I’m John, but everyone calls me Jack (apologies for the confusion already, blame my parents for that one). I have just finished my final year at AUB. I studied three years of BA (Hons) Visual Communication (now BA (Hons) Communication Design and Strategy), a subject I’ve always been interested in but something I haven’t always prioritised.

Let’s start this story when I left school in 2017. A kid with average grades, confused ambitions and lots of energy, I chose to pursue Business Studies at college. As you can imagine, I did amazingly – got top grades and was the best kid in the class, with 100% attendance! Said no one ever. I was lost, argumentative and always distracted. Business Studies lasted around three months. Well done, mate.

After I left college, I joined the working world as a labourer, working 12-hour days, exhausting my body, smoking, drinking and loving a pub garden. Life was sweet, until it wasn’t. For five years, I worked and worked and spent a lot of money on partying and living the life of a young lad in the construction industry – a weekend millionaire with nothing to show for his earnings other than a terrible hangover and a fragile back. My life became a cycle of poor health, good laughs and hard days at work without a true purpose or any real sense of direction.

I took a lot from working across the building trades. I built the confidence to communicate with adults, both colleagues and customers: “Yes please, strong and two sugars, cheers mate”. I developed some great transferable skills, and I also learnt that turning up and doing your best gets you places. It gets you seen and it gets you noticed.

Over time, something started to change. The enthusiasm I'd had for the job wasn't there anymore. I wasn't as switched on as I used to be. I found myself making mistakes I wouldn't normally make, and every Monday was awful. It wasn't because construction was a bad career. It had given me confidence, resilience and a work ethic I'm still proud of today. The truth was simply that I'd outgrown it, and I owe all the old boys a thank you for giving me life lessons they don’t teach you in a classroom.

A young man in a dark hoodie and work trousers sits on the back of a flatbed truck, giving two thumbs up, with gas cylinders, tools and wooden planks loaded behind him.

A man in a black hoodie kneels on plywood, using a circular saw to cut a sheet on an outdoor work site, with gravel, timber and tools in the background.

A young man in a black sweatshirt against a plain grey studio background.

My dad, the designer of the family, in a nutshell, told me to grow up and get educated. I didn’t realise at the time how crucial that conversation would be, but it changed the trajectory of my life, and I owe him at least a cup of tea and some old-lady biscuits for the push I needed. I also owe my mum a huge cuddle for supporting me every step of the way. Although they weren’t together, they both helped get me to university.

My dad and I came to an AUB Open Day in the summer of 2022 and looked around to get a glimpse into life as a uni student. I spoke to two AUB staff members and said, “I’m a lad from Portsmouth who knows how to wield a plastering trowel, but I want to come here and learn design.” I was told it was an ambitious goal as I didn’t have a Maths GCSE or a pre-degree qualification in anything relevant to design, so I was wished the best of luck and sent on my way.

This deflated me momentarily but made me hungrier for success. I went away and worked out a plan of how I could get myself to AUB. I needed to achieve three things – get my driving licence, attend night school to get my Maths GCSE and complete an Art and Design course at college so I could learn how to draw again.

I smashed all three goals in one year. I passed my driving test first time, with no minors. I got a Distinction* in art and design, and I got my Maths GCSE in six months. I hate Maths.

A man wearing an oversized white T-shirt and cap stands facing a large billboard with the word 'LUXTEN', mounted on a concrete wall beside a curved building.

An open book with a bright pink and black magazine spread, featuring the heading ‘Creativity and ADHD’ on the right page and abstract collage graphics, on a white background.

I came to university and treated it like a job. My lecturers weren't paying me wages; they were paying me in grades. Every project became an opportunity to improve. Outside the classroom, I was building my portfolio, teaching myself new skills, learning to cook and taking better care of my mental and physical health. Looking back, those habits shaped me just as much as the course itself.

I haven’t had it easy throughout uni. I’ve been through a lot. It’s been lonely and isolating at times, but AUB gave me the opportunity to channel my passions into design projects that help people. LUMEN, a streetwear brand centred around men’s mental health. ADHEAR, the music festival directly promoting hearing damage awareness. RELAY, a magazine that explores the connection between creativity and neurodivergence.

My projects are all extensions of me, and they inspired my studio, JohnSmithStudios, which won the AUB Enterprise Award and has allowed me to start my business in the AUB Business Incubator.

Throughout my three years, I’ve built a network of incredible people and gained some great friends too. I could go on for ages, but this article has a word count, and I’m a friendly neighbourhood graphic designer. I don’t climb walls or shoot webs – I help people build brands and use design to tackle real-world problems.

My time at AUB has allowed me to achieve so much, but most importantly, I’ve become a better man as well as a better designer. It’s always scary starting again from scratch but use me as a case study. Things do get better, so don’t let anxiety get in the way of your dreams. And if you need a new logo, let me know. Cheers, you lot.

Want to see more of John’s work?

Discover JohnSmithStudios through Instagram, LinkedIn and his website.