DPS ALUMNI Q&A: MOHAMMED SAMAD
Which course did you study at LCC?
BA Graphic & Media Design
Tell us about your current role and what you're currently working on.
Currently freelancing on a number of projects from music promotional working on an exhibition catalogue.
What made you choose the DPS opportunity?
The option to experience the graphic design industry in a fairly supportive bubble.
Where did you go for your DPS year? Tell us a little bit about your experience:
I stayed in London for the year working at a few different design studios. Accept & Proceed, Rose Design, Spin/Unit Editions.
Working mainly within the studios that had a focus on identity design, however, got to experience working on a wide variety of projects from designing Royal Mail postage stamps to working on design monographs for Unit Editions.
Towards the end of the year, I got to work on an amazing project called 20:20 Stories of Moving Lineage which explored the lives of 20 refugees that arrived in the UK 20 years ago; I am currently still working on the project putting together an exhibition catalogue. It was great to work on a project which wasn’t commercially focused or based for profit and generally had a positive impact on championing stories that normally get a bad light in the traditional press. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
What's the most important thing you learned from doing the DPS year?
It’s okay to fail, we’re all still learning. Talk to other designers on Instagram. Hair loss is a part of life.
How did DPS alter your future ambitions?
Before DPS I did not know exactly what I wanted to do. After DPS, I still don’t exactly know, but I know the direction. DPS was a safe environment for us to nurture and orientate ourselves within the industry.
Would you recommend a DPS year to other students and if so, why?
Yes! 1 million percent. Financially it can be extremely difficult to navigate but if you can make it happen then do it. It’s the best opportunity to focus a year on experimenting, failing and learning. You will learn more in this year than all the other years of university combined.
What advice would you give to students applying for the DPS year?
See it as a year to practice your craft whilst gaining a grasp of the dynamics of the design industry.
What was the best thing about your time at LCC and why?
The resources, print facilities and library.
Is there a particular person who shaped your university experience or creative outlook?
Sarah Temple was extremely helpful in preparing and sharing knowledge on the design industry. Generally, the Contextual Studies classes were the most important in shaping my own personal philosophies. I think in first and second year I looked up to the lecturers Paul Mcneil and Hamish Muir and deep down wanted to be the third member of MuirMcneil (MuirMcMo) but during and after DPS I started developing my own visual language which was grounded and enhanced from attending an experimental typography summer school called QOQOQO in Estonia.
Where do you go for inspiration?
One of the key things I learnt from the summer school is that inspiration is not only limited to Instagram or Pinterest but can be embedded within nature or the everyday systems. In saying that, I think it is still useful to always be looking and critiquing design as much as possible and that’s where Instagram is extremely useful.
You were selected as one of the class of 2020 (It’s Nice That). What kind of final year did you have had during covid and your ambitions for the next year?
It's always great to be recognized by peers and an organisation such as It's Nice That. Overall it gives me more confidence and motivation to keep producing design work.
Final year with covid-19 was difficult in regard to lacking access to key resources that the university supplied. However, both my final projects changed to become more relevant and adapted due to lock-down.
Me and a few other recent graduates from LCC (Veronica Jones, Ananya Mohan and Rhoda Nti) are creating a platform that celebrates and promotes graphic designers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds as we feel the design space massively underrepresents this community.
"The aim of the platform is to normalise the idea of a PoC graphic designer. The current narrative of graphic design is centred through a Eurocentric canon which often ignores and dismisses the countless PoC contributions that have helped shape the industry. With this platform, we hope to challenge, change and redistribute a global narrative of graphic design. Building a community and virtual space that inherently promotes and champions PoC graphic design”
Website/Instagram:
If you need any advice or help DM me on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/mo____s_/