Isabella Tamara Hamid
Why did you choose Design School Kolding? At the time I applied I was attending the Scandinavian Design College. I thought I wanted to be an architect and applied to the architectural schools as well as the design schools. I chose Design School Kolding as my first priority because I had heard that there was a great sense of community and that was important to me. I hadn’t expected to get in, and felt that my interview went really, really bad.
But you made it? I think it was fate. It’s definitely the right thing for me. I love 3D so I started out studying Industrial Design. After a while I realized that illustration is more me but I didn’t have the faith to pursue my passion. However, after the 3rd semester I plucked up courage and asked to be transferred to the Communication Design programme.
What is the best thing about the school? The best thing is that it’s all like playing. No matter how hard it is and how stressed you get, you have to pinch yourself at how lucky you are that you get to play your way through school. Imagine doing a study where you have to go to lectures all the time. Here I get my State education grant and I get to play. We have a substantial curriculum but we can turn the projects in the directions that we like. I don’t do things people have forced me to do. Its my products and my playtime.
What is not so good? That there is no longer anything called weekends or holidays. There’s always something to work on. The task is not to complete a project; the real task is to improve your skills. It’s a life project and it never stops. Sometimes I think it would have been easier to do something else.
What has surprised you the most about your study? My own qualities. The fact that I’m better than I thought. I’ve gained more confidence in myself and I’m surprised how much you grow, how quickly time passes and how competent we become.
Tell about a project you did. We have worked with the communications department at Trefor, a Kolding-based energy company. Our job was to boost the brand of the company because many people think energy is boring. All you ever get from your energy supplier is bills. We decided to make young people our target group because it’s hard for them to understand their bills. They never learned to do that. We made a crazy fun video and we compared an electricity bill to a “shitty Monday”. Just Like Monday. It was a large assignment and it was left entirely up to us to complete it. Trefor thought it was funny and decided to take the project further.
What do you want to do after you finish your study? My goal is to become an accomplished communicator and to be able to make a living doing what I love: to tell stories. But the direction I’m not sure of. I want to make graphic short stories or do videos with powerful messages. Right now we’re working on a ’grandma hands’ currency to try to add value to a generation which has been devalued by society. To me that’s meaningful work. I don’t want to make design that’s just cool or nice to look at. I want to use my talent to make a difference. After I finish my BA I plan to take a one-year leave and try and get an internship with some great illustrators.
Where do you live? I share a flat with three other design students in Kolding.
What do you do outside of school? I try to lead a normal life and hang out with my boyfriend and my friends, but my study doesn’t leave me much spare time. It’s my hobby and my passion, you know.
