Four Visual Communication students attended a Creative Boot Camp held in May at GSD&M. Approximately 35 students were accepted to the bootcamp, and for four days they worked inside the agency while being mentored by creative professionals in the advertising industry.
The Creative Boot Camp introduced students to the process of creating an advertising campaign for a real client. Students were split into teams of four or five and the task for each team was to develop a social media campaign for a mall jewelry kiosk known as Pagoda Jewelry.
Here are impressions from the Visual Communication students who attended:
“It was a great experience and it was very hands-on and real world. It taught me some things that I couldn’t learn in a classroom and I got to meet students from around Austin. I think the most rewarding part of the program was working with the mentors. We did a lot of research and the mentors talked to us as if we weren’t students, but professionals. And we had the privilege to present in front of client representatives.” — Anna Muniz
“As we thought of idea after idea, mentors from GSD&M and other ad agencies would stop by and with tips and critiques. Many ideas were produced and many ideas were shot down. It became somewhat stressful as the clock started to wind down. Two out of the five teammates I started out with dropped out. I admit, for a minute I was contemplating joining them. But, I decided to see it to the end regardless of the outcome. On the final day we presented our ideas to GSD&M and the client, Pagoda Jewelry. To my surprise our presentation was good enough to secure a third place spot and our teams was given an award.” — Alex Bustamante
“Working with a team was the hardest thing I’ve done. It really opened my eyes to certain areas I could improve on as a contributor and creator. It really forced me to use every ounce of creativity and brain power I had. I would definitely recommend Creative Boot Camp though since the project mostly involved social media, students who are near graduation would probably benefit most from the camp. And the bootcamp is great for networking.” — Sarah Sexton
Sponsored by The One Club, Creative Boot Camps are held in major cities in the U.S., England and South Africa. The One Club exists “to champion and promote excellence in advertising and design in all its forms.” A goal of their bootcamps is to increase diversity in the advertising industry. The events are free and open to current students and recent graduates.
This was the third year a Creative Boot Camp was held in Austin. We will post an announcement about next year’s event when we know more.
Photography provided by Alex Bustamante