Hi, I’m Amber Townsend and I am currently studying Graphic Design at Teesside University. I recently completed a Summer Abroad Programme that revolved around the creative industries and storytelling, partnered with Prague City University.
My initial reaction to applying and getting accepted for this opportunity was absolute excitement yet also a hint of nervousness. I live with my parents and my Nanna, we’re a pretty close-knit family, so leaving home for a month was daunting at first. But once I got on the plane, I was off! We got transferred from Newcastle Airport to Amsterdam Airport, and let me tell you… Amsterdam was like a maze! Once we got to Prague, everything seemed like a dream.
We had our first lesson on the next day where we met Stephano. He was an absolute delight and he taught us about the immense influence design and branding has on the global population. I felt that my whole view on my subject got turned on it’s head from how the beginnings of branding and design stemmed from propaganda. Stephano was so passionate and enthusiastic about everything he taught; we could listen to him for hours! Our next teacher was Marek who studied at Prague City University. He gave us lessons on morality and the different customer needs and wants within a company. This helped me massively with my own art business that I wished to expand upon.
As well as this, we learnt about the history of Prague and the Czech Republic from various tour guides. A lot of the buildings were from the 16th century, as well as the Communist era. We discovered brutalist architecture, like the Kotva and the New Building of the National Museum. There is a rich history of Prague that showcases the country going through times of unfair times of dictatorship, such as World War II and the Cold War. We mostly stayed within the city of Prague, exploring the Prague Castle, Troja Castle, Kutná Hora and the botanical garden. I particularly found the Bone Church to be my favourite of these places as it was eerie yet almost comforting. I know a lot of my friends thought otherwise, and decided to go to the Lego Museum instead! I found these experiences to be extremely breathtaking as I was able to snap some photos for my documentation and for future projects.
As a group, we decided to try some activities outside the timetable. Some of us went to Berlin, had toured nights out to pubs and clubs, and we found many different malls and shops where we bought our supplies. Billa was my go-to shop as it was easy to understand the layout and the staff were very helpful. We had a night out on a party boat, as well as discovering small bars to watch the Euros. I particularly enjoyed the Kozel beer and the Czech dish Svíčková. At night, the 14 of us would gather around the table and play Uno, this is one of my favourite moments in the whole trip due to how normal it was from the whole Prague experience.
I felt extremely nervous as I had never been away from home before. Being away for a month made me very homesick but overall, it was a great experience for me as I was able to be independent and resourceful. It was an amazing experience that I would recommend to any future students that want to study abroad.
Find out more about studying Graphic Design at Teesside University here. Teesside University is 1st in the UK for Graphic Design (Guardian University Guide 2025, 62 institutions participated).
