<p dir="ltr"><strong>In 2021, <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/posts/oliver-brooks-secures-internship-at-the-worlds-largest-independent-design-agency" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oliver Brooks</a> completed a </strong><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/pre-degree/ual-level-3-extended-diploma-in-art-design-giga"><strong>UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Practice: Graphics, Illustration &amp; Game Arts</strong></a><strong> at our Pre-Degree campus, achieving a Distinction and specialising during his studies in branding, motion design and type design.</strong></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>During his time with us, Oliver was selected as the winner of our Design Aesthetic Award for his work. After completing his studies, Oliver beat nearly two thousand other applicants to secure an internship as a Graphic Designer working with Sound Designer Yuri Suzuki at the world’s largest independent design agencies, </strong><a href="https://www.pentagram.com/"><strong>Pentagram</strong></a><strong>. Now splitting his time between Devon and London, we talked to Oliver about how his time at Plymouth College of Art helped him to achieve his dream role, which he manages to fulfil without leaving the South West.</strong></p> <p dir="ltr"><br /><strong>What did you do before joining Plymouth College of Art?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">I worked at a restaurant, first as a kitchen porter, then as a sous-chef. I learnt the art of fine cuisine whilst working in the smallest and hottest of spaces in a high-pressured environment. It instilled a strong sense of discipline and taught me to think tangentially whilst working against the clock.</p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">I first understood the importance of colour and design through food. I learnt to see everything as design, from the Japanese Santoku knife I used, to the balance, pattern and colour harmonies in the presentation of different dishes.</p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>How did you find studying with us in Palace Court?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Plymouth College of Art was very warm and welcoming; design people are the very best! It allowed me complete creative freedom, offered great support and opened my eyes to what is possible in Graphic Design. The facilities are outstanding; having access to all the different technologies helped bring my ideas to fruition.</p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">During my final project, my tutor, Jack Bishop, encouraged me to explore Typography, which led me to discover the work of Fatih Hardal and Yūsaku Kamekura. Although previously, I had focused purely on branding, both Hardal and Kamekura's work spoke to me in such a way that turned my attention to type design. Hardal's perfect balance of classic and modern, with Kamekura's use of colour and form, together with his disruption of the grid, turned my perception of design on its head.</p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">Inspired by Hardal and Kamakura's work, I challenged myself to create a typeface that utilised Japanese Calligraphy with Modernism. My first attempts failed, though with each failure, I learnt so much about what does and what doesn’t make good type design, distilling communication into its simplest form. As a result, I achieved a Distinction and received the Plymouth College of Art Design Aesthetic Award. <br /></p>