AOD Alumni
Janith Lekamwasam making his own mark with Visual Communication Design - one of Sri Lanka’s most demanding Careers
AOD’s Visual Communication Programme is about communication in its purest form. It is conceptually driven to introduce visual thinking and creative problem solving while leading AOD Alumni such as Janith Lekamwasam to find their own identity by leveraging their passion and skill.
Janith is a Visual Communication Designer who works in many disciplines. He is a Graphic Designer, Photographer, Videographer and a Content Creator. Janith has been able to build his own identity through his work which caters to his clients in a way that provides a total solution through design. His photography and videography displays a particular client’s brand identity rather that just focusing on a specific product, service or event. This has been the underlying reason behind many of his successful projects.
Visual Communication Design is now highly sought after by industries in Sri Lanka and the rest of the world. This is due to the potential that design holds to add value, enhance or even completely reinvent a business. Most large-scale export organizations whose clienteles appreciate good design, look to graphic designers for strong logos, brand identities and packaging.
Visual communication design is the art of communicating with images. This might sound simple enough, but visual communication design is a serious education path that demands an indepth study of a large but extremely interesting subject area. Visual communication designers are trained to become experts in creating and assembling images (or videos), typography (letters in specific font styles), symbols, colours and visual cues to send out a specific message, exactly as intended. Who needs this type of skill? All businesses in every part of the world need this. Visual communication design is what drives the advertising, marketing and promotions component of business as well as corporate identity consisting of logo design and branding. A visual communication designer properly trained with international standard education has a vast knowledge of how visual messages in colour, shapes and symbols are perceived by the general public; therefore they can craft a brand message or a promotion using exactly the right visual elements to create the needed outcome. That’s not all, the publishing industry needs visual communication designers for layout, editorial design, cover design etc. while product and merchandise sectors need it for packaging. Simultaneously, industries like television, film, photog- raphy also rely on visual communication design. The opportunities are endless.
Janith, past pupil of Mahanama College, Colombo, did not initially plan to study Design. He ventured into a more traditional career path before he joined AOD with the hope that a recognized qualification in design would help him reach higher standards in the industry and would open up unconventional avenues to reach his goals. “I am not a naturally creative person. My ideas and thoughts flow in a more logical way. I always try to address the issue at hand by finding a complete solution that answers a question. My approach is more functional and that has helped me to become not only a graphic designer but a photographer, a videographer, and animator and even do 3D modeling,” states Janithspeaking of how he manages to combine several forms of visual communication.
lain Parizeau Head of the Northumbria University UK Graphic Design programme at AOD International Design Campus stated that “Visual communication design today is far away from the long days of mouse - clicking, choosing typefaces, software and paper samples. Visual communication design in Sri Lanka is often synonymous with computers but in reality it’s only part of the story. It is a reflective, problem-solving discipline: a creative process that combines art and technology to visually convey a message to an audience. The designer uses diverse forms of communication that go beyond print. It expands as technology and communication evolves”.
Janith started off as a freelance designer after completing his studies at AOD and the exposure to industry opportunities and modern technological tools he received at AOD has made a great impact on the standard of his work and his ability to cater to large clients with specific requirements. One of the first successful projects Janith completed was while he was studying when TNL Onstage collaborated with AOD on creating a brand identity for their brands and soloists. He completed the photography, videography and created the branding which was selected. Janith has worked on a variety of projects for popular brands such as Pizza Hut, Delifrance and Sony. He currently works as a Graphic Designer at CameraLK.
AOD is visionary institute that pioneered the professional design sector in Sri Lanka, trusted by industry for professionalizing the design talent in the country in partnership with Northumbria University UK, recognized by the University Grants Commission Sri Lanka. AOD presents complete UK design degrees with Northumbria University in Fashion, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing as well as Motion Graphics and Animation Design as 100% internal Degrees that can be fully completed in Sri Lanka or giving the student an option to transfer in second or third year, including options for attending convocation here or in the UK. For Design Career or Education counselling, reach AOD on
0775727772, 011 5867772 email info@aod.lk or walk in between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday - AOD, 29, Lauries Road,
Colombo 4. www.aod.lk