AOD’s Design Rewind set for the 25th of February to engage and inspire a new generation of creative disruptors
Having come to the close of an eventful 2022, the Academy of Design is losing no time in gearing up for an exciting year ahead. From the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, to the Sri Lanka Design Festival, and finally the AOD Graduate Exhibition, students of Sri Lanka’s pioneering design institution were granted heightened exposure, secured industrial placements, and even projected to the global stage – all just last year alone.
Excitingly, AOD is opening its doors yet again to prospective students and their parents, for an open day that promises to be bigger, better, and more inspiring than ever before. This year’s theme -Design Rewind- addresses the need of the hour; holding circularity and sustainability at its core, with a strong focus also on the immense potential of Sri Lanka’s rich design heritage and culture. Bringing conversations on environmental consciousness to the limelight, Design Rewind hopes to explore the ‘unmaking’ -or radical rethinking- of the socioeconomic order in the current day conception and production landscape, while at the same time fighting for the revival of Sri Lanka’s artisanal involvement in contemporary global design.
Attendees at Design Rewind will also be privy to valuable insight on the various design programmes offered by AOD, with campus tours, career guidance sessions, and student showcases featuring heavily on the agenda. Design hopefuls can look forward to engaging with AOD students as well as its faculty, exploring the university campus, and witnessing first-hand the caliber of student design projects on showcase. Fashion shows, workshops, alumni talks, and even game shows will keep aspiring creatives on their toes as they actively participate in a day filled to the brim with all things design. Hosted at the Colombo Innovation Tower -the very hub of all things reinvention-, visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the very ecosystem that provides the AOD experience, and learn also of the wealth of career options it opens up for students in the future.
As the driving force behind most cultural -and as a result, economic- trends, design -in all of its forms- is shaping the world as we know it, and also the future to come. As one of the more multidisciplinary education pathways, a degree in design equips students with core skills that can seamlessly be implemented across a wide spectrum of sectors. From film to healthcare, advertising to fashion, architecture to social work, the scope of a designer cannot be overstated.
A/L students looking to invest in a future in design can choose from AOD’s diverse portfolio of BA Hons programmes to fulfill their individual design passions. Be it in Fashion & Textile Design, Motion Graphics & Animation, Fashion Design & Marketing, Graphics & Visual Communication Design, or Interior Architecture Design, the academy equips its students with a globallyrecognised interdisciplinary education with curricula updated in tune to the pulse of the industry; producing highly sought-after graduates driven to positively impact the societies with their world-par education and fresh skillset. All graduate programmes at AOD are affiliated with the Northumbria University, UK (recently named University of the Year 2022 by the prestigious Times Higher Education [THE] Awards) and are delivered by an internationally qualified and experienced global faculty, with the option of taking advantage of a unique hybrid study model where students can pursue the final year of their degree in the UK.
O/L graduates too who have their eyes set on a future in the design arena, are also provided with the invaluable opportunity to get a head start on their career trajectory with AOD’s Design Foundation Programme. Formulated keeping those with an early interest in design in mind, this immersive and all-encompassing 8-month course gives students an engaging introduction to all key design disciples – fashion design, visual communications, interior design, and graphic design. As a result, on completion, young students are equipped with the advanced knowledge of how best to implement their freshly honed skillsets, with the additional advantage of now being able to make well-informed decisions on what their next step should be.
All students at AOD benefit from unparalleled access to a world-class design education, a centrally located campus, as well as facilities and infrastructure on par with leading design institutions of the world. Additionally, through the university’s strong network of local and international design partners, extensive pool of industry connections, and a highly successful alumni network, AOD graduates are increasingly being positioned as highly-sought after and employable designers.
AOD invites all O/L and A/L graduates for an inspiring day of activity, conversation, and insight on the immense potential a world-class design education holds. The Design Rewind open day will take place on Saturday the 25th of February from 9am to 4pm at the Colombo Innovation Tower. Call or WhatsApp 077 572 7772 to register your presence.