As a child Malik Britton ’20 knew he wanted to enter the art field one day.
I've always had a passion for the arts,” he says. “I've always loved drawing as a kid, and that was my main dream – growing up and becoming an artist.”
When he entered college, Guilford helped him determine which art discipline best suited his interests. Malik was in Professor Mark Dixon’s 3D art class when he discovered the career path he would eventually take.
“Mark was telling me about a new major they were adding called Experience Design, what that entailed, how it's a growing industry, and how it can relate to digital and physical products,” Malik explains. “I was really intrigued, and I transferred from a drawing focus to Experience Design the following year when the major came in.”
A Tailor-Made Major
In this field, Malik truly felt he could make a difference in people’s lives. He’s doing just that as a designer at Kaplan Early Learning Company in Lewisville, N.C. Hired as a junior designer, he was promoted to designer after just one year.
Malik’s primary role at Kaplan is graphic design. Some of his other responsibilities include assisting with photo and video shoots as well as working with the UX designer to build out landing pages and wireframes for new websites.
Malik says he appreciates his Experience Design courses at Guilford and that he is still using what he learned from his professors on the job today. He’s enjoying his work and would one day like to freelance for big companies like Apple or Nike. Malik also notes that it all goes back to his conversation with Mark.
“When I was talking to him, he really opened my eyes to how I could combine art with people and websites by making products or services better for customers or users and improving their experiences through creative problem solving,” he says.
College Life
Malik certainly flexed his creative muscles as he became involved in a variety of campus activities. Originally from South Boston, Va., Malik moved to the Greensboro area in middle school.
He was drawn to Guilford for its soccer program – and the fact that two of his high-school teammates were also interested in the college. After their experience attending Spring Into Guilford, the friends decided to attend Guilford and continue their soccer careers together.
“Soccer provided an instant community,” he says. “I could talk to and hang out every day outside of practice and go and eat together. It also teaches you how to stay committed to something and manage your schedule. It's an extra commitment outside of a social life and outside of education and teaches you to be on top of your tasks and to do your homework before you go on an away trip,” he says.
Malik was also involved as a tour guide and orientation leader. The Experience Design major was also a member of the Black Student Union and the Campus Activity Board as the serendipity chair for which he helped plan a weekend festival at Guilford.
His advice for fellow Experience Design majors? “Be a good listener. That's a good trait to have because you are basically the bridge between a business and their customers or their users. You’re listening to the wants, needs and problems of both groups and trying to find ways to solve some of those problems and create better experiences based on that information,” he says. “Also, enjoy your time in college. It goes by quick, take one day at a time, and enjoy every second of it.”
See Malik describe his Experience Design major and his new career.