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By Bran, BA(Hons) Graphic Design student.

Our student, Bran, shares the wide range of creative opportunities he’s had while studying Graphic Design at UWE Bristol. He tells us how these experiences have grown his passion. Keep reading to find out more about Bran’s story.

Bran’s story

My name’s Bran and I’m a third year BA(Hons) Graphic Design student. When I was studying my A Levels, I enjoyed studying Graphic Communication, which was a popular subject at my college. When I found out that UWE Bristol offered Graphic Design as a subject, it quickly became my first choice.

I already had some friends from Bristol and I loved the city – I knew they’d be plenty of opportunities to go to different creative events and meet new people. Now I’m here, I love being based at City Campus where I’m surrounded with other likeminded creatives. This has enabled me to make friends with people from other creative courses, like my housemates, who study Illustration and Media.

My experience of studying at UWE Bristol

One of my favourite things about studying Graphic Design is that it’s so broad. In my second year, I had the flexibility to choose from a range of optional modules – I ended up choosing Moving Image. This helped me to discover my passion for animation and allowed me to experiment with new industry-standard software, like Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro.

The lecturers on my course are supportive and care about our personal and professional development, offering us equal opportunities to develop as designers and voice our ideas. They also present us with professional opportunities like internships and freelance jobs to get hands-on experience. My personal tutor, Kate, has been especially helpful and has supported me to find my own path in specialising in motion graphics.

The people on my course are also a huge support. In group projects, we’ve made cool pieces of work together. I’ve had the chance to work with people outside of Graphic Design, such as Film, Fashion Communications and Illustration students, giving me a different outlook and perspective. For example, on my Collaborate module, I worked with students from a range of creative courses to build a sculpture, which we exhibited in the Arnolfini Gallery.

Another bonus has been the Low Income Bursary, which has helped me to fund equipment from the Art Shop at Bower Ashton. This financial support has allowed me to experiment with different materials to find the best ones for my projects.

My Graphic Design opportunities at UWE Bristol

In my second year, I had the opportunity to get involved in a weekend workshop for young creatives called Werkhouse hosted at Taxi Studio. We were given a live brief for a local charity, and after some brainstorming, we presented our project ideas to a crowd of nearly 100 people. When our idea was chosen, we were supported by a team and a senior designer mentor to turn our idea into a reality. This was a great opportunity and I still talk to the people I worked with on the project.

This year, I also attended a portfolio evening through my course, a networking event where creative students had the chance to showcase their work to alumni. At the event, I got chatting to an alum about internship opportunities, which led to me finding an internship at Green Hat Design. Through this opportunity, I got to work there once a week and gain insight into the industry first-hand.

“The course leaders often send us professional opportunities to apply for outside of the course. As a result, I gained my first freelance job for Butterfly Conservation UK, which fulfilled a huge passion of mine.”

My recent creative project

I’ve recently got involved in a wellbeing animation project, which I heard about on Instagram through New Wave, a creative agency ran by UWE Bristol. I thought this project was a great opportunity and luckily, I had some spare time over the Easter break to take on a new challenge.

Through this project, I was tasked with animating a mental health story from another student, Daniel. When I heard Daniel’s story about not fitting in, I realised it meshed with the work I was already doing on my course. I felt passionate about the theme, so I knew I had to sign up for the opportunity.

“My experience of working with the New Wave agency was great. The process was straightforward, and the team were helpful. It also offered a great opportunity to get more freelance experience.”

My plans after graduation

I love Bristol, so I’d like to stay in the city for as long as I can after I graduate. I’ve recently got in touch with as many local studios as possible to look for opportunities, and I’ll continue working freelance. I’d like to find a creative job in the industry, working in motion design or for an animation studio.

Find out more about studying Graphic Design at UWE Bristol.