Following the successful launch of AOD’s dedicated centre for design education in Kandy, students from the Hill Capital got the opportunity to glimpse into a creative future. The future is a place for big ideas which coupled with problem solving skills and creativity can accelerate business growth and change perceptions. With creativity being among the top three skills needed by 2020 (World Economic Forum), AOD has opened the doors to its dedicated design education centre in Kandy which will offer a pathway programme to globally recognized design degree qualifications. To introduce these education pathways and careers of the future, ‘Creative Kandy’ took young students through a weekend of design workshops, talks and inspiration sessions.

What was ‘Creative Kandy’ about?

‘Creative Kandy’ -Design Open House was hosted at AOD’s newly opened campus in Kandy and introduced young students to a different kind of future -one that values innovation, unconventional thinking and creat ivity. Through a series of design workshops and inspiration sessions, they got an insight to Fashion Design, Fashion Marketing, Interior Design, Visual Communication Design and Motion Graphics & Animation Design. The workshops focused on building specific skills in individual areas and were led by AOD’s international faculty. These sessions gave space for self-expression and sharing of ideas among the participants. The Fashion & Textile Design workshops introduced students to modern themes in the world of Fashion such as female empowerment, technology, science and diversity and how these affect the kind of print and patterns on textiles. The students got a hands-on experience into printing patterns and creating their own unique designs. The draping workshop showed the participants the art of draping fabric on mannequins and how a multitude of different styles can be created with different techniques. The Fashion Marketing workshop explored the unspoken language of fashion brands pinpointing how these determine global trends and build fashion movements. Participants learnt more about branding, packaging design and communicating visually through design, while stretching their imagination to create unusual character collages, exploring how mixed images could create something quirky and fun. A stop motion animation workshop showed students how they can create simple animation clips and how important attention to detail is, in an Animation design career. The Interior Design session focused on how inspiration can be turned into a fully workable concept through idea mapping and critical thinking while the Photography workshop led by the Programme Leader for Design Foundation at AOD Kandy, Daniel Valentin, encouraged students to think beyond an image into understanding the depth of certain situations and events and how these things can be successfully captured through a photograph. They were also given an understanding of basic photography techniques as well as how to capture portraits and control lighting, exposure and more.

What’s next from AOD KANDY?

AOD Kandy is open for students after O/L’s to get started on their design education with the Design Foundation programme which qualifies students to enrol for any of the Design Degrees offered by Northumbria University, UK at AOD Colombo. The Foundation programme covers photography, illustration, animation, art, graphic design, design thinking, product design and more, while giving curious young minds the proper backing needed for a successful career in almost any industry. The Design Foundation programme will be led by Daniel Valentin. Daniel is an American fine art photographer, from the International Centre of Photography in New York City. Daniel will lead the academic studies and help students find international parallels to preliminary studies in graphic design, art, illustration, photography, fashion, interior design and new media used for creative expression. Those who are curious about careers in design can drop into AOD Kandy to get a full view into the future that is made possible through creative education. Interested students can also stay tuned for exciting events that will be hosted at the Kandy campus. To join the Design Foundation programme or for more information on AOD Kandy, reach 081 4 548322, log on www.aod.lk or visit AOD Kandy at 506, Peradeniya Road, Kandy.