Prague College

Three graduates of the HND Graphic Design programme, who were among the twelve students who successfully put on their Diploma show in June 2009 at Doubner Gallery, reveal the personal and professional moments in their lives.

For all of them the decision to come study at Prague College meant a new start in a new country. Nina from Russia, Katka from Slovakia and Zlatko from Macedonia answer questions regarding their study experience and its application in the real world.

Studying at Prague College offers the opportunity to meet students form different parts of the world, from different social and educational backgrounds, and different age groups. This variety creates a rich atmosphere where ideas, experiences and knowledge create a study experience that is full of life, creativity and is on some level very special.

 

NINA ZAKHARKINA * 1986 (Russia)

Nina has always been closely connected to the art world, coming from a family of art lovers. She started taking painting classes at the age of 10, which is how she got into book illustration and graphic design. Nina then spent three years studying graphic design and journalism at Moscow State University which led her to coming to Prague College to develop her skills and knowledge of design. She believes design plays a crucial roles in communication in the modern world. Designers can easily affect the reality around us.

KATARINA GREGOROVA  * 1983 (Slovakia)

Ever since Katarina was a child she has enjoyed and been good at hand drawing, as well as calligraphy, and she has spent many years taking drawing classes. Whilst studying graphic design at Prague College she has learnt a lot of new skills which helped Katarina realise her idea of combining computer design with hand drawing.

ZLATKO LAZAROV  * 1989 (Macedonia)

Zlatko finished his high school in Navarre High in Florida, in the US, where he discovered his interest in design. Today, Zlatko lives in Prague, the Czech Republic, and studies Graphic Design at Prague College. While studying he’s worked on real projects for his school and for some of the party organizing companies and bars in Prague. His style varies from fat colours and illustrative designs to minimal designs with sharp edges. He continuously improves his style to express the true meaning of design.

How did you come across Prague College, and what made you move to Prague?

Nina:  The Prague College website was the first website I saw online when I started looking for Universities in Prague. This really grabbed my attention as it looked pretty good, the programme sounded interesting and the student life looked exciting, so it was easy to make my choice.

Katka: I found Prague College on the Internet as well and decided to start there. The reason why I chose Prague College was that I didn't have to sit for any regular entrance exams, which are typical in the Czech or Slovak educational systems. At Prague College the requirements are high, but the individual approach and first interview made my choice clear. English language and my personal portfolio and my passion for the field were the crucial points.

Somehow, I have always dreamt of having the possibility to live and study in Prague, because of its architecture mostly, which I love. I chose the graphic design field to study because of my good drawing skills, which I wanted to perfect. My friends also  supported this idea because of the apparent successful future in this field.

Zlatko: There were actually two main reasons that got me to Prague College.  Firstly, my brother, because he was staying in Prague at that time, but I found out about the College from a friend of mine who used to study at Prague College. His name is Kiril Karovski and he recommended it to me.

What did you like about studying at Prague College?

Nina:  Most of all I like the student-lecturer relationship at the College. There's no pressure and it helps develop my creativity, which is very useful since I'm studying graphic design. I also found the study hours suitable and projects very interesting.

Katka: During the two years of HND Graphic Design I studied at Prague College I learned how to work with different graphic software, how to design a good logo, sign or how to promote my work to customer and also many other useful things. This is the place where I finally realised that my drawing skills are better than “only” good, and I can really start thinking about a serious career in illustration.

Zlatko: I mostly liked the fact that everything was for real. The lecturers tend to teach you about situations that you will meet in real life. The education itself is mostly focused on practice not just plain information without clear usage. 

What are your professional plans for the future?

Nina: Currently I am working on a student magazine, which I'm enjoying a lot. I'm planning to carry on and see how it goes. Hopefully it won't disturb me much from my studies and I'll be able to do both.

Katka: At the moment I'm taking internship classes with our HND Coordinator Gavin Bird. I'm drawing illustrations for a children's book and I'm enjoying it a lot, even though there isn't much work with the computer. In the future I would like to work as an illustrator for books or magazines. And I keep thinking about continuing to study in another foreign country.

Zlatko: I'd like to open a design studio some day. This has been my dream for a long time, but the truth is I want to specialise in fashion design to help my family with their company in the future.

Would you like to deepen you graphic design knowledge by studying further or "just" by gaining more work experience?

Nina: I'd like to learn more about the history of art, as I feel it's necessary to have deep knowledge in order to become a good designer.

Katka: I'd like to do both, first work as a graphic illustrator, as I'm starting right now, and later on I would like to learn more drawing techniques and progress in it.

Zlatko: Both of them, actually. I'd like to learn how to use more software so I can work on many different areas of graphic design, but I think the work experience is more important because you learn from your own mistakes, it makes you more decisive and helps you find and come to the idea much faster, which is the most important thing for designers, to have a vision, an idea.

Do you think people can manage both, work and study at Prague College?

Nina: I definitely think people could at least manage a part-time job or do their own projects. The College tends to keep me busy and there's plenty of time for self-study so it's easy to study and have fun at the same time.

Katka: I worked during all my study and I can say that it's very difficult and stressful. There were many projects we worked on and we had lot of homework. I did it during the night. But it was my choice and I'm really happyabout what I do now.

Zlatko: I think it's manageable, but I think it's better to concentrate more on the College itself, because the more time you spend on the projects the better grades and more experience you will gain. Anyway, you can still find a job; it's not that hard.

The Graphic Design Diploma Show, how did you like it? Was is first official public art performance of yours? How did you manage the deadlines?

Nina: I thought the final show was great. We did a lot of work on it, but we all loved it and it was really enjoyable to work with the whole class and have big discussions. We only had one big deadline and it was quite stressful, but in the end we managed everything in time and had some great fun too.

Katka: It was the first time I exhibited my work. Brochures, magazines, posters, layouts and much more were exhibited by students. I was happy that I showed my photographs, which I created mostly for school projects. I think we managed it very well and organized it on time. The room we chose was large enough to show a lot of different design works. Everybody worked hard to organize everything on time. I think the exhibition was really successful and I'm happy that I exhibited my work exactly those people.

The first months in foreign country can be challenging. What was the beginning like?

Nina: I think Prague is a great city. I like it for being so multi-cultural, cheap, small, friendly and sort of cosy. It's a perfect place for a student. When I first moved here,  Prague was easy to explore,  and I met a lot of amazing people who all helped me a lot. I don't find the language barrier too difficult; all my friends speak English, as well as everyone at the College. I do feel a bit homesick sometimes though, but it's quite easy to get to Moscow from here. Over all, I find Prague a really nice place and would like to stay here for a little while.

Katka: Prague is a hectic city and for someone who comes from a small town it can be quite difficult. It was not difficult for me to find a job here because I have a lot of work experience and I speak Slovak, which is very similar to the Czech language. I have to say that some older Czech people are not very friendly to foreigners, but young students are open and friendly enough. There are many activities that young people can do in Prague – theaters, cinemas, pubs, disco, architecture, museums, exhibitions... so I think there are no students who feel homesick.

Did Prague College meet your expectations and having the chance would you choose this path again?

Nina: I'm happy about the choice I made two years ago. I think Prague College is a nice place with friendly people. I think I would have made the same choice if I was given a chance to, and I'm also going to continue into the BA program and I'm very excited about it.

Katka: I have to admit that studying at Prague College changed myself in a positive way. I had to cope with many difficult situations and it was challanging sometimes and not easy all the time. If I could choose again I would  definitely devote all my time to graphic design only and if I had to work then I would only take a design internship and not anything else that would distract me from my studies. Sometimes I had no energy at all to do homework.

I am not going to do BA at Prague College this year as I would like to focus on work only and work as a graphic illustrator and then continue stuyding later.