Prague College

It is 7 a.m. and Abayomi is getting ready for his regular football practice at FK Bohemia Praha, a well-known football team that competes in the second highest level in the Czech Republic. Abayomi is a relatively new addition to the team. Even though he has played for the team for only less than a year, he has become a popular player amongst the team as well as attracted noticeable interest from the club’s fans and media. His accomplishments have become a target of sport media in this country who have followed him around during his career documenting his athletic accomplishments, successes and escapades. National sport followers may know Abayomi as a talented football player born and raised in Nigeria who was originally recruited by Madrid’s Alcobendas and later on transferred to the Czech Republic to play for Aritma in Praha.

Abayomi, however, represents more than an interesting football player. He is a face in Prague College’s promotional campaign including metro posters and programme brochures. When you meet Abayomi, called by his classmates “Yomi,” you cannot help but smile; he is a very friendly, positively minded young gentleman who, despite his accomplishments and successes in the football arena, is very down to earth and modest. He is an inspired individual who likes to succeed not only in the sports arena but also considers his future involvement in other fields. He says that he knows that a sport career is what attracts him and interests him, but he cannot rely on the fact that he will be playing forever, and he feels a need to build a second career, something that he can always fall back on.

This thought led him to start studying in the HND Business Programme at Prague College two years ago. Abayomi’s aspirations are to not only to become a professional athlete with international recognition, but to also receive an education that would give him the tools to accomplish yet another dream – to open his own business.

So what does a typical day of Abayomi look like? Mornings are always spent on the football field while during afternoons Abayomi sits behind the classroom desks and studies business. That is quite a busy day; however Abayomi feels that this is the only way he can combine both of his interests. He believes that the key to success is to work hard but to never lose optimism and a positive outlook. And what are his future plans? Abayomi is aiming high, and he is willing to move and travel to work for his future potential employers, but if he stays locally, he plans to complete the MSc in International Management at Prague College.

Silvia, you are not only a student of the Bachelor's Programme at Prague College, but you also quite actively participate in activities with the Prague College Research Centre ... could you tell us what your co-operation is about and which projects are you working on?
So far I've worked on the lastest issue of the Prague College Research Centre Bulletin and the Underground City XXI catalogue. Regarding these projects, I usually participate in the meetings to get a better idea of what is needed and then I work on my own. These days we're about to start working on a brand new issue of the PCRS Bulletin so stay tuned! In addition, there's a new exciting project coming up too - I'm sure you'll hear about it soon!

You also created a poster and the whole graphic identity for the CCI Conference which took place at Prague College during the end of May, 2011. What inspired you?
All of the promotional materials stemmed from the design of the conference poster. It took me some time to come up with a final idea, especially since I looked at many possibilities. However, the final design was inspired by Saul Bass' artwork in its early stages. Research revealed that Caesar was the first one to use ciphers, so I used his silhouette as the main element of the poster. The last thing I was struggling with was the speakers' names which were required to be there; I used hand-lettering to make them a bit unclear and "squeezed" them into a brain. I was really glad to see that it worked well for the target audience (speakers and participants of the conference), and some of the speakers even took the posters home.

You represent one of the School of Art & Design faculty programmes in the new Prague College campaign which is running in the Prague metro right now. What goes into the preparation of the posters? Did you enjoy it?
The shooting was fun! When I went there, Dima (graphic designer and student of Prague College) showed me sketches and explained what was needed from me. Then we made test shots (wearing different tops and hairstyles) to see what worked the best. Finally, the photographer directed me to get the pictures he wanted and what would work the best for the poster. It took about 45 minutes all together and it was really interesting to see how a metro poster is born.

You are starting the third year of the Bachelor Programme BA (Hons) Graphic Design… are you preparing yourself for the future studies?
Frankly speaking, I'm not getting ready for the BA at all. Of course I've thought about my dissertation topic, but I've been so busy that I could not really focus on that. Anyway, I'm quite excited to start the BA.

How do you enjoy the summer?
I haven't enjoyed summer much yet. I went to Slovakia (Silvia is from Slovakia) for a couple of days, but other than that I haven't had a chance to relax as much as I wanted. However, I am going to enjoy myself in mid-August when my birthday is!

We can see you on the Metro posters these days, already the second time this year, on the new campaign of Prague College... what do you actually think about this campaign as a student of the School of Business faculty?
I am very pleased that Prague College chose me for the campaign, and I was really happy to help them. I think it's really great that Prague College works on campaigns with real students, and this shows a friendly attitude to their students. When I travel by metro and I’m comparing other universities posters offering studies, I have to say that the Prague College poster is more attractive, colorful… just catchy!

You're a student of Bachelor's Programme in International Management. What made you chose an international university? Why did you want to study in English?
It was the English language which I think is a business necessity and opens the door for my future. It is connected to international environment as well, and that will help me in the future to assert myself and be able to comunicate with people of different cultures.

Did Prague College meet your expectations?
Yes, even though at first I had a little bit trouble with the British system, which is significantly different from the Czech school system. On the other hand, I would definitely not change it. I easily got used to the individual approach, multicultural and friendly environment and nice atmosphere.

Where do you see your future career? Do you have any plans?
I don’t have specific plans yet, but after the last semester where I studied subjects like Internet Marketing, Advertising and Promotion, I think it might be something in Marketing.

Do you have any summer plans?
Probably as every student is enjoying their holidays…I am resting and working as well. So far I have spent some time in England and Croatia.

This year's BA (Hons) Graphic Design graduate, Laetitia Desroches, was one of 12 people shortlisted from almost 1,200 entrants for the 2011 Penguin Design Award. The brief was to design a cover for a book by Gabriel García Márquez titled "One Hundred Years of Solitude".

Laetitia was invited to the award ceremony in London where her design was exhibited along with the other shortlisted entries and the winning designs.

Congratulations Laetitia!

Josef Stransky, a recent graduate of the HND Interactive Media programme, talked to expats.cz about his life as a street artist in Prague and about his decision to study at Prague College.

Josef exhibited his works together with other students during their graduation exhibition that took place in June at Prague College. Take a look at the photos from the exhibition here...
Some of his works can also be seen in the article by expats.cz

Read the article here...

Jakub Gerhardt, HND Graphic Design graduate, came back from Cannes where he represented Prague College at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, full of positive feedback and enthusiasm.

Here is what he told us about his experience from Cannes:

"Every morning for seven days at 9.30 we have met the academy and started the day with Rick Boyko and Clive Challis presenting us with the day plan. Every single day our schedule was so packed, so for the first 3 days I haven't eaten anything but sandwiches. The reason for that was simple; I didn't want to miss a thing.
The people who came to talk to us were the CEO's of ground breaking companies, marketing leaders in the digital industry or even the advertising guru Sir John Hegarty came to talk to us for an hour. I managed to get an autograph from him and even a personal note, that is now on my wall to remind me "Jakub. Never be ordinary. And don't forget to buy [my] book." We were told the inside stories of how Nike+ campaign was done, or even that Transformers movie is basically only a 120 minutes long commercial. We were shown the modern approaches in advertising, not only how to raise the sales and brand awareness, but how one can influence society by creativity.
In the afternoon, after the sessions, workshops and seminars we attended the award ceremonies, where we were shown again the best work from around the world. After that, the nightlife has started. A cocktail party in front of a 5 start hotel, a beach gala party with fireworks at midnight or rooftop party are just few to mention.

There was no time to sleep, but there was no need. The entire week was so packed and every moment was jaw dropping. The intense experience has given me so much enthusiasm and energy, that I didn't even need the sleep, though the coffee helped; a lot.

I can't say "thank you" enough. To Georg Hodek from isifa who sponsored my trip, thank you. To Prague College and the lecturers who provided me with this opportunity, thank you. To Rick Boyko and Clive Challis for organizing the whole week, thank you. To DRAFT FCB for sponsoring the Academy, thank you. And most importantly to all of the students at RHA; you guys made the experience unforgettable, thank you so much. "

Jamie Fisher is a Canadian artist living and working in Prague. She studied Illustration and Design in Montreal before moving to Prague in 2008, and has recently completed her Bachelors degree in Fine Arts Experimental Media at Prague College. This will be the first solo exhibition for this young up-and-coming Canadian artist.

On exhibit will be portraits that Jamie has developed over the past year. She is deeply interested in the emotion and unique attitude expressed by an individuals’ face. The portraits aim to capture and reflect some truth about each subject, whether it be good or bad.

The exhibition will be running at Napa Art Gallery | Prokopská 8 | 7th - 28th of July . Opening will take place on July 7th from 7pm.

Congratulations Jamie!!

Jakub Gerhardt, HND Graphic Design student, is representing Slovakia and Prague College at this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Jakub is participating in the Roger Hatchuel Academy Programme, which is the only place in the world where a select group of international students can meet, see the best work in advertising from across the globe, and learn from inspirational industry leaders to help them become great advertising professionals of the future. This year's programme is lead by Rock Boyko (former Chief Creative Officer and Co-President of Ogilvy & Mather) and Clive Challis (Head of the Advertising course at Central Saint Martins).

"I am really looking forward for Cannes; not for the parties or the beautiful beaches, but to meet the pale, creative people. I am very excited about all the seminars, workshops and lectures, but mostly to be learning by the best in the world," says Jakub about his trip to Cannes.

Good luck Jakub!

Milan Nedved, a Prague College graphic design student who graduated last May and is currently pursuing an MFA in graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design, was awarded a bronze award in the Student Project category of the European Design Awards 2011 for his final bachelor degree project under BA (Hons) Graphic Design at Prague College.

The entry was an experimental book which presents the key projects and personality of the contemporary Czech architect Michal Kuzemensky. Every architectural project in the book is represented through different paper sizes in various overlapping-folding positions. Milan chose to present Michal Kuzemensky's work as a process in which the architect's works, thought processes and conclusions were included.

For more information about Milan go to: www.milann.info

Two recent graduates of the BA (Hons) Fine Art Experimental Media programme, Peter Marencik and Jamba Mulimbwe, gave an interview to the Prague Post on the occasion of the programme Graduation Exhibition opening that took place in May.

Read the Prague Post article here...
Find out about this year's BA (Hons) Fine Art Experimental Media Graduation Exhibition 9trajectories at www.9trajectories.net or see photo gallery here...

Photo: installation by Peter Marencik

Would you recommend Prague College to your friends and why?
I would recommend Prague College to my friends because this school has a unique teaching system quite different from state universities. Each class doesn’t have more than 20 students, which makes learning easier as everyone can be involved in projects and a discussion with the lecturer.

What are the most important things you have learnt at Prague College so far?
I have learned many things so far, but the most important is that people I know have noticed that my English has improved since I started at the college.

Was it difficult to start here in Prague? Did you have problems with the language, different mentality? Do you like living here?
For me it wasn’t difficult to start living in Prague as I have family here, and I work in an English speaking company so Czech language is not needed and I don’t really know it. All what is needed for me to know in Czech are the basic sentences that you can use at the shop, pharmacy and taxi.

How did you find out about Prague College?
My both sisters were studying here before, and I thought I could try it as well.

Are you planning to study BA at Prague College?
Yes, I have planned to study BA in Prague College.

Has Prague College opened up new possibilities for you?
During the school time I have noticed that school staff and lecturers are helpful with offering job opportunities. I think that’s good as there can always be a possibility within the college to find a job.

What do you do when you have your homework done? Do you have any spare time for your hobbies?
Most of my free time is during the day so I am working then, when I don’t have classes at the weekends I like to spend time at the nearest swimming pool or at the gym.

What are your plans for the future?
For the future I wish to open my own company.

How do you like studying in an international community? Do you find it inspiring?
To cooperate with the students and lecturers from various countries is always very positive.

What do you do when you have your homework done? Do you have any spare time for your hobbies?
Of course, the college gives me enough time to sort my time according to my needs, especially concerning assignments. The truth is, however, that I do not always manage to keep the plan I set to myself for projects (as a majority of the students do), but luckily so far everything has ended up well.

What were the most important things you have learnt at Prague College so far?
I have learned a lot so far, and expect to find out myself later on what is actually the most important. I am studying the Interactive Media programme, which means lots of various subjects. Thanks to this we are able to orientate ourselves in many different areas – photos, video, sound, animations, 3D, web etc.... This is what I like about this programme. We get space to try lots of stuff and get a chance to choose what we like the most, or just combine it all together.

Has Prague College opened up new possibilities for you?
Certainly. I have gained insight in many areas concerning interactive media. Thanks to this, I can realize any kind of interactive media project I think up.

What are your plans for the future?
Currently I am really keen on interactive performance – animation together with shadow play. At this moment I am working on my first project of this kind and would like to push this ahead in the future.

How did you come across Prague College and why did you decide to study graphic design here?
In fact, it was a huge coincidence. I was already accepted to study International Relations in Durham, UK, when I literally stumbled upon an advertisement for Prague College while browsing the Internet. Even before I had applied for Durham and other British unis, my big dream was to study Graphic Design. However, I believed I had no chance to get in to Graphic Design, neither in Slovakia nor in the UK, so I went for the second best option. When I found out I could study my dream programme in Prague and in English, I left everything behind and gave it a try. And I’m beyond happy I did, I’ve never regretted it :).

What would you say is the biggest benefit of studying at Prague College?
Actually, I cannot think of any downsides but what I love about Prague College the most is that we’re being educated in English and by truly experienced and inspiring lecturers.

Are you planning to continue with BA programme?
Definitely! It’s going to be tough and exciting at the same time. From what I’ve heard so far, I have lots to look forward to.

Please tell us more about your work and professional achievements so far.
Well, unlike many designers, I entered the world of design through web design, when I was 16. Ever since then, I found code quite frustrating and preferred designing websites to coding them. However, then I focused more on studying politics and geography as I wanted to pursue career in International Relations. At that time, I understood I’m not a web designer at heart but career in design still appealed to me immensely.
My web design past brought me to my most important client so far - I designed Facebook landing pages for 2 TV shows of Czech Television. I also had my hands on iPhone application design, even though it didn’t go over. It never fails to amaze me how much a designer can do, in terms of working in so many different fields of design.

What is your dream job?
I haven’t decided yet, but typography and packaging have appealed to me the most so far. I can also imagine working for a clothing brand, that would be nice as well. Since the design industry is so multidisciplinary, we designers might end up combining all the skills we have while working on a single project.

What or who is inspiring you in your creativity? Do you have any design guru?
I have many, in fact :) I admire the works of Peter Bilak, Zuzana Licko & Rudy VanderLans, David Carson, April Greiman, Michael Bierut, Milton Glaser, Ed Fella, Walter Landor, Geoff McFetridge, just to name a few. I’ve got a theory that one gets the best idea when they expect it the least (or when joking). When I’m stuck, I just look around and try to find something extraordinary in the ordinary things. I might not get the inspiration I’m waiting for at that moment, but ideas are recyclable and reusable, thus I always jot them down.

What are your plans for the future? Where can we see your work?
Hard to say, the things keep changing constantly. I’m thinking about going for MA in typography once I get BA at Prague College. However, that depends upon many things and I might as well stay working here in Prague. Nobody knows what is going to happen but I aim high and hope I’ll be positively surprised.

Why have you decided to study at Prague College?
When I first came to Prague, I was looking for something creative to continue with. Prague College offered me an HND course in graphic design. I took the chance and after couple of months, I knew that Prague College was the right choice. Earning an internationally recognized degree in graphic design gives me the possibility to travel, work and live wherever I want.

How and why have you set up your own graphic studio/shop?
First of all, I got some ideas from friends and colleagues. I did my research on similar shops, products, services, technologies, tools and finally I wrote a business plan. For the Czech Republic market the European funds did not give any support or even sponsors, so I decided to take the risk myself.

Through many years of study and working experience as a graphic designer and advertiser, I found a lot of difficulties when looking for a shop that provided all the requirements I needed as a student and designer. I remember running around Prague and searching for all the tools and materials I needed for my studies, which was really a time killer. So I decided to help students get the tools, services and materials for their studies from one shop and just right the corner from the school.

Grafik Shop works more like a full service graphic and advertising studio providing all services from the very beginning of the project until the final pieces with professionalism, low cost and quality.

What are you working on now? Tell us something about your recent projects.
One of the biggest recent successes was getting the ORCO Group as a client and creating an advertising campaign for them. Later they also asked us to create the entire graphic and advertising project for SPEKTRUM shopping mall, which can hopefully lead to work on more big development projects run by ORCO. Another one of our big clients is at this moment TVO Europe Holding, a facility management company. We work on creating the whole new face of the company, presenting the company externally and also internally, which includes designing, communicating, educating, understanding, researching, serving and much more.

How do you like studying in an international community? Do you find it inspiring?
I find it totally amazing! I entered Prague College because it was in English and it’s not based on the Czech school system. The multicultural environment is such a great place for studying arts because you get to see different sides of people’s perspective on everything we do.

What do you do when you have your homework done? Do you have any spare time for your hobbies?
I’m full-time employed so whenever I’m not at school or doing homework, I’m working but when I do find spare time I usually spend it with my girlfriend, go to the gym or play Stacraft 2.

What were the most important things you have learnt at Prague College so far?
I have learnt that after many years of experience working in the field I’m currently in, I still haven’t learnt enough! Prague College’s lecturers are experts in the subjects they teach and if I could I would pick their brains all day long!

Has Prague College opened up new possibilities for you?
Most definitely! Because of Prague College I was able to apply into an Experience@Singapore, which is a week long program available to students around the world. During that week students visit major 3D and motion design studios in Singapore and have the opportunity to see how professionals do it and be able to apply for a job there.

What are the most interesting projects you have been/are working on?
I was able to be part of a team that created an international campaign for one of the Czech’s biggest breweries and second project I want to mention is that I was personally responsible for an 11 country internet campaign for a cable TV station.

What are your plans for the future?
I’m still undecided but I know I want to continue on with my studies at Prague College and after that maybe try my luck in a different country such as UK, Germany etc., we’ll see.

How do you like studying in an international community? Do you find it inspiring?
I like it very much, its fun to be able to study somewhere with so many different cultures represented. I’m always learning something new!

What do you do when you have your homework done? Do you have any spare time for your hobbies?
I enjoy going to flea markets and bazars around Prague and finding unique items.

What were the most important things you have learnt at Prague College so far?
I learnt how to build a website, which was interesting and useful. I planned and organized an exhibition of my work with the help of my teacher Marie Silondi and the college.

Has Prague College opened up new possibilities for you?
I’ve gotten great work opportunities through the teachers at Prague College. One of my teachers recommended me as an illustrator, and as a result I illustrated my first children’s book.

What are the most interesting projects you have been/are working on?
I’m working on an installation project involving cigarettes. I’d like to draw attention to the crazy amount of cigarette butts that are littering the streets in between all the cobblestones.

What are your plans for the future?
I plan to continue illustrating children’s books. I’d like to work in portraiture as well; making unique and creative portraits that say something about the subject.

How do you like studying in an international community? Do you find it inspiring?
It is a great thing for me in international community because making friends and learning from other cultures really inspired me.

What do you do when you have your homework done? Do you have any spare time for your hobbies
I like meeting my friends when I finish my homework or staying home to study or listen to music.

What were the most important things you have learnt at Prague College so far?
The most important thing I learnt in Prague College was the presentation, how to face and address audience and more knowledge in my course, how to behave in an organisation.

Has Prague College opened up new possibilities for you?
With Prague College there are a lot of possibilities.

What are the most interesting projects you have been/are working on?
The most interesting project is my organisation and behaviour and HND writing skills, how to work in a group or team.

What are your plans for the future?
To be independent on my own and use my knowledge in an oganisation and self actualisation.

Natalia Ogneva, Prague College HND Graphic Design graduate, has been chosen by the renowned glass art studio Artel to create its new Sequence motif for autumn 2010.

How did you come to cooperate with such a prestigious studio as Artel Glass?
It started as an internship opportunity from a school-wide email from Prague College. I applied for the position without much expectation to be accepted. I already had an internship at the time and also a job offer for when school finished. Of course, I was really excited when I heard from Artel that I got the call for the first interview. We were given an assignment, and I was accepted based on my work on this assignment.

What inspired your Sequence motif?

One of my sources of inspiration for Sequence was the work of Czech-born designer Josef Hoffmann, a founder of the Wiener Werkstatte. In particular, his extraordinary feel for lineation.
Do you have any previous experience in applied art design?
I have been making jewelry and crafts for some time now, but this is my first professional opportunity. I was really excited to see how my design went from a paper sketch to a real life object

How did you come across Prague College?
I have always wanted to study graphic design, and Prague College was the most suitable program for me

Did Prague College meet your expectations?
In some regards definitely. We worked with and learned from the creative and talented students and professors. I got some really great practical skills and a head up in starting my career as a graphic designer.

Natalia's work for Artel

About Artel

Established in 1998 by American designer and entrepreneur Karen Feldman, Artel specializes in functional glassware of high design, combining the traditional standards of luxury glassware with the utility demanded of modern life. The company takes its name from an early-20th-century collective of Czech artisans who went against the grain of mass production in glass making and followed the same superior standards used by Artìl today.
Artel’s innovative product line can be found on the shelves of Barneys Japan, Bergdorf Goodman, Paul Smith and Christian Dior, among other exclusive retailers.

One of Artel’s most complex designs, Sequence features an intricate, boldly elegant pattern of parallel and diagonal lines. In creating Sequence, a mouth blown glass vessel is acid etched to create a matte surface upon which a Czech master artisan paints each black line in the lattice-like pattern. The freehand painting technique requires great skill and precision; each glass takes more than a full day to produce.

How did you first learn about Prague College?
I studied at an international high school here in Prague and one of my teachers introduced me to the university for the first time.

Why did you choose an international school instead of a traditional Czech university?
The reason was simple because I have had been living in the United Kingdom, and when I came back to Prague I completed Czech basic school before again choosing a British high school. I knew that the Czech educational system would not be suitable for me.

What would you say is the biggest benefit to studying at Prague College?
The biggest benefit for me is that I am in a multicultural environment and I am in Prague at the same time. Furthermore, the lecturers here have years of professional experiences and this is very important to me. I found contacts, knowledge and friends.

What is a typical day for you?
My usual day begins with coffee and walk with my dog. At the moment I am working for security consultant and for Lions Club Prague Eagle, which is the biggest charitable organization in the world. Last year I was working as a project leader in a small marketing agency. My main duties were to present a program "No Stress". I would like to dedicate my career in Marketing.

How do you feel about working and studying at the same time?
I know that it is possible as I am working and studying at the same time, but it is very hard. It creates double the amount of work and far less of free time. Thankfully, Prague College is very flexible and aware that some of the students are working. I am happy that our lecturers are tolerant. I am more motivated to study thanks to them and I am able to gain practical experience and study at the same time.

How would you describe the teaching methods and their advantages at Prague College?
The methods are based on interaction between lecturers and students; the students are, therefore active participants in the learning process. Theory and the practical experience of lecturers in their fields are incorporated as part of the high quality teaching delivered at Prague College.

Why have you decided to study at Prague College?
I had an intention of setting up my own professional recording studio and that is why I was searching for a suitable school. Finally, I found a HND Interactive Media program. I had an opportunity to get the insight into a sound production, web design and so on. Simply, I gained a broad insight into this major.

Why have you setup your own recording studio?
The meaning of “recording studio” was different when I started the process. This term was used to describe just a place where a band records sounds of instruments and voice. Recording studios offer so much more, sound production for the web, PC games, film or even voice over production. It is a very creative job and that what interests me the most.

Tell us about how you started your own studio.
SYPE STUDIOS has been set up by me and my friend Jakub Šimandl. I met Jakub at high school and then we studied both at Prague College Interactive Media program. We have been mainly working on our own projects at the beginning but it was more than clear that we want to build a professional studio with a modern approach that would be combining the best of both analog and digital worlds. Sound production has always been my hobby and Jakub is a composer and a sound engineer.

Tell us something about yourself and your recent projects?
I originally come from Slaný. I lived in Moscow for four years and spent some time in Berlin and USA.

Together, Jakub and I have been working on many projects and some of them are in cooperation with Prague College students. Partly due to our cooperation with Prague College and the students we have had a chance to record vocals for a unique hip hop band, “You-nited Vision”. Now we're recording new material with Prague Hip-Hop artist Jackpot and a jazz CD with British professional singer Caryn Stringer.

Are you thinking about getting the BA (Hons) Fine Art Experimental Media?
Yes, for sure. It will be another great experience. I will gain even deeper understanding of interactive and experimental media domain and make many useful contacts. And that's really important because music is an essential part of new media and film, advertisement, computer games, internet and many other spheres of action. Just think about it, hearing is our second most important sense!

How have you benefited from studying HND Interactive Media program?
There are many interesting projects and guest lectures. I am very interested in cyberpunk, manga, sci-fi and so on. That is why I pretty much enjoyed a speech delivered by Bruce Sterling at Prague College. What I like about Prague College is the fact that you need to think actively and you will be able to search for information and work with updated information in order to reflect new currenttrends into your work because there have been huge ongoing developments in the interactive media area and we have to keep this fact in our minds. There are also other things which I like about Prague College such as the two-way communication, sharing experiences and respect to student’s opinions.

Venera is an IT & Computing student from Russia. She is involved in developing the History of Computer Languages project for the Research Centre at Prague College and she is a member of the Student Council. Venera also works as a freelance web creator and she is currently involved in the development and promotion of a new international e-store in Prague.

“I’m specifically interested in Prague College’s IT specialization because I’ve been working in this field for several years, starting as a Web Content Manager. My last position was Web Projects Manager at one of the largest companies in Russia. Therefore I wanted to gain a deeper theoretical knowledge in IT and practical skills.

Before I came to Prague I had been looking for a long time for universities where the IT subjects are taught in English and luckily I’ve found Prague College.

The HND in Computing at Prague College, with its international focus, is the best way for me to realize my goals, providing me with a springboard for my future career along with the knowledge, confidence, and contacts to realize my dreams. Furthermore, the courses this program provides match perfectly my professional projects and academic expectations.

I really enjoy studying at Prague College. I have great teachers. In addition, the friendly staff and students create a pleasant environment for studying.”

1. What did you like about studying at Prague College?

Prague College is a fast growing college where young and talented students from around the world meet to discuss and learn about topics in Business, Management, Graphic Design, Interactive media in an international atmosphere. There is no comparison to Prague College in Prague.

2. What are your professional plans for the future?

I just successfully finished my BA (Hons) International Management programme with Teesside University, UK at Prague College and celebrated our fourth year of existence at Inspiro Solutions, a Prague-based internet-marketing web design company I founded. I´m going on to work hard to develop Inspiro Solutions to become one of the leading creative web design companies in the Czech Republic.

3. Would you like to deepen your internet marketing knowledge further through studying or "just" through work experience?

Work experience in internet marketing is inseparable from continuous learning in this extremely fast developing industry. That's why I'm planning to continue learning by myself and also deepen my skills in management by studying the masters degree at Prague College.

4. Do you think people can manage to work and study at Prague College?

Actually, the opportunity to study while working full-time was one of the reasons I chose Prague College as the university I wanted to join. I have not experienced any serious difficulties in time-management or motivation to open up a textbook during evenings or spare half a day for a weekend class. I feel happy about the decision to study at Prague College and now I know that my three-year experience of study with my classmates and with some of the unusually gifted and skilled lecturers gave me a huge portion of knowledge, contacts and motivation to go on to develop my skills.

"I am of Vietnamese origin, although I have lived in the Czech Republic for most of my life. I studied at a Czech Gymnasium before and that was when I realized that a lot of effort had to be sacrificed for little in return, thus I decided to switch to a British educational institution where a diploma is internationally recognized and English language is actively practiced at the same time.
I am currently finishing the third year - BA at Prague College, and at the same time working for two companies; Sales support for Deutsche Lufthansa Airline and as an assistant in a private health clinic. Before coming to Prague College, I studied briefly at the First International School of Ostrava and the English College in Prague.

Even though I have always been very picky in choosing high-quality education, studying there for three years I can say that as an International university in Prague, Prague College was able to meet most of my expectations and demands. Prague College has allowed me to gain knowledge about international business through dynamic lessons with students from all over the world and highly qualified lecturers. The school provides academic lecturers with a wealth of practical experience who bring real life experience to students. I like that there are only lecturers who are native English speakers or are fluent in English.

Moreover, since I believe that knowledge is gained partly at school and partly in real world experience, I have always been successful in achieving this goal. The schedule at Prague College has allowed me to combine studying and working (both part-time and even full-time). With all these above, I can conclude that Prague College has successfully provided me with the professional education by combining academic and practical learning which is a strong base for both my future career and academic development."

As people say, "the best decisions are the ones you enjoy". Without mincing words, I would like to say the best decision I have ever made since I came to the Czech Republic is choosing to study at Prague College. Initially, I was contemplating if college was the right path for me but later decided to give the whole college thing a try, but now the situation is unbelievable considering how receptive the lecturers and students are, and their readiness to help at any given time.

Within a year of studying IT and Computing at Prague College, I have been able to boost my morale in the areas of database design, networking and e-business which are all of paramount importance as far as the nature of my job is concerned. Another plus factor is the environment which is highly conducive to studying, coupled with the multinational background of the school which allows me to meet people from almost all parts of the world.

As far as education is concerned, there is nothing as better than being able to study in such an open and free enviornment which I am sure not all universities can offer, at Prague College this freedom and openness is a culture in itself. Many thanks to the school management.

Rajmond comes originally from the Republic of Kosovo and he came to Prague to deepen his IT knowledge by studying at Prague College.

"I always liked computing, especially programming, and Prague College has helped me a lot in my development of them. The teaching is done very closely with the student, and the relations, starting from the school staff and teachers, continuing with the students, are great.

Prague College has given me the opportunity to work also on the Underground City XXI Project, together with other students of the College. I’m working on the programming part of the project, mainly constructing the multiuser platform, with the use of game engines.

As it seems, I would like to grow in this field and extend my career as a programmer in the future. Prague College and the School of IT & Computing has had a big influence in that, and now my future has better shape."

HND IT & Computing student Marko Puskaric from Croatia.

Marko comes from Zagreb and is not only a student at the college - he is also actively involved in many IT development projects. Marko has been working closely with Stefano Cavagnetto, Head of School of Computing, who is supporting him in his studies through real projects.

"I'm currently involved in the Underground City XXI project as a developer of the multiuser platform. Involvement in that project gave me the chance to work with one of the greatest minds I met.

I could say that moving to Prague was like a leap of faith, moving alone to a different country with not too many expectations of what'scoming. But after a year in Prague College, I made lifetime friends, connections and learned practical skills that will, for sure, help me in life. Although I still don't know where I will 'end up', I'm not afraid for my future."

Klara is a graduate of HND Graphic Design at Prague College, which she successfully completed in June 2009. Klara originally comes from Prague, Czech Republic.

"After studying traditional illustration techniques at High School (specializing in graphics), I decided to switch to Graphic Design. Prague College gave me the opportunity to combine and use the various artistic skills and techniques I have acquired, such as book design, photography, drawing, and broaden my knowledge of typography, editorial design and much more.

I really enjoyed the two-year HND Graphic Design program as I had a chance to participate in real live projects such as: the corporate identity for the National Information Center for Youth (NICM), Magisterartis, Pate du Chef and others. I had an opportunity to communicate with real clients and discuss my ideas on a professional level.

I have chosen to continue with the BA (Hons) Graphic Design program at Prague College for two main reasons: as a mature aged student with certain work experience, it is important to improve the practical skills in design, and also gain substantial theoretical knowledge on graphic design and visual communication.

I work as a freelance designer focusing on medical illustration and associated graphics, which is my preferred field of future endeavors."

Examples of some of Klara's graphic design work completed during the program

Pavel completed HND Business and BA (Hons) International Management at Prague College.

"In 2005, after studying languages in Ireland I was at the stage to decide my future educational and professional steps. My idea was to find a school that would provide me with education based not only on theory but also practical experience. Finally, I considered two possible choices – a Czech university and Prague College.

I had an introductory interview at Prague College and afterwards there was no hesitation about my future education – the friendly and informal atmosphere, individual approach towards students, credible and reputable lectors,
the chance to study in English, all of these aspects made me more than sure about my choice.

I have found the multicultural environment which allows students to work with people from various countries, absolutely fantastic for my future career in business as it has given me insight and experience of working and
communicating with people dealing from different cultures.

Another aspect I appreciated was the possibility to study as a part time student because I wanted to simultaneously broaden my professional skills as I got an attractive job in the automotive industry.In the end I completed a HND in Business and currently I am finishing my BA degree in International Management at Prague College.

Prague College has completely met my expectations and also helped me a great deal in my professional career."

Patrick, computing student at Prague College, is currently involved in developing the History of Computer Languages project for the Research Centre at Prague College. He is a member of Student Council and one of the co-founders of Radio R (www.radior.cz),the revolutionary open-radio project in the Czech Republic. In addition he is working as a webcreator and webchef for educational institutions, non-profit organizations and small-size businesses.

“I am working hard to fight against old, useless structures, unnecessary obsolete habits, and corrupt influences and systems. This affects not only the sphere of computers where the market is more powerful than science and improvement themselves - this affects the complete system...

Prague College is a great place to understand how the world functions. Because of its fantastic educational system which allows employment and activities, its flexible learning units and its great international nicely mixed staff and students.”

Patrick plans to connect Prague College's international environment with the Radio R project. It's sure to be revolutionary... and not only for the students of Prague College

As I am a self-taught individual in different graphics software, I was looking for a school where I could round off my knowledge as well as improve my skills in these areas under the supervision of a professional (not only through tutorials found on the internet). Prague College offers all of that and at the same time has a very friendly environment for studying. The teachers are professionals in their fields, they love what they do and they are devoted to their students (I mean really devoted, staying up with you until 5 in the morning to prepare an exhibition!).They treat us as equals in the field, which was for me the best experience.

Currently I am trying to push forward our little graphics studio that my two friends and I started. We form a nice triangle of different skills. One is talented in beautiful illustrations, the other in ideas generation and a great eye for composition and the third (me) for animation and moving graphics. We're a strong trio.

Although our website isstill under construction, (we're still missing the animated graphics) we are happy to show our work to as many people as possible.

www.dqdesign.net

As I am currently devoted to looking for clients and commissions, I don't really have time for large challenging projects. For now it is mostly about marketing and building a regular clientele. Otherwise in my free time, I am trying to learn the tricks of After Effects, so that in the future I will be able to create powerful motion graphics for TV and film.

Vit graduated from BA (Hons) International Management in the year 2009.

“For my professional path I need practical knowledge and experience. There is a need and a strong will for me being a capable manager for my team with the knowledge of trade, marketing and communications. Prague College was not only able to satisfy these needs and wishes but during only three years of studying gave me much more. The evening and weekend classes did not affect my working arrangements in any way. Exceptionally high-quality lecturers with a personal passion for teaching helped me with the theory and its practical usage in today's international marketplace. And what is even most important for me, Prague College made me bold and no longer afraid to pursue my own opinions in a professional way.”

Vit is the CEO and founder of Inspiro Solutions (www.inspiro-solutions.cz) – an innovative internet marketing web design company, focused on providing A-class services to demanding clients in the Czech republic and internationally. Vit was elected executive officer of the Young Professionals Forum (www.youngprofessionalsforum.cz), the international Prague-based networking organisation, in 2008.

Natalya is a graduate of HND Graphic Design at Prague College, which she successfully completed in the spring of 2008. Natalya originally comes from Almaty, Kazachstan from where she left exactly four years ago for the Czech Republic.

Natalya is now working in Prague as a graphic designer for the renowned advertising company Ogilvy. She is fond of fashion and likes designing her own clothing collections. Natalya's passions include literature and traveling.

When describing her experience at the college, she says, "I really enjoyed the fact that while we were studying we had the great chance to take part in existing, real projects with real clients, which was an unforgettable opportunity."

And her teachers? "I am very proud and honored by the quality of the great professors that led us. They not only passed their knowledge to us, but they were interested in listening to our own opinions on the topic. We would discuss and analyze our projects together, which was crucial to our development."

Natalya loves her job and she is hoping to work in graphic design her whole life. She is also planning to continue her studies this fall by enrolling in the final year BA (Hons) program to compete her bachelors degree.

Examples of Natalya's graphic design work completed during the program:

Jamba is a student of Interactive Media HND at Prague College. At the moment he is preparing his work for the final show of graduates. Like Natalya, Jamba is also planning on doing his final BA year at the college.

Jamba is a devoted dancer and enjoys giving dance classes in his free time.

As far as his experience at Prague College is concerned, Jamba says: "Apart from the high quality of the lectures, I found new friends which I'm happy about. We studied animation techniques in 3DS Max, basic techniques of 2D animation and we learnt how to produce and direct short movies, how to create new web pages, interesting things in sound production and how to present our own achievements to the public."

Jamba originally comes from Angola and he's been living in the Czech Republic for six years.

His career goal is to become a film director inthe future! He would like to shoot documentaries on African culture and become a producer of cultural events.

Studying at Prague College has changed my life and I would recommend it to anyone.

When I was choosing a university I wanted to stay close to my family. Luckily living in Manchester I had a good of great number of choices available. Then I found Prague College.

When I applied to study here, I wasn’t completely serious about the idea. The school replied to me immediately and offered me an interview over the phone or at the school. I decided to visit the school in person as I had been to Prague before and it gave me an excuse to visit the city again. I was met by friendly staff and I had the opportunity to meet some of the students, many of whom were a long way from home.

I was offered a place at the school and I took it without thinking twice. I’m at the end of my first year here and I don’t regret it for a moment.

I study business here and I recommend the school to anyone else thinking about studying business. In the UK I once had a business teacher who read from a book for hours on end with the occasional sarcastic quip thrown in as a dire attempt to keep the class interested in the material and not the monotone sounds coming from his mouth. Here at Prague College I have teachers that explain the material using their own real life experiences and keep the material interesting. The class sizes are small — I have not had a class with more than 20 students in it. The teacher knows who I am and is always around when I have questions, whether they are about the material or a project that I am working on outside of the school.

Another great experience that can be associated with the school is living in Prague. Prague is a beautiful city is in the heart of Europe. There always seems to be something going on around here, beer festivals, food festivals there was even a fringe festival similar to Edinburgh’s (and that one might have been a little smaller!) And of course Prague is famous for its beer! The city is full of bars and clubs that go on until the following afternoon!

If you are looking for quality education, life experience, culture, a rich social life and skills that can help you succeed in the real world then I recommend Prague College to you

Mathew Butler
HND Business student
United Kingdom

My name is Gergana Dukova and I recently completed my studies at Prague College.

I found the college two years ago when I was looking for an alternative to my previous education at a state university. That university gave me great theoretical knowledge, but how much does theory help once you go out in the real world?

I knew I was looking for a different academic environment and I was very excited to come across the Prague College web site. The program the college offered in Graphic Design was very practically oriented and appealed to me right away.

Over the two-year course of studies my classmates and I learned a lot about professional design software and major areas of design such as typography, desktop publishing, corporate identity and image manipulation. We had various projects and the opportunity to put our knowledge to practice by working with real clients.

The experience I gained over the past two years was both useful and enjoyable. Towards the end of our studies my fellow students and I all got jobs, and that was definitely the greatest benefit I can expect from higher education.

Gergana Dukova
HND graduate - June 2008
Bulgarian
Currently employed with Ogilvy Group, Prague

Ever since I was able to hold a pencil I was drawing small dolls and a lot of clothing for them

Time passed and I am mother now. As I was planning to go back to work, I was looking for something that would really make me happy. My decision was to study Graphic Design, something bothg practical and creative.

Researching my possibilities, I came across Prague College. It was interesting and challenging for me that all study is in English. Now after two years I will get my Higher National Diploma in Graphic Design.

I have met many great people and fellow students. I have to thank to Prague College and the best teacher I have ever come accross - Simon Gray.

I am now working professionally. The best thing about Graphic Design as a career is that you need only a PC and the right programs, so as a mother I am able to work from home.

I am very busy, and very happy working for international clients.

Jana Maleckova
HND graduate - April 2008
Czech

Oliver Dewey is an HND Computing graduate from Prague College. He wants his programming project to be used by anyone and everyone with an interest in using HTML, XHTML and CSS. He sent us the following update on his work:

http://www.htmlsoup.net/

When I needed specific HTML and CSS information I found out that many websites offering this kind of information were complicated, and not very user friendly. I wanted to make a better one; simple, clean and easy to use.

html Soup is a simple HTML and CSS reference guide for anyone who is learning or does web design. It provides web standard, useful information about tags, attributes, properties, and values though a clean and simple interface. For people new to web design there are quick introduction guides to both HTML and CSS. In addition, the forum section is meant to be a good place for asking questions, sharing tips, and just learning new things from others.

While doing this project I applied what I had learned in several classes, and at the same time I gained new practical knowledge. I just hope html Soup is useful to people looking for a quick HTML and CSS reference guide. I would also like to get feedback from real users and continue with this project.

Oliver

“At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since.” -Salvador Dali

Four years ago I had my mind set to get higher education and I was in crisis of what to pursue as a career path. Between art which was my passion and hobby or what I had set in mind business, which I used to enjoy studying and always had in my mind that I will pursue this career. However I started researching graphic design, and what were the options. This is when I came across the Prague College web site. Moving away from Bahrain was a big step however it was my next step as i applied and got accepted and started attending the courses.

The more I went through the course the more I enjoyed it and started growing a passion towards design. I always knew how to do designs but I never understood the fundamentals the rules and the history behind it all. I started covering more aspects of design such as typography, Corporate identity, and it all began to make more sense to me. Thanks to the great teachers and mentors I had in Prague College today I have reached to understand design and enjoy it more.

After 2 years of doing my degree in Higher National Diploma in Graphic Design, me and my fellow student are finally going to have our final diploma show to show our work. 7˚of Separation, is our final show which is going to be held in La Scene on April 11 till the 14. The show will consist of the best works we did though out our 2 years of the HND course in Prague College.

I have not reached my ultimate goal yet, but I have been set on the right track with the thanks to Prague College and its teachers, and last not least my great mentor in design which I owe on being in the track I’m on today, Simon Gray.