Meet Jasmine: Jasmine is in her third year of studying the Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication). She chose the visual design course at Deakin as it allowed for her to include units/subjects from her overlapping interests in design and media, meaning she could select studies such as animation, film and photography. Now in her final year she shares some of her experience of studying Design at Deakin.
How is your course preparing you to be work ready when you graduate?
Jasmine: The Design course (especially in the third year), is taught in a way that makes it feel like you are already working for a client. We are given a list of real-world briefs and all of our deliverables are to be presented and submitted as if we were sending them to a client, not our teacher. This is practising what we will do in the industry on the big scale, but we also focus on small scale activities including how to pitch an idea and create a quote document. I am currently undertaking an internship through the Deakin Freelancing Hub. Using one of my free electives for an internship has been a great experience. I feel confident and prepared for the workplace now that I’ve experienced it.
What’s one thing you’ve learnt or explored in your course that you didn’t expect?
Jasmine: The one thing that I have explored in this course that I did not expect was Artificial Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). In my second year, I actually made a virtual reality game with my group that we could all play. Constantly, people are incorporating AR into the visual designs they make, bringing them to life and giving them a three-dimensional form in the digital world. This has given me a different perspective of design. Visual and graphic design is no longer restricted in 2D. Illustrations, posters and logos all have the opportunity to develop a three-dimensional form.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your course at Deakin?
Jasmine: The most rewarding aspect has been the freedom. I choose what I want to study. I choose what facet of design I want to focus on. I choose when I study and how I study. I have complete control of my time and access to infinite resources. Learning to keep motivated and control how I spend my time has been wonderful. I make decisions for my future independently, and when I make my own mistakes, I learn from them. It is just the perfect environment to try new things, explore and take on opportunities.
Have you undertaken any Work Integrated Learning (WIL) activities, such as internships or study tours, as part of your course?
Jasmine: I have undertaken two Work Integrated Learning units. An internship with the Deakin Freelancing Hub and a ‘study-abroad’ learning experience. In 2020 Trimester 3 I participated in the Japan Screen & Design WIL Project (ACG308). For this unit students originally had the chance to go to Tokyo. COVID-19 forced a remodel of this unit and I completed it online at home. We worked with industry professionals online, 9-5 for 2 weeks. We had a wide range of industry mentors who were based in Japan work with us over the project, all of them were from different areas of film and design. Doing WIL, I realised that I was a lot more capable and prepared to enter the workforce than I originally thought. However, it also introduced me to new professional skills that I could practice to boost my chances of getting into my career.
Tell us about where you’ve experienced practical or applied learning.
Jasmine: I believe all the learning I have done in the second and third year is practical or applied learning. Every assignment is based on a real-world issue or brief that needs solving. Every stage of the assignment from research to final submission is related to the problem that needs solving. All the work we do as designers in this course is practical and hands-on. When theory work is done, it is done to support the current practical work. You are always driven to produce practical real-world pieces in this course.
How would you describe the learning environment and culture at Deakin?
Jasmine: In my three years at Deakin I have been mentored within the mentoring program, been a Residential Leader at Burwood residence and joined both the Deakin TV and Visual Arts Society clubs. The learning environment is positive and welcoming. I feel confident and comfortable because I know if anything was to ever go wrong, that I can find support at Deakin. Deakin makes its students aware of the support it offers – if it is about finance, health or grades, I know where to go for advice.
The one thing that I have explored in this course that I did not expect was AR and VR.
Jasmine Carboon is studying Deakin University’s Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication).
Visit Deakin’s current course offerings: Bachelor of Design | Bachelor of Arts which offers Visual Communication Design as a major or minor.