Graphic design skills to launch a more creative career. Meet Pauline.
An artist at heart, Pauline Attard explored numerous job paths but always struggled to satisfy her creative yearnings. When the pandemic forced her into isolation, she took the opportunity to enrol for the MySuccess Graphic Designer Associate Course in the hope it would propel her towards a more fulfilling line of work. Sure enough, since she landed an internship with Anchovy and a role with digital marketing agency Bullshark, Pauline hasn’t looked back. This is her story.
At various points I worked as a Summer School Teacher, a Ground Hostess at Airmalta, and a German-speaking Game Presenter, Blackjack, and Roulette Dealer while I tried to figure out what I wanted to do. Then the pandemic broke out in Malta, lockdowns were announced, and I decided the time had come to step back and rethink. With so much time at home, it was the perfect chance to work towards something new.
After a lifetime of drawing and illustrating as a hobby, I decided I should really take a shot at graphic design. I am a creative person and felt the need to challenge my ability and find a career that reflected my passions. The timing was ideal: the shift to online platforms for almost all traditional media created a growing demand for designers with an eye for the digital world, so making the switch myself was a no-brainer. It also seemed like a good idea to acquire in-demand skills that would give me the freedom to work remotely – especially since no one knew how the pandemic would play out!.
I heard about ICE Malta’s great reputation and was familiar with many success stories of ICE Malta students, so I enrolled for the MySuccess Graphic Design Associate Course to give me the fresh start I wanted. The time frame, course length, and price seemed like a good fit, so I was excited to be trying something new. In actual fact, my class was one of the first to be shifted online when lockdowns were enforced, so it wasn’t quite the experience I was originally expecting!
Great! It turned out that taking the course from home was very comfortable and convenient. Our educator Andreas not only provided us with all the necessary tools and subject material, but also seasoned our experience with great design tips and stories of his career and passion for Helvetica! Considering it was one of the first online classes and arranged at the start of a pandemic, this did not make any difference in the quality of the course. It worked, and it really supported my next career steps.
After I completed the course, I landed an internship at Anchovy, where I really fell for the creative side of digital marketing. Four months later, I got hired at Bullshark, where I’ve been working on everything from marketing material to brand identity and creative concept construction.
Watching the brand identities and marketing material that I produced come to life. Scrolling through Instagram and coming across an ad I designed, or driving past a business to see the new logo that I created on their storefront – it feels like a whole new kind of accomplishment! I’m so glad to get such creative fulfilment out of my work now.
I’m constantly gaining so much knowledge from this experience. The diversity of projects and briefs means that no week is like the last. Learning something new every day and being able to work with a brilliant team that is open to innovation and crazy ideas – that makes working fun!
In terms of skills, I plan on learning more around videography and expanding further into motion graphics. But in general, I want to keep pushing my creativity. I’d like to see my name on bigger projects that push the envelope of visual conception, that reach out to people and capture attention through design.
Go for broke, or kick yourself in the future for not trying! I started from scratch with the MySuccess Graphic Designer Associate Course, and in a matter of 2 years I’ve worked on over 30 different long and short-term client projects. Have confidence in your abilities and you can overcome all the hurdles, I promise!
I started from scratch with the MySuccess Graphic Designer Associate Course. Go for broke, or kick yourself in the future for not trying!
PAULINE ATTARDGraphic Designer
