Submitted by Natalie Hett on the 2019 summer session program in England sponsored by the Department of Art & Design…
Week five was a challenging week, but getting through it proved to be worth it and rewarding. There were presentations Monday through Thursday which proved to be incredibly nerve-wracking. I found myself getting visibly anxious before every presentation, but as soon as I started talking, the nerves went away. It also helped that the people I was presenting in front of were my friendly classmates and Professor Deering. Overall, the presentations went well and Iam so thankful for the feedback that I can use to improve my projects this summer. Sometimes, it can be nice to put yourself out of your comfort zone and see where you end up. Essentially, going abroad to London was way out of my comfort zone, but by week five, I didn’t want it to end.
We were able to squeeze in one last visit to Pentagram during the last week. Pentagram is the world’s largest independently owned design studio and it was an absolute treat to visit. A man
named Dominic spoke to us about some of his work at Pentagram and it was motivating to me to see how many projects he did in a short six months. On the side, Dominic designs the
magazines from the Typographic Circle. I was amazed at how different looking every issue was. He proved that he has a great eye for typography and isn’t afraid to experiment with some crazy
layouts.
It’s hard to put into words how special my Visual Communications program to London has been. As it is officially time to head back to life at home, it’s easy to see the impact that this program has had on me. I will forever be grateful and inspired to have been in the presence of some amazing artists and designers who have taught me things I will take through my entire career.