Teresa Bennett chose to study for a New Zealand Certificate in Digital Media and Design so she could create advertising for her machine embroidery and dressmaking business, House of Weir Design.
She was particularly interested in learning how to use the Adobe suite. The programme offered through Ara Institute of Canterbury and eCampus NZ was just the right fit.
“I’ve had the software for years but never touched it,” she said.
“Now I can find my way around and am getting quite proficient at using it. Studying takes the fear out of it.”
Alongside learning the skills, she needed to create her own advertising materials, Teresa discovered tools that she can use in her work.
“You can actually do pattern-making with Adobe Illustrator,” she said.
While the first course in the programme is demanding, Teresa enjoyed it.
“It was really out of my comfort zone, but it’s definitely worth doing,” she said.
“I live in The Waikato and don’t live near a campus, so I was happy to find this online option.”
About the New Zealand Certificate in Digital Media and Design
eCampus NZ worked closely with Ara Institute of Canterbury’s Department of Creative Industries in 2021 to launch an online version of the New Zealand Certificate in Digital Media and Design.
There are challenges associated with offering such a practical, creative programme online.
Inspired by the challenge and determined to equip learners with the same skills they would learn in a studio environment, our eLearning designers created a virtual design house called Aronga Whanokē Design.
Learners navigate through this virtual world, using design briefs to create a variety of works using photography, illustration, video, and animation, and learning how to use the Adobe suite along the way.
In the first course, learners get a foundation in basic design principles as they create a range of digital materials in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop.
Facilitator Sandy Galland, who guides learners through this course, has loved seeing Adobe beginners producing “quality, creative, and technical work” by the end of the first, 10-week course.
Find out more about the New Zealand Certificate in Digital Media and Design here.