Final year student Grayce Bond shares her journey with us, including what she has loved about studying graphic design and strategic communications at Murdoch.
Studying a Bachelor of Creative Media, majoring in Graphic Design and Strategic Communications, Grayce says she was amazed by the range of skills and experiences she gained at university.
When you think of an arts degree you think of sketchbooks and charcoal stains, at least that’s what Grayce thought at first. What she didn’t expect was the real world learning and experience, as well as the interesting research, essay writing and group work that she would need to do, and of course how much she enjoyed her studies.
“So much of my degree wasn’t what I expected it to be.”
Murdoch's tutors believe in their students.
One of my tutors once said to me:
”You are already designers and you need to act like it.”
She wanted our work to be of a professional standard and the only way to achieve that was to act like a professional and have confidence in our ideas and work. After I understood that, my perspective and approach to my assignments completely changed.
My degree had real-world experience from the start.
From the get-go, I worked with local organisations to address business concerns. Working on these projects gave me a better understanding of the challenges in the real world, but also showed me how much faith tutors have in us.
I was also surprised by the level of engagement with other disciplines within the University. I was lucky enough to interview a PhD candidate in Conservation and Wildlife Biology and write an article on her thesis about the health of animals in captivity.
In my third year, I was given the opportunity to be involved in the MESH Open Showcase, not only to have my work displayed but to design the event and exhibition for other arts disciplines. I was also able to understand new areas of Murdoch University when we created a strategic communications plan for the sports and wellbeing departments.
Murdoch has great support services and you feel comfortable asking for help.
The biggest lesson I learnt during my studies is to ask for help from not only my tutors but also my family and friends."When I needed to bounce ideas off someone, even if they didn’t really understand what I was talking about, my family were my go-to.
My friends also featured in numerous photography assignments, design projects and interviews when I needed participants but also when I needed to get out of the house and take some time to myself."
You get to bring your unique perspective to your degree.
"Using life experiences as the basis for projects is something I found had the best outcomes in my assignments and helped me develop my unique voice and brand.I joined a campus social sport in my first year and used this as an example of sports communication tactics in class. That background and extra knowledge helped me get a HD for the assignment and class."
At Murdoch, you can tailor your degree to your interests.
The biggest lesson I’ll take away from my time at Murdoch is to study what you love, not what you think will pay the most. Choosing an arts degree was a surprising choice after focusing on science and maths in high-school but I have zero regrets.I’ve learnt so much and I’m so excited for the career I’ll have in the future. An income obviously still matters to me, but I’ll also be happy and doing what I love which I think is more important.