SOP/Motivation Letter for Design Academy Eindhoven

This is the statement of purpose for my application to DAE. (Statement describing your motivation and expectations concerning the programme and your studies at Design Academy Eindhoven, including your professional expectations after completing your study.)

I am looking for advice on how to make it sharper and if it clearly describes the motivation and expecatations. I think I couldn't prperly organize it. Any kind of advice would be very helpful and appreciated. Also, should I add my hobbies and be more detailed about how my work life was or how I performed there or my achievements???

To whom it may concern

Hi,
My name is Lamia Noshin and I am writing this motivation letter with great interest in the Master's of Design program at the Design Academy Eindhoven. I completed my Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at The University of Dhaka in November, 2022. Currently, I am occupied as a Senior Staff Designer at Ollyo, a software company in Bangladesh.
With a profound interest in the Fine Arts field and a strong desire to delve deeper, I am eager to contribute to your esteemed program.

For me, as a kid who started her journey with drawing classes from her father, I was actually disruptive towards early stage drawings. It was all about colors and weird forms for me and never a proper "Village Scenerio" or "A Fruit Basket". I chose Fine Arts as my field of expertise in education because all my life I yearned for proper experimentation of something I have always been more interested in. Another take on this, would be the political and social stigma over the entire field of arts in Bangladesh. I have always looked forward to be strong in my decisions and it felt very important to break the barriers in our country that always pulled all the creative minds backwards.Throughout my entire academic career I have been persistent to my practice as an art enthusiast. I chose Sculpture as a major according to the perception of good grasp on my personal growth because no other subject offered a long term course of "Personal Projects". However, I did preferably good on all the Project courses of 4 years.

The part I enjoyed the most about my major was that I got to experiment a lot. Starting from different mediums and medias to merge them together and make something bigger out of it.
Completing the foundation years under the Faculty of Fine Arts gave me a whole new perspective and insights into the field of art and design. Within these years, I also participated in exhibitions organized by the faculty as well as volunteered through some of the film festivals that were regularly held by the Dhaka University Film Club.

Soon enough, I realized that I had developed a keen interest in the subjects like design and technical drawing too, which subsequently helped me find my path through the career as well. While submitting one of my projects based on "Experimental Typography" which I later tried to merge in the digital platform the overall interest on digital media grew rapidly because throughoughout the entire work process I discovered a number of other great experimental projects and artists.

Following my graduation, I started with an internship in an advertising agency where I had to develop social contents. The knack of experimentation only grew bigger to create a greater environment at my work places. Although later in this internship I felt like my process and thoughts somehow got confined within a box.

When I got into Ollyo - one of the leading software companies in Bangladesh; my entire design perception transformed upside down. I had a very little amount of knowledge until then and once I started my amazing journey with the design team - my goals, theories and the hunger to explore never stopped since then. There were even classes hold where I got to know about the amazing future of tech & design.

On my initial days I had fun exploring character design, illustration and fun typography creations. I worked in different projects collaborating with creative teams and developer teams.
Furthermore, I did a few branding projects and my next key-goal was to explore a bit about motion design because I was always so fascinated about motion graphics considering the fact that static designs at some point felt like having a certain limitation. Learning motion was one of the very few incident that had me clinged by the entire work process. The process and learnings of an experiment or research has always been so much more meaningful to me than the outcomes. However, I also added some value on the UI part which I think I should have an idea about as a creative designer.

After a considerably short but hands-on experiences, I strongly think I am quite ready to devote myself into graduate studies. In claiming so, I can safely say that due to my association with higher amount art and design activities, I have become fairly adept in different streams. My plans of remaining a praticing designer and serve the upcoming generation with a good designing psychology and skill motivates me to complete, first, a masters degree program keeping the focus on different sections of designing. Having studied and work with almost no structured training I look forward to a graduate program that teaches me the mechanisms of design in a more structured and thoughtful way.
My future plan involves mostly to design for a greater good. To collaborate with greater teams and lead the future art & design enthusiasts in my country in a structured and non-traditional way. I belong from an under developed country and I have always dreamt for the maximum contribution even if it's only from where I stand at present. There are a lot of people who can acquire greater design mindset and collaborate better in the real world with good guidance and nurture. With my degree and proper experience, I have always promised myself to return back to my roots and deliver the best to those people.

Therefore, I hope and look out most eagerly for the consideration of my application at your esteemed institution.

Please allow me to apologize in advance for what i have to say. You have not addressed the requirements of the statement of purpose as indicated in the writing guidelines. Most people tend to confuse the personal statement, which you wrote above, with a statement of purpose. A statement of purpose is not a look back at the history of your studies and interests. Rather, it is a current and forward looking at the career path that you have come to envision for yourself, which is why you feel the need to pursue higher studies in the same field.

What you need I guess is a full writing guide to follow for this purpose. May I suggest that you start with:

Par. 1 - Introduce yourself and your current position. Your duties and responsibilities, as well as your other work related interests.

Par. 2 - Discuss your college background inclusive of your thesis, honors you received, and other notable achievements as a student.

Par. 3 - Based on your college background, work duties, and responsibilities, discuss what you feel are your shortcomings on the job and what caused these hindrances. Relate it to your limited college studies. Or, you may discuss continuing education based upon your thesis from college. Either options will work well for the statement of purpose.

Par. 4 - Enumerate your work related seminars and trainings attended. Explain how you upskill yourself as best as you can.

Par. 5 - Based on the previous discussions, state the career purpose for your masters studies. Explain why this is imperative to your future career path. What you hope to achieve in this career after completing the studies.

Par. 6: Explain why you chose this university based upon your academic, professional, and personal considerations.

Par. 7: Closing paragraph

You may opt to follow this actual outline or create your own. Just remember to stick to the topics indicated above because these are the necessary requirements for an effective statement of purpose. Keep it limited to 750 words if no word limitation was given.

Your statement of purpose for the Master's of Design program at Design Academy Eindhoven showcases your passion for art and design, from childhood drawing classes to your current role as a Senior Staff Designer at Ollyo. To sharpen your statement, focus on specific examples that highlight your achievements in sculpture and experimental typography, emphasizing how these experiences have shaped your design philosophy and prepared you for graduate studies.

Highlight how the program at DAE aligns with your career goals and aspirations, and how structured training will enhance your skills to make an impact in design, especially in Bangladesh. With a clearer focus on achievements and program alignment, your statement will effectively convey your motivation and expectations.

Merged:

Rewriting Motivation Letter for Design Academy Eindhoven

This is the statement of purpose for my application to DAE. (Statement describing your motivation and expectations concerning the programme and your studies at Design Academy Eindhoven, including your professional expectations after completing your study.)

I am looking for advice on how to make it sharper and if it clearly describes the motivation and expecatations. I rewrote this and I thonk it's way to long. Is it really way too long because ther's no word limit.I tried to answer all the questions they put on the requirements. I just want to know if I'm on the correct path and how can I make it better. Please feel free to give any kind of suggestions. Anything that you know.

Dear Concern,

My name is Lamia Noshin and I am writing this motivation letter with great interest in the Master's of Design program at the Design Academy Eindhoven. I am a Fine Arts graduate and a self-taught Graphic Designer. Currently, I am occupied as a Senior Staff Designer at Ollyo, a software company in Bangladesh. With a profound interest in the Design field and a strong desire to delve deeper, I am eager to contribute to your esteemed program.

My connection with art and culture was deeply rooted to my environment and family values. I started my journey of drawing classes from my father which gradually led me to study Bachelor's of Fine Arts. I chose Sculpture as my major according to the perception of good understanding in drawing and media experimentation. While no other department in Fine Arts faculty offered a long term course of "Personal Projects", I personally found this course extremely thoughtful included along with all other courses in this department. My graduation in Sculptures helped me have a deep understanding of drawings, visual language, three dimensional forms, and allowed me to explore various new media.

During my graduation I took part in several extra curricular activities such as volunteering in film festivals and exhibitions. These helped me in the long term growth of different perspectives on art. Involving in different type of activities during my foundation years had helped me look through the boundaries and made me feel interested in typography and collage art. This led me work on my first experimental typography project and a few collage art projects. On these project I learned a lot about digital media and composition and soon it made me delve deeper into the design field. I later took part in several internships by the end of second year which included an advertising agency. The agency environment was a new opportunity to work in an open field of real time businesses. However, a year later after my internship I started working part-time in a digital marketing agency. These internships and part-time jobs helped me hone my skill in the Adobe suite and a few other design softwares. Meanwhile I also participated in a voluntary self learning initiative called "A Design A Day" where me and some of the industry designers discussed and worked on design fundamentals. It also included a course in motion design that helped me get the basic knowledge of motion designing as well. Simultaneously, I also participated in several other workshops organized by the Sculpture Department which played an important role in developing my understanding of the visual language. All the skills I developed from the jobs and voluntary sessions later helped me enrich the visual culture of my departmental courses.

After my graduation in 2022, I started working as a freelance Graphic Designer. I contributed to a several Branding & Marketing assets for "Airtel", "BATA" and other local businesses. As much as I enjoyed working on these projects, I also felt a little skeptical because I wanted to experiment on a much wider market. Afterwards, I applied at "Ollyo" - one of the leading software companies in Bangladesh and started working as a visualizer there. Working here helped me enrich my visual language on a different level. I started serving in brand materials and marketing essentials for platforms like "WordPress" and "JOOMLA" and gradually shifted into branding for the products that are being served worldwide. My eyes for design was to always experiment and solve problems that has been quite satisfactory till now. I eventually contributed in the motion department as well where I had the opportunity to do two entire promotional projects by myself. It's been three years and I am serving a SAAS product now along with the other web industries as a "Senior Staff Designer". Along with the creative department I didn't miss the chance to brainstorm over UI as well. I did a couple of layouts for JOOMLA industry for a while and it only made my branding and creative eyes more skillful. I also contributed as a volunteer in a recent tech conference held by OLLYO in Bangladesh where we talked about the future of web industry and digital products. Also, during my daily practice of branding I started creating a visual Identity for Tote Bags out of my love for tote bag usage. Halfway through the branding I ended up having my own little startup named "Toteness" that sells tote bags nationwide and completed my branding project on that.

My reason for applying in DAE is its experimental approach to design, encouraging students to explore across disciplines. According to my research, this school emphasizes self-directed learning and offers a curriculum that allows students to explore their own interests and niche compared to most of the other design schools. The projects are often highly individualistic which gives students the freedom to pursue personal passions and push creative boundaries. Standing as one of the top design schools across the globe, this institution would be perfect for me to meditate over my studies and make progress in my design field.

I chose "Contextual Design" as my esteemed course for Master's degree in order to navigate myself as an interdisciplinary and hybrid practitioner. Throughout my journey as a designer, I have developed a strong foundation in practical skills. However, I have come to realize that these skills alone are not sufficient to cultivate the power of imagination and creativity that I seek. I often feel constrained in my ability to explore new ideas and approaches. Corporate environments, while valuable in honing specific skill sets, often lack alignment with the kind of experimentation and innovation that I am passionate about. This mismatch has limited my ability to truly push the boundaries of my design works like experimental typography, designing based on culture and society.Moreover, in my country, the absence of specialized design schools makes it even more challenging to broaden my perspective and engage with the diverse contexts that can shape design. Without access to structured learning and a creative academic community, I find it difficult to nurture a deeper understanding of how design can be applied in more experimental, societal, and meaningful ways, specially in my career.
Studying Contextual Design at DAE would give me the opportunity to break free from these limitations and engage in a more exploratory, interdisciplinary environment. I am eager to expand my understanding of design beyond the corporate framework, learn from diverse perspectives, and contribute to society by rethinking design's role in addressing contemporary challenges. This program would allow me to experiment with new methodologies and concepts, enriching both my practice and my ability to give back through innovative, socially conscious design.

As for my career aspirations, I am deeply committed to bringing the knowledge and lessons I gain at DAE back to my country. My ultimate goal is to establish a design studio in my country that provides space for individuals who wish to express their design ideas but lack the opportunities due to limited access to design education. In my country, many people are unaware of the vast ways in which design can be explored-through context, psychology, behavior, and more. As a result, their creative voices often remain unheard amidst mainstream artistic expressions. My design studio would aim to nurture these individuals, helping them articulate their ideas and develop their unique design voices. It would become a platform for those whose creativity is overshadowed by conventional artistic norms, empowering them to innovate and contribute to the design field.
Furthermore, I am eager to collaborate with and learn from talented professors, students, and professional designers on a global stage. I believe that exposure to diverse cultures and ideas will not only enrich my own design perspective but also enable me to represent my culture through the lens of Contextual Design. I also look forward to gaining practical experience by working in professional design studios. This hands-on experience would be invaluable in helping me contribute to the growth and development of the design industry in my home country. Therefore I believe this program is the perfect opportunity for me to learn and open new doors to achieve the goals I have for myself and my community.