Sana is an MLitt Media & Communication student at the University of Strathclyde. Formerly a graphic designer, she writes here about the experience of moving from a visual design background towards a more comprehensive communications role.
Sana Maqsood
Design is about more than just making things look beautiful.
It is multifaceted and can encompass a number of different fields – including graphics, web, art and UX. As audiences become more sophisticated, it is also becoming more concept-focused; audiences look out for more meaningful, relevant material.
This was reflected in my experience working as a graphic designer at WWF-Pakistan (World Wide Fund for Pakistan), an organisation working to achieve equilibrium with the natural world by achieving environmental goals.
Before joining the organisation, I had completed a Masters in Packaging & Branding at Pratt Institute in New York. This involved learning the skills and conceptual tools required to develop impactful branding and packaging for products.
While working at WWF-Pakistan, I got to work on campaigns that made me dig deeper into my profession. That is when my interest started shifting from simply designing campaign and event collateral towards concept development. I became more and more intrigued by the message itself and how it can be circulated, rather than simply concentrating on visual layout.
Keeping my interest in mind and seeing my potential, my head of department started giving me separate projects and campaigns to lead. I got the opportunity to handle media, PR, and social media on certain occasions which made me realise my ambition, which was to become a media and communications professional, rather than simply a visual designer.
Success at work and an increasing passion persuaded me to opt for another Master’s in Media & Communication. Therefore, after elaborate research I was able to find a course that was much closer to my requirements, MLitt Media and Communication at University of Strathclyde. That is how ended up becoming a part of this incredible programme.
Bringing positive change
MLitt Media and Communication comprises of multiple interesting courses that have helped me hone my skills as a communication person especially coming from a designing background. The media course taught in this degree is structured creatively, covering very well the areas of my interest.
The best part was that it included a lot of international contexts that helped me understand and evaluate different successful strategies used throughout the world for successful online and offline campaigns.
Our Communication and Media Theory in International Context module, for example, included an elaborate discussion about framing and execution of Communication strategy during Covid 19 based on different regions. An elaborate discussion in the class full of students with diverse backgrounds made this course more interesting for me. It broadened my horizon and gave a fresh perspective to look at things both as a designer and a communication person.
Another favourite was Media Ethics. It was offered as an elective and much closer to the Journalism students teaching the basic media ethics and codes. However, as a Media student I think it really helped me imagine and understand how the TV channels and reporters perceive news.
Previously, as a designer, I only used to think about the information from a surface level, but this course helped me analysed it deeper in context of understanding the audience. After learning more about how journalists work and how people perceive news, it helped shape my thought process by giving me a better understanding of the limitations and extremes of the media that can make or break the news.
Last but not the least, I am currently doing my dissertation on one of the important current issues: greenwashing in marketing. I have always wanted to explore sustainability in branding. Choosing Strathclyde and this course has provided me a chance to put both of my degrees and my professional experience to use by working on this project as my dissertation topic. This degree provided me with the right tools to explore further into this topic and bring a positive change in my career ahead.
Building on a design foundation
I think having a design background can be beneficial for those coming to this course because they will already have an idea about how communication works and its significance however, after taking this course they will be able to better evaluate what content would be appropriate for which audience.
It also increases the sensitivity about using elements in design based on multiple cultures and regions. I think it can also provide a great opportunity to start exploring the fundraising sector by improvising how designing can benefit the companies especially the organisations.
In the future, I see myself getting engaged with more organisational work either in the environmental or educational sector. Whatever I choose, I think I’m well equipped with the right knowledge to structure and execute a successful campaign and its promotion based on larger impacts.
That being said, for me learning never stops and thus, I look forward to keep exploring more in the upcoming years while working as a creative strategist in the communications field – continuing to use my design skills and knowledge while implementing strategies that make campaigns succeed.
Passion counts the most but the right knowledge provided by great professors can really make a difference in how you perceive the world. I hope to utilise my skills and use what I’ve learned in both design and communications to bring positive change.