Her Brand Narrative Project
- Her Brand Identity Project.
- Challenges she faced while working on these projects
- Her main learnings from these projects
- Top three aspects of AND that had the most impact on her
- Herfuture career plans
- Was she satisfied with the course
- Would she recommend AND to others
Q1. Let’s start with a quick introduction! Would you like to talk about yourself, your interests, and any hobbies other than design?
Before joining AND Academy and completing their graphic design course, I was working as a textile and home decor artist. I was running a small business, called Manu Smriti Creations, where I used to design customized textiles, wall plates, and MDF decor. So, I was already a part of the art industry and I’d say that has been my longest-standing area of interest. However, I wanted to enhance my skill set and make progress in the field. I have always been interested in the art industry and graphic design seemed like something I would love to learn so, I went for it!
That’s great to know!
Q2. So, what made you pursue graphic design? Was it something you always wanted to pursue?
Once I started my business, I realized creating art with my hands is great but sometimes not enough. To take my business to the next level, I had to go digital. And, this meant that it is extremely important to have a good grip on the digital aspect of designing.
Graphic design was something that attracted me. Since I was already into textile designing, it seemed like a good idea to merge that skill with the knowledge of graphic design. Before I joined the course, this field was more about software for me. I had even heard from my friends that you should know as many graphic design software and tools as possible. So, I thought joining a course would help me with it.
Pursuing a course seemed like a perfect opportunity for me to not just learn software but also gain graphic design skills and widen the scope of my business. And of course, it entailed learning a new form of art. So, all these factors made me pursue this particular discipline.
It is great that you took a step towards enhancing your skillset!
Q3. Would you like to share why you chose AND Academy and our Graphic Design Certificate Course?
When I was searching for a course, I came across AND Academy’s website. It seemed good so, I downloaded the brochure and talked to one of the course counselors. We talked about what the course was like and how the experience would be.
So, what I liked the most was how comprehensive the syllabus is. Also, the timings worked well for me. I liked how the course was designed and equipped with part-time sessions that did not need full-time commitments.
The classes were in the evening so, it was easy for me to fit it into my schedule after a full day of being at work. I also liked how well-coordinated and nicely planned everything was. The course ticked every box on my checklist and that’s what made me pursue it.
And I also want to point out, during the course, I never had problems with MS Teams or Canvas. Everything worked smoothly. Even when there were any problems, it got resolved rather quickly. All the processes were very streamlined and that really stood out for me.
We are glad you found everything organized.
Q4. Let’s talk about your Brand Narrative Project now. Can you please walk us through it?
The Brand Narrative Project was a very new experience for me. It was also related to UI Design, about which I didn’t know anything before.
So, we were first given a general design brief about what needed to be done. Soon after, we were given more specific instructions. We didn’t jump into the project directly and started with a few practice tests to get a hang of how things were supposed to be done. We also did various warm-up exercises and sessions to get comfortable with what we were doing.
The mentors guided us continuously as well. We were doing one-on-one sessions where they provided us feedback. I feel this kind of guidance is very important at this stage of portfolio development, especially because each student was at a different stage in their journey at this point. The whole process was very personalized and nice.
So, back to the project! We had to create user personas and define their goals, pain points, etc. We were doing a lot of iterations and research work. Before designing something, it is important to know its background and this is exactly what we were trying to understand.
Design Brief for the Project
We did messy ideations using the 3-part structure that helped us in creating a brand narrative. From the beginning, we were encouraged to do as many ideations as we wanted. I created eight ideas and then had to choose which one to take forward based on my research. The whole process required refining everything again and again. It really helped me create something that stood out.
So, after I created my user personas, I started working on explaining what Jamboree is - an event where students from different design backgrounds showcased their projects. It also doubles as a networking event where people can find work opportunities. This was the narrative I decided to move forward with.
Next was the archetype. We were taught twelve archetypes and had to choose the one that fit our project the best. I chose the sage archetype and started researching the qualities of this archetype. We also had to explain why we chose a particular archetype and this bit required a lot of study. It also helped us understand how we were supposed to work with our chosen archetype as each one had a specific design system.
I then found websites created using the Sage archetype and streamlined what I wanted to use for my project. I chose what elements I wanted the web pages to have. I jotted down a lot of points and the copywriting process was especially long as it would help decide what to include in the webpage scroll. We were also taught how to leverage AI to make this process easier for us. The mentors guided us on what prompts to use and so on.
Refined Brand Narrative for the Project
After the research, came the visual stuff. We collected illustrations and created a mood board of what we wanted the webpage and layout to look like. Then, followed another bunch of messy ideations. This was important as it taught us to not skip a single step in the design process. We were taught how to use each step to enhance the quality of our design. Like, what font to use, where the logo will go, how to place the text for better eye movement, etc.
We started working on Miro after this, did the brand archetype ideations, and started working on the final webpage scroll. Since my archetype was sage, I had to keep everything very minimalistic. So, I chose a simple and elegant font that matched the vibe of the event - academic as well as professional. I tried giving the perspective of a big room on one of the pages as that is where events like this generally happen. Then I placed CTA buttons where they would be highlighted.
Homepage of the Website
I created everything in a way that would simplify the user journey and also added elements that would give a global appeal to the event. The next step was choosing images that represented the event. And finally, putting everything together to create a webpage that conveys all the important information and the essence of the event. This was quite an intensive project and required a lot of research, but the learnings have been immense as well.
Wow, thanks for such a comprehensive explanation!
Q5. We have also heard great things about your Brand Identity Project. Would you like to share your process of creating it?
The brand identity system was our fourth module. We had to select one sector and I chose art and culture. We were assigned the task of designing a logo for an art festival. Since I am from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, I decided on a Tribal Art Festival that would display the culture of the state. The event was to be held in Maharashtra.
The biggest challenge here was representing the culture of one state through an event in another. I wanted to do something that would empower the artists. I researched a lot to decide the festival’s name, branding, and promotional activities. In this particular festival, there was going to be tribal art, food, and culture.
Project Outline
We also had to decide our target audience and the location. There was a lot to break down, especially, the target audience that we had to divide into sections and geographic segments. Then, we had to create a brand iceberg where we explained all this so we could design a logo that aligns with the objective of the festival.
The brand iceberg model had two parts - one is visible and the other is invisible. It helps us understand what we are doing and why we are doing it. The visible part is about the visual elements and the invisible part is about the research.
After this, I did visual research, where I took references from other popular festivals as well. This research also had two parts - logos and the overall look of the festival like the color combinations, etc.
The next step was to fill in the design inception sheet we use for all our projects. This was really important as it gives you a summary of the design process and the steps that have been followed so far. In this context, these steps will be- What is the festival? What kind of theme and mood are we going for? Like, the whole personality of the event. We jotted down everything from color palettes to fonts. It is a great tool that helps us know what shape our ideas are going to take.
Design Process for the Branding of the Festival
After this step, I created the mood board. I started with sketching, as a lot of things have to be drawn by hand before they are taken up digitally. On paper, I feel, it is easier to come up with ideas. The whole process was very enjoyable but it scared me as well. You never know what you are going to come up with and what the end result will be. The anticipation was exciting as well as scary.
I created a lot of sketches, patterns, symbols, etc. I was doing as many as I could. There was no limit to it. Then, we worked with springboards. At this stage, we were supposed to choose what designs would go into the final product. I selected the designs that aligned best with the idea of a tribal festival. It was a hard process.
The next phase was digitizing everything. I designed logos and there was a lot of work I did with horizontal and vertical lines. This was the process where every idea was coming together as a final product. I streamlined everything and used all the elements that represented the true spirit of the festival in the logo.
Logo Ideations for the Festival
In the classes, we were taught again and again that it’s important to know what we are doing and why. Everything should have a reason. It was very comprehensive and made me realize how much effort goes into creating even the simplest of things in branding.
I chose colors that represented tribal art such as green, brown, yellow, red, etc. Colors that are derived from nature. So, my color palette was mostly earthy tones. The font I chose was similar to handwritten letters as the art made by tribals is mostly hand-made. Since it was being used for a festival, I made sure it had both an organized and unorganized vibe to it.
I had to explain every element I used during the feedback session. So, I used the circle for inclusivity because we are bringing tribal people together in this festival. I used the triangle to represent creativity and collaboration. I tried to keep it simple and minimal because I wanted to represent how down-to-earth tribal people are.
Final Logo
I worked on a lot of variations. It was a great experience assessing each to choose which one would be the final one. This project was one of the best learning experiences for me.
This sounds like a great project! We loved learning about it!
Q6. Did you face any challenges while working on these projects?
Yes, so, the first challenge I faced was choosing the color combination. I had to choose a color combination that aligned with the theme of the event. The event had to be presented as a space that was not only academic but also professional. So, choosing a color palette and visuals that conveyed that sense of professionalism was important and also quite tough for me. The event had to attract students but also professionals.
Also, using the software can be quite tricky at times. This was another challenge. I am more confident now after working on so many projects. But at that time, it was certainly a big challenge for me.
Another challenge was coming up with ideations. After three, you start feeling tired and face creative blocks. It gets difficult to come up with ideas but then you relax and start again. And that’s normally when you come up with something new. It is tough but fortunately, I was able to come up with many ideations for this project.
There were other small challenges as well. However, I was able to overcome them quickly because of all the mentoring sessions we had. I was getting proper guidance which really helped me tackle any challenges I faced during the projects.
We are glad you could overcome these challenges.
Q7. What were the main learnings you derived from working on these projects?
So, the first important lesson was that anyone can create a design, but that design must fulfill an objective. A successful design is not created randomly, you need to follow a proper process for it to happen.
Another thing I learned is that you cannot design everything at once. You need to divide your process into sections and take it one at a time. You have to prioritize which section to work on first and what comes after that. You not only need to have a process but also follow it properly.
Another important thing I learned is that each design and theme has its specific archetypes. Ensuring your design aligns with those archetypes is very important for seamlessness. Like, with my theme, Sage, I had to follow what it entailed. I could not have just added quirky images or text to it. That would not have looked nice. So, it is crucial to ensure what you create aligns with the theme you have chosen to work with.
These are certainly important learnings to have.
Q8. What were the top three aspects of AND Academy that had the most impact on you?
The first thing would be the syllabus. Like I said earlier, I really like how the course is designed. It goes beyond software and teaches you the basic principles and fundamentals of graphic design. I used to think graphic design is all about software but I was proven wrong here. The syllabus is comprehensive and each part is properly demarcated. It ensured I was getting acquainted with the graphic design process in the best way possible.
The second aspect would be the mentors. The mentors at AND are really focused on the individual progress of each student and I really liked that. I was very scared initially and was skeptical of a lot of things about the field. I wasn’t even sure if I would make it to the second term. But by the time I completed the first module, I got very comfortable. It was largely due to how supportive the mentors were. The mentoring sessions were really important for me in that aspect.
The third aspect I really liked was the feedback system. Our work was thoroughly assessed at each step and the mentors paid attention to every aspect of our projects. Whenever I was stuck, the mentor would directly ask me, “Where are you stuck?” and then help me through it. We really created a special bond with the mentors and I will always appreciate that.
That’s really great to know!
Q9. So, now that you have gained a graphic design certification, what are your future career plans?
After completing this course, I have realized that graphic design has a lot of options. There are so many niches one can choose to work in. Currently, I want to work in logo design and branding. I want to create brand narratives because I really love that space.
I would also like to venture further into print design as I loved creating brochures in another project. I am currently looking for an internship in graphic design that would help me gain more practical exposure. Later on, I plan on becoming a freelance graphic designer where I can work on different kinds of projects. The end goal is to learn as much as possible and have a successful career, of course!
Seems like a solid plan!
Q10. Was your objective of learning graphic design successfully fulfilled with us?
Yes, definitely. I learned many things here, in fact. My objective of enrolling in this course was certainly fulfilled. I learned the whole design process and how everything is supposed to work. I used to think graphic design is only software but this course broke that myth. I realized that graphic design is much more than software, it is more about designing with a goal. In the course, we were taught that along with all the important concepts.
Our mentors also taught us how to present our work professionally and explain the process to the stakeholders- what to tell and what not to tell. We were taught to pay attention to every minute detail. After completing the course, now that I am out in the industry, I realize how important all the projects were for my overall development as a graphic designer. When someone asks for my graphic design portfolio or Behance link, I already have it ready for them to see.
In a short span of time, I was able to gain many valuable skills and lessons. So, I would say, this course certainly fulfilled everything I wanted to achieve from it.
We are really glad to know you learned so much here!
Q11. Last question, would you recommend AND to your friends and peers who want to pursue a career in graphic design?
Yes, yes, definitely, 200%. No doubt about that!
We are glad AND contributed to your journey as a designer in such a positive way! Thank you so much for your time today, Kanupriya. It was a delight learning about your journey. We wish you all the best for your future endeavors!
Want to explore graphic design just as Kanupriya did? Then, explore our range of Graphic Design courses at AND Academy now! Our flexible, stackable courses are suitable for learners of all skill levels. You can start with an 18-week Certificate course and progress to a Diploma or PG Diploma course to gain more expertise and knowledge.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our Course Advisors.
Note: All information and/or data from external sources is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication.
