Upskilling in
Visual Design
Doreen O' Mahony
Digital Brand Manager, Laya Healthcare
I find designers and developers listen to me more since I completed the course! Sometimes you can recognise something about design but struggle to articulate it. The course gave me the language to express myself confidently.
I am the digital brand manager with Laya Healthcare. Originally, my job would have looked at social media strategies, search engine optimisation strategies and PPC campaigns but over the last couple of years it’s evolved into how to make the experience better for our users. Last year, for example, we consolidated five apps into one app which was a huge project.
Design is so subjective that it’s really good to be able to outline the reasons why a particular design has been chosen or why you support it.
You learn an awful lot from working with designers and developers all the time, but it’s great to have that academic qualification as well.
Having a lot of on-the-job experience is one thing but knowing you actually have the theory and the knowledge to back it up is a great validation.
I find people listen to me more since I completed the course. The course gave me the language to express myself confidently. Sometimes you can recognise something about design but struggle to articulate it.
With the theory from the course, you have the vocabulary to say, “This needs more padding here,” or, “let’s look at the hierarchy here.” You learn good design practices and it gives you more of a curiosity about design.
Oh yeah, 100 per cent! Definitely for anyone who’s currently working as a designer or a graphic designer. I think it’s useful for marketeers as well, anyone who’s working on search strategies or digital projects would find it very useful.