Case Study

I studied graphic design and media at school and college, and the University of Sunderland was my first choice for where I wanted to continue my development and studies. Sunderland always had a great reputation for their creative degrees, and after a couple of taster days I realised it was the place for me.

My favourite part of the course was how many new skills I developed because of the different opportunities we were given each year. While the course taught you to look at the basics of print and digital design, we were also given the opportunity to branch out into learning and creating Motion Graphics, drawing illustration pieces on programs such as Coral Painter, and learning HTML/CSS. Another thing I loved about the course was the lecturers and my classmates, who made my time there very enjoyable. I learned a lot from them for my own development, bouncing ideas off them and working together in teams for projects.

After graduating I took up freelancing to continue to develop my skills while I searched for my first full time designer position. In 2017, I started my job at Sitel as Creative Designer UK&I. During my time at Sitel, I worked on projects ranging from branding the global company values, to creating facility branding across all nine UK sites, and I had the privilege of working with big brands such as Facebook, Waitrose and Virgin Media. In November 2018, I was a finalist at the UKCCF Awards in the ‘Support Person of the Year’ category, due to the work I was producing. It was an honour to be nominated for something I was passionate about.

I now work at Newcastle United FC and Newcastle United Foundation as Junior Designer, working on a variety of projects. I have had the opportunity to work on stadium enhancements, as well as assets for home matchdays, and more recently the stadium flags for the return of football, which has been fantastic. Along with creating print materials, I also look at creating digital assets, such as email templates and infographics. I am thoroughly enjoying my time here at Newcastle United and Newcastle United Foundation, and I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds as I continue to grow as a designer. My degree helped prepare me for the workplace by feeling empowered to be as creative as possible, learning to evolve from feedback and learning how to be flexible with projects while sticking to client briefs.

I would advise anyone wishing to study at University of Sunderland to read up as much as possible about the related course, and if possible, to reach out to current or former students to ask questions. Taster events are very important, as it gives you a feel for the campus itself (and may help you identify the nearest libraries before you start!).

My time studying at the University of Sunderland was insightful, beneficial, fun and enjoyable.”

Published 12 October 2020