Lankan Graphic design talent represented in France
AOD’s young designer Malika Jinadasa was among the cream of the fresh creative crop at Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity- Roger Hatchuel Programme
Sri Lankan graphic design talent was represented in Cannes, France in the presence of legendary ad house creative chiefs such as Graham Fink of Ogilvy Mather and Razvan Capanescu of Leo Burnett as AOD graphic design student Malika Jinadasa represented the country at the prestigious Cannes Lions Festival for Creativity. Cannes Lions has long been regarded as the pinnacle event for graphic and visual communication design and representing your nation at this iconic event is a once-in-a-lifetime honour for a designer. The 22 year old Malika competed for this rare opportunity alongside fellow design students and industry professionals, and emerged the winner to represent Sri Lanka for Cannes Lions Roger Hatchuel Programme through the competition conducted by Metal Factor Sri Lanka. Cannes Lions Roger Hatchuel Programme annually selects the finest young talent from the top design schools in the world to join the event: AOD’s Malika being selected for this coveted event places its graphic design education in par with the very best in the world.
Malika Jinadasa recently returned to the island after two life-changing weeks in Cannes. Speaking about this incredible opportunity that won him a chance to learn and work with the cream of the creative crop, Malika says that he was pleasantly surprised when his name was announced among the winners; “I participated in this competition to gain experience. However, I ended up win- ning too and was quite surprised and super excited when they announced my name.”
Although graphic design and visual communication in Sri Lanka is still seen as a limited career, it is one of the largest and the most dynamic creative industries in the world, bringing in billions of dollars in revenue and offering some of the most challenging and lucrative jobs in today’s world. Malika was able to experience this true breadth of graphic design at Cannes. “This tour to Cannes was extremely inspiring with seriously life changing advice from the best in the world of graphic design. I never knew how wide this industry was up until I got this opportunity to experience it myself, and I was just blown away by the kind of work they do, the jobs that are on offer. I am so lucky to have been part of all that knowledge and I hope to do something great with that here in Sri Lanka.”
Malika’s success didn’t come easy. A former pupil of Wesley College Colombo, Malika was always differently talented with a head full of creative ideas. Malika’s mother too supported her son’s journey to move forward in design and encouraged him. “My mother was so proud and happy when I won the competition and I’m certain that if my father was here today, he would have been extremely proud of me too. I have to thank my mother, the backbone of my life for encouraging me in everything I do, and also, most definitely my uncles for all the support given to me throughout. I’m fortunate to have a family who encourages my dreams.”
Malika always had the dream and the support to pursue a career that utilises his creativity. However, it wasn’t until joining AOD that Malika learnt how to make a career out of his natural talent by using it to meet industry needs.At AOD, Malika was trainedby the school’s international faculty to be able to handle creative challenges and think differently to solve problems through visual strategy. Today, Malika has many people to thank for his success; “A great thank you to AOD – its founder Linda Speldewinde, Principal Karen Macleod and CEO Ranmal Ekanayake for giving me this incredible experience and mostly Alain Parizeau, my mentor for all the advice given and guiding me through this journey. I would like to thank the Metal Factor Team for giving young students the opportunity to show their skills and share their ideas. Last but not least, my friends for their encouraging words and undying support.”
By representing the country at Cannes Lions and working with the best creative brains in the world, Malika has advanced his career by a few notches; however, he has a long way to go to achieve his big dreams in setting up his own design studio; “I am going to continue with my degree in Graphic Design while also exploring new media and visual strategy to support my creative skills. I have much more to learn and I want to gain experience by working in the industry too, but my biggest dream is to lead my own creative studio one day.”
For those who are interested in becoming design professionals with a world-class qualification, AOD presents complete UK design degrees with Northumbria University- a trusted name officially recognised by the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka. Northumbria’s design degrees in Graphic Design, Animation Design as well as Fashion, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Design Studies are now available at AOD in a 100% internal and complete manner. AOD doesn’t stop by offering these degrees; AOD’s active job placement centre places all its students in fantastic careers right after graduation, maintaining a 100% employment rate for the past few years. AOD is currently enrolling for its 2016 intake closing this August.
To find out more, contact AOD on 0775980141, 0115867772/3 or email info@ aod.lk. Visit AOD between 9am-5pm on weekdays at 29, Lauries Road Colombo 4 or check www.aod.lk