Hot New Things — Sarah Cant, Ara
Welcome to Hot New Things 2018 – an opportunity to profile a selection of the top design graduates coming out of our tertiary institutions. This week, we speak with Sarah Cant from Ara, Institute of Canterbury.
Sarah Cant
Bachelor of Design – Visual Communication
Ara, Institute of Canterbury
Ara, Institute of Canterbury
You completed your full time studies at the end of 2017. Can you tell us what your final year’s project was about and what you focussed on?
For my end of year course projects I created a fashion brand and an identity concept for a paint company. I also spent my final year of study focusing on real world jobs. I developed the identities for Ara Fashion Schools ‘Pitch Fashion Show’ and the Ara Art and Design Schools end of year exhibition ‘Ripe’.
How has what you’ve recently been working on influenced your design process, and what momentum does it bring to your practice?
Working on real world (client based) projects has taught me that design is a balance of creativity, efficiency and the ability to reason and compromise.
What were some of your most exciting discoveries?
I learnt that I love both Illustration and photography! Last year, I designed five editions of the bi-monthly Ara student magazine and did all of the illustrations and photography. It was really fun to have to get creative and come up with ideas to visually support the articles.
And also some of the challenges along the way?
Sometimes my initial ideas would really struggle to take off and I would worry I was heading down the wrong path. But I came to realise that persisting through that initial self-doubt always lead to some really exciting results.
What did you love doing most?
I loved the diversity of what I was working on and it was really satisfying knowing that most of the work was for real clients. It added an exciting level of pressure having to deliver on a tight schedule and ensure clients were happy and feeling engaged with the process.
Where do you go to find inspiration (websites, resources, designers, etc)?
I’m a real sucker for Behance and Pinterest if you know the right keywords to search, but I also am a regular magazine and book shopper.
Why did you choose to study at your design school, and what do you feel you can take away now that you’ve completed your course?
Ara was really the only place I wanted to study design in Christchurch. When I was fresh out of high school I thought that studying Fine Arts was for me but there I learned I was a different kind of creative person. It took me a while to realise it but I am glad that I got to study as an older student as I was 100% focused on what I was there to achieve.
Where to next for you? What does 2018 hold?
In 2018 I have found myself as a junior designer at Kallan & Co! Check it out at kallan.co
For my end of year course projects I created a fashion brand and an identity concept for a paint company. I also spent my final year of study focusing on real world jobs. I developed the identities for Ara Fashion Schools ‘Pitch Fashion Show’ and the Ara Art and Design Schools end of year exhibition ‘Ripe’.
How has what you’ve recently been working on influenced your design process, and what momentum does it bring to your practice?
Working on real world (client based) projects has taught me that design is a balance of creativity, efficiency and the ability to reason and compromise.
What were some of your most exciting discoveries?
I learnt that I love both Illustration and photography! Last year, I designed five editions of the bi-monthly Ara student magazine and did all of the illustrations and photography. It was really fun to have to get creative and come up with ideas to visually support the articles.
And also some of the challenges along the way?
Sometimes my initial ideas would really struggle to take off and I would worry I was heading down the wrong path. But I came to realise that persisting through that initial self-doubt always lead to some really exciting results.
What did you love doing most?
I loved the diversity of what I was working on and it was really satisfying knowing that most of the work was for real clients. It added an exciting level of pressure having to deliver on a tight schedule and ensure clients were happy and feeling engaged with the process.
Where do you go to find inspiration (websites, resources, designers, etc)?
I’m a real sucker for Behance and Pinterest if you know the right keywords to search, but I also am a regular magazine and book shopper.
Why did you choose to study at your design school, and what do you feel you can take away now that you’ve completed your course?
Ara was really the only place I wanted to study design in Christchurch. When I was fresh out of high school I thought that studying Fine Arts was for me but there I learned I was a different kind of creative person. It took me a while to realise it but I am glad that I got to study as an older student as I was 100% focused on what I was there to achieve.
Where to next for you? What does 2018 hold?
In 2018 I have found myself as a junior designer at Kallan & Co! Check it out at kallan.co
www.behance.net/sea-rah | sarah@kallan.co
To find out more about Ara and the courses they offer visit: www.ara.ac.nz
