communication design personal statement

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Since starting my National Diploma in Graphic Design, I feel I have had the opportunity and freedom to experiment and explore my ideas fully. I have been able to expand and develop my visual communication skills and I am now able to create more effective and convincing imagery. I feel I am investing much more of myself in my work and am exploring ideas, media and techniques in addition to my main programme of study.

I have a broad range of influences that I am inspired by. Music has always been a passion for me since an early age, from almost every genre. I still listen to most of the same bands I listened to when I was 8 years old, and I find music to be a big source of inspiration for my illustration work. I am always listening to music and I regularly attend underground gigs, getting inspired by the raw sound of unsigned acts. I also love film; from Film Noir and Japanese Horror, to big blockbuster's and thrillers.

Reading is another major influence. My favourite genre is Transgressive Fiction, which includes the work of author Chuck Palahnuik. I love how he portrays the horror of 'ordinary' life and his suspicion of the 'modern'. I am also interested in creative writing myself and recently successfully completed an evening class. This helped me build my confidence to read my work aloud to the rest of the group, who were all older than myself. It also helped me to give constructive criticism as well as apply it to my own work.

Other interests include photography; I am a big fan of Lomography. I take images with a Holga camera, using 120mm and 35mm rolls of film. I feel that I have much more of a connection with the final images than I do when using a digital camera. I am experimenting with various lenses such as fisheye, eight image lenses and a ring-flash and am taking these images in to Photoshop to develop them even further.

I also feel that I am very much influenced by my environment. Those around me have always inspired me the most; being able to see how a person works and chooses to communicate their designs, motivates me to work creatively too. I think that this has been the biggest factor in my decision to study at university level. I am looking to study on an exciting and open course with other creative and motivated people. I am looking for course that will help me explore and combine my different creative interests and support me in creating a professional portfolio of work.

I am a self motivated and broad minded. I am looking forward to moving away from home and gaining more independence. I am eager to meet like-minded people and I feel that I have the attitude, skills and enthusiasm to be successful at university and in becoming a professional designer/illustrator.

Profile info

This personal statement was written by rricky for application in 2009.

rricky's Comments

This is a final draft of my personal statement, at this point i am pleased with my statement, i am looking for some feedback on this statement.

Related Personal Statements

Ricky thats the first design.

Thu, 21/01/2010 - 19:54

ricky thats the first design course ps i've read and i understand the pionts you were trying to get across fully. your visualy creative in more than one way and that helps and motivates you when doing your course. it's good and you got 4 stars so obviously i'm not the only one that thinks so....good luck with your course mate!

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Graduate School Statement of Purpose

Criteria for success.

Your statement of purpose, sometimes referred to by other names including “statement of objectives,” should…

convince a faculty committee that you are qualified for their program and that you are a good fit for their program’s focus and goals.
show a select group of skills and experiences that convey your scientific and technical accomplishments and interests.
include concrete and quantitative experiences, accomplishments, and qualifications.
adhere to the length and formatting guidelines of the program to which you are applying (usually no more than 2 pages).

Structure Diagram

The graduate school statement of purpose should strengthen your chance of acceptance into a graduate program by demonstrating that you are a good match for the particular department or program. Matching goes both ways: they should be interested in you, and you should be interested in them. Your statement should make this match clear by telling your personal story as a researcher.

Analyze Your Audience

Your statement of purpose is typically read by a graduate committee, a handful of faculty from your program. They’re trying to determine if you will be a successful graduate student in their department, a positive force in the department’s intellectual life, and a successful researcher after you graduate. They are therefore interested in your qualifications as a researcher, your career goals, and how your academic focus matches their labs and department.

The graduate committee could read hundreds of applications a year. To make it easy for them to figure out that you are a good fit, make direct, concrete statements about your accomplishments and qualifications. To make it easy for them to remember you, create a narrative that “brands” you.

Create an individual narrative

PhD programs invest in the professional and technical growth of their students. Get the committee excited about investing in you by opening your essay with a brief portrait of what drives you as a scientist or engineer. What research directions are you passionate about, and why? What do you picture yourself doing in 10 years?

If you’re not quite sure what you want to do in graduate school, it’s still best to focus on a specific area or topic in your application. What would you work on if you had to start graduate school tomorrow? You can always change your research focus later.

Any personal stories should fit in the overall narrative of your research story. Avoid cliche openings like “ever since my childhood, I’ve been fascinated by…”. The statement of purpose should tell your unique research story, not your life story.

Close your essay with a 2-3 sentence discussion of your career interests. No one will hold you to these plans; it simply helps your committee visualize your potential trajectory. Emphasize how the program you are applying to will help prepare you for these long-term goals.

Describe your experiences

Experiences are the “what” of your essay. What experiences led you to develop your skill set and passions? Where have you demonstrated accomplishment, leadership, and collaboration? Include research, teaching, and relevant work experience or extracurriculars. State concrete achievements and outcomes like awards, publications, or projects completed.

Achievements do not need to be directly tied to research projects or publications. However, they should relate to the type of work you expect in graduate school. For example, you can discuss significant, research-oriented class projects. Describe any collaborations with senior students or faculty that demonstrate your passion about relevant research topics. Computer science students can discuss projects from software internships that involved architecture design, algorithm design, security considerations, machine learning, etc. These experiences can inform your academic interests and demonstrate ability as well as more formal research experience. Also consider including experiences that demonstrate other skills that are crucial for a successful grad student such as good communication and self-motivation.

Quantify your experiences to show concrete impact. How many people were on your team? How many protocols did you develop? How many people were in competition for an award? As a TA, how often did you meet with your students?

Describe actions, not just changes in your internal mental or emotional state. A statement of purpose is a way to make a narrative out of your CV. It is not a diary entry

Explain the meaning of your experiences

Meaning is the “why” or “so what” of the document. Why was this experience important to your growth as a researcher? What does it say about your abilities and potential? It feels obvious to you, but you need to be explicit with your audience. Your descriptions of meaning should also act as transition statements between experiences: try to “wrap” meaning around your experiences.

Demonstrate match to your target program

Demonstrate an understanding of the program to which you’re applying and about how you will be successful in that program. To do this:

Read the program’s website. See what language they use to describe themselves, and echo that language in your essay. For example, the website for MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory displays three main research areas and the values of the lab .
In some areas (often those with a more rigid lab structure), reaching faculty is very important. You should know what faculty members are taking new students and whether or not you would be a fit for their lab before applying. In other areas, contacting faculty is not expected and may be difficult. Reach out if in doubt and consult current graduate students, undergraduate professors, or graduate admissions officers if you are unsure what is typical in your area.
State which professors in the program you would plan to work with. Show how their research areas align with your background and your goals. You can even describe potential research directions or projects. It can also be helpful to mention other departments or groups at the university that you might be interested in collaborating with or learning from.

Content adapted by the MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Communication Lab from an article originally created by the MIT Biological Engineering Communication Lab .

Related Resource

For more information, see these statements from MIT EECS faculty about what they look for in a grad school statement of objectives.

Resources and Annotated Examples

Annotated example 1.

Personal Statement submitted by graduate student enrolled at MIT in CSAIL 192 KB

Annotated Example 2

Personal Statement submitted by graduate student enrolled at MIT in EECS 292 KB

Annotated Example 3

Personal Statement submitted by graduate student enrolled at MIT in EECS 873 KB

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PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE Graphic Design Personal Statement

Graphic Design Personal Statement

Graphic Design is always around us, and learning how to communicate in a visual manner has inspired me to learn more about the subject. The words ‘create’ and ‘ design ’ have always sparked a sense of enthusiasm and excitement within me. From an early age I have always had a creative characteristic which I feel is my most dominant. For many years I have enjoyed designing logos, packaging and coming up with creative campaign concepts. Since learning that Graphic Design is something that I’m driven towards I have gained an interest and spectrum of knowledge about graphic designers such as Milton Glaser, Herb Lubalin and Paul Rand. Their works have inspired me to develop my own skills and have given me an insight as to how to establish a creative mind-set.

Working within the Communications and PR, Film and Graphic Design Departments at Imperial College whilst on work experience, I was able to explore different ways of communicating through social media, film and print design. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Graphic Design team where I was able to see how various software’s were used to develop banners for the university fair.

During my placement I learnt how fundamental research is and how it is conducted during the whole design process. After the placement I was more decisive about wanting to delve into the world of Graphic Design, hence I set about finding a work placement that solely focused on Graphic Design. My second placement was at Virgin Media, where I worked with graphic designers and UX designers and was introduced to the field of digital design. I attended meetings where briefs were being discussed and was able to follow the journey of the graphic designers to witness how they went about delivering the brief; and helping design assets for the website. The placement allowed me to comprehend what digital design consisted of and learn about the works of alternative designers such as UX designers. My enthusiasm for Graphic Design made me want to expand my knowledge, hence I took a Graphic Design course at Central Saint Martins. The course was completely different to my professional work placements. The course prohibited the use of computers and all artefacts were formulated from research trips and materials; making me realise the extent of graphic design. The manner in which I worked was refreshing from constantly collaborating with software. After the course I was able to understand that there are various methods of communicating which do not involve software. In my free time I self-teach myself Photoshop and Illustrator through tutorials. I also enjoy self-initiating briefs for myself, as well as briefs set by agencies such as D&AD, RSA and YCN which provide me with a creative challenge. For example I have ‘restyled street style’ for ASOS, which was a brief set by D&AD. I also voluntarily design logos for businesses, go to contemporary galleries, the Barbican Centre, research trips for my creative briefs and work on my briefs.

I also look forward to the annual London Design Week, where I have become educated about designers and new design processes and am able to draw inspiration upon. I have volunteered helping teach 6-9 year olds at my community art club, which I attended for 3 years. I have achieved the Bronze D of E, had a part time job for one year at a high end retail store and was part of my local netball club where I trained and competed. Completing these activities has enabled me develop a strong sense of co-operation, teamwork, good social skills and commitment which would greatly benefit me whilst studying a degree. I try to seek all possible opportunities to help me advance my skills in Graphic Design, and feel that having the opportunity to take my admiration of design to degree level would be extremely rewarding. I’m self-motivated and eager to start devoting my time and attention to Graphic Design, and am positive university will help me excel in what I like doing best.