Emerging Fashions-University Guide

Fashion and design

By Stella Nassuna

The trend of education is fast changing. The courses that were the least thought about, looked at as unprofessional, made the next option for a failed student like fashion and design are now attracting a number of students.

Mary Buyungo, a lecturer of fashion and design at Makerere, explains that upon completion, the graduate has vast job opportunities. “The student could choose to work for a fashion house as a designer or do sketch design,” Buyungo says.

She also points out that the graduate could also choose to be a teacher, lecturer or tutor at a fashion school. With this course you can also become a job creator.  
Buyungo explains that a student who is good at sketching designs can contract tailors to sew out their designs into finished wear. They can then turn the clothing into their own, and make a living off them.

Slyvia Naluwogya, a fashion and design teacher at Record School of Fashion, says a good designer with reliable clients can earn between sh1m to over sh2m per month.
“There is no standard price for a particular creation done by the designer. A designer can set the price of their product as high as they desire based on the material used, time spent and the uniqueness of the design,” Naluwogya explains.

She adds that  there are various travelling opportunities with this fashion and design.

“I have so far spent three years in this business, but I always buy my fabrics from abroad,” Naluwogya notes. Fashion designers, including Sylvia Awori, Gloria Wavamunno, Latif, Brenda Maraka, Santa Anzo, Brenda Nambi, have made it to international platforms such as Swahili Fashion Week, Africa Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week among others.

Where to enrol and what you need
Makerere University takes on fashion students under the industrial fine art course. There is only one intake every first academic year  in August. There are also a number of private schools in Uganda teaching fashion and design. Most of which offer diploma and certificate courses.

You could  also opt for an international course. Milan in Italy has the best fashion schools. It has been credited for giving birth to talented designers.


Animation and graphic design

By Martin kanyegirire

Trevor is in his Senior Six vacation. He is always with a dell inspiron 15R, one of the latest, as he plays around with Adobe Photoshop making ingenious images out his friends’ photos. His dream is to become a graphics designer.  Like Trevor, Joe is in his vacation too. His dream is to study 3D animation and motion graphics. When he told his parents about his dream course and profession, they were baffled and asked, “Who will employ you? Where will you even study that from?”

In Uganda, one can pursue graphic design and animation at Artfield Institute of Design, Aptech Computer Education or Digimation affiliated to Makerere University, which are registered with the National Council of Higher Education.

Animation is a type of optical illusion. It involves the appearance of motion caused by displaying still images one after another, while graphic design is a creative process. This innovative technology is widely used in blending creativity within the systems of industries like film, television, writing, publishing, dance, drama, fashion, marketing and the media.

Education and training
One needs at least sh3.6m to study a diploma in graphic design or animation for two years and about sh1m to study a certificate. Whereas most animators and graphic designers are self-taught in Uganda, a diploma in graphic design or animation is usually required for most entry-level and advanced animator and graphic design positions in bigger firms. 

In addition to a design course, a liberal arts education that includes courses in art history, writing, psychology, sociology, foreign languages and cultural studies, marketing, and business are useful in helping designers work effectively.

Graduates of the certificate programmes normally qualify as assistants to graphic designers or for positions requiring technical skills only.

Earnings
A starting salary for a staff-level graphic designer ranges from sh500,000 to sh1m a month and sh2.5m for an animator, according to Edward Baguma, the systems administrator at Artfield Institute of Design.