Sponsorship for graphics year book

International paper company Arjo Wiggins have kindly agreed to sponsor the final year graphic communication graduation book. Paperpoint, Arjo Wiggins sample and advisory service are contributing Popset cover paper to help enhance the student book design.
"I am are delighted to support final year students in this graduation project, and wish them the very best for their final show" 

says Richard Whatley of Arjo Wiggins 

"This is exactly the kind of innovative, quality project that suits our papers well"

Work experience not to be sneezed at...

Graphic Communication student Deepak Garcha has recently completed work for Walsall based business, Allergy Protect UK. The company used council grants to employ Deepak who came up with the company name: Allergy Protect UK, designed a brand identity and applied it to a full colour leaflet.

Allergy Protect UK aims to provide a chemical free dust mite removing solution to domestic customers who wish to be assured that it is safe for their familes, children and the elderly. Allergy Protect promote a device that uses ultraviolet light to kill the mites and therefore there are no harsh chemicals.

Deepak’s work is pivotal to launching the business to potential customers; residential homes, old peoples homes and small hotel chains.

Deepak said, “The client was pleased with the work that I had done, and asked me to continue on being the designer for her company - she would like to keep in contact with me after graduation.”

Prestigious Starpack Award for Graphic Communication Student

Graphic Communication student Lisa Barretts work has been Highly Commended in this years Starpack Awards. The Award Scheme, aimed at potential professional designers is one of the UK’S most longstanding and prestigious organised by IOM Communications Ltd and endorsed by The Packaging Society .

The brief chosen by Lisa and sponsored by the Benson Group asked for the innovative use of cartonboard as a primary material in a creative packaging solution for an oriental takeaway meal for two. Lisa a final year student outlines her approach to the brief;

“My final concept focuses on the consumer experience, turning the standard supermarket takeaway into something more enjoyable, and functional, whilst promoting the cultural heritage of the food. I tried to challenge existing packaging by providing a solution which allowed the consumer to present and serve food in an unconventional way. The design and brand of "Taste East" was designed to have high shelf impact intended to attract a wide variety of customers. Environmental sustainability has been considered with the pack made out of entirely recycled and recyclable materials.” 

“I am extremely pleased to have won a Highly Commended award at this years Starpack Student Awards. In my final year of study I feel this has given me a positive platform on which to launch my graduate career. The support and expertise of staff on the BA (Hons) Graphic Communication course has enabled me to develop my skills and passion for design; their encouragement to engage with live and competition briefs means that we can experience working to a professional standard which is vital for building a successful portfolio.”  

Responding to Lisa’s success Ian Madeley & Julia Chidley Senior Lecturer’s in Graphic Communication go on to say:

“We are delighted with Lisa’s achievement and particularly so as it marks the third consecutive year that Graphic Communication students have been successful in these prestigious awards.”

All winners are invited to an Awards Presentations at The Boilerhouse, Springfield Business Park, Grantham, on Wednesday 4 May. With all sponsoring companies present this should be an excellent networking platform. Students will have the opportunity to hear a presentation from Mercury Search and Selection specialist recruiters to the print and packaging industry on CV writing and interview techniques.

Final show feature in WLV Soundcheck Magazine

Final year graphics students are busy preparing for their final show. They are enthusiastically engaging in plenty of fundraising and marketing activity. Some readers of this blog, may have enjoyed the Krispy Kreme fund raising event in the School of Art and Design, or the Walsall club night, both eariler this month.

The student committee are actively making preparations for their graduation events, planning exhibitions and promotional brochures. To this end, graphics student Kate Farrell has secured a multi page editorial feature in WLV Soundcheck magazine. Kate and the graduation committee are delighted with this opportunity, that will publicise the show to Soundcheck's 7000+  readers in the Wolverhampton area and beyond.

Look out for the graphics editorial in the forth coming issue:

http://www.wlv-soundcheck.com  

Well done Kate

The Lloyds TSB Art of Nurture competition finalist - David Baines

A talented illustration student from the University of Wolverhampton has won a coveted place in the national finals of an art competition.

David Baines, 52, from Wellington near Telford, has reached the finals of the Lloyds TSB Art of Nurture contest, which will be held at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London on Wednesday, 6 April 2011.

David, a first Year BA (Hons) Illustration student at the School of Art & Design, has received £500 for his achievement. His design was to illustrate the theme of ‘we succeed together’.

Wolverhampton students were well-represented at the regional finals, held at the IKON Gallery in Birmingham on Tuesday (March 22). Six of the 13 regional finalists were studying Illustration or the Illustration and Graphic Communication subjects at the University, and in addition to David’s success, Joanna Ladowska, 20, won the ‘People’s Prize’.

David said: 

"Art of Nurture has been a highly rewarding experience and I would advise all art students - be they undergraduate or recent post graduates - to get involved."

John Clementson, Subject Leader in Illustration, said: “The Illustration subject team are delighted not only with David’s achievement but for all of our students shortlisted for the regional finals of such a prestigious competition.

“Experiences like these are invaluable for our students and participating in the finals of national competitions is a terrific boost to everyone associated with the subjects - our standard of entry was very strong this year.”

David will now go head-to-head at the national final for a chance to see his work used in a national Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance advertising campaign and secure a paid work placement with a leading creative agency.

The Lloyds TSB Art of Nurture competition is designed to support and encourage UK creative talent and has been developed in partnership with Arts & Business, a national not-for-profit arts agency.

The regional winners will have their work exhibited at the national finals at the Victoria and Albert Museum on 6 April. A prestigious panel will judge the competition, including Jonny Hannah, the award-winning illustrator, whose work has featured in Vogue and The New York Times and Arts & Business chief executive, Colin Tweedy.

Hayley Payne

I have always wanted to go into graphic design

The effect of undertaking a graphics degree at Wolverhampton University, has been significant. Due to the varied course content I am considerably more employable  than many other designers I have met and I have yet to actually work alongside another designer who has the same spread of experience and expertise in both print and multimedia that I have built up. I have done some additional training since graduating, but the grounding has been perfect. My skill set has become more and more broad whilst my area of expertise has got more and more ‘pigeon holed’.

My MA has prepared me well for a specific career path, it has helped me apply and focus the experience and knowledge I have into a focussed area of expertise.

I currently co-ordinate and brand manager the development and maintenance of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup. This job has provided a learning curve and has been a really enjoyable challenge. I have been able to apply almost every skill I have developed so far, whilst learning more and more everyday.  I am heavily involved in Television and Video projects for the two events and work with our account managers to ensure sponsors get best use out of their affiliation with the competitions whilst also using the brands correctly.

A major, unique aspect of my role also lies at the football matches themselves. I have been trained to work at the events and go out on site and organise the matches. So I get to be 'in the thick' of the actual application of my work. It is a great opportunity to get real job satisfaction and also, to co-ordinating football matches for UEFA is quite an honour and  an unforgettable experience every time.

So whoever says going into design is highly competitive, a tough industry to crack and is low paid, was wrong. It just takes planning! I probably only do about 15-20% design these days; however I couldn’t do my job half as well if I didn't have such a strong design background.

BRAND MANAGER/DESIGNER
MARCH 2007 – PRESENT
T.E.A.M. MARKETING AG
LUZERN, SWITZERLAND

Sheaffer support student project

Students are enjoying using their creative talents to promote the beauty of writing and language as part of a new design challenge that has received generous commercial support.

Second year graphics students have been tasked with creating a promotional campaign as part of a new link with international pen company Sheaffer.

The aim of this project is to design identity and a campaign using both visual and verbal language. Students have chosen to work with themes ranging from, promoting the beauty and enjoyment of writing, to reviving the high street shopping experience and encouraging the playing of vinyl records.

The company has presented second year BA (Hons) Graphic Communication students with fountain pens and a selection of ink to inspire the development of innovative solutions to these design challenges.

Barbara George, of Sheaffer UK, said: “The goals of this project are naturally something that is of great interest to our company and we are delighted to be able to encourage and support such a worthwhile design challenge.”

The Sheaffer Prize for Use of Language in Graphic Projects

Sheaffer have decided to offer an award for one student graduating with a Graphic Communication degree this year. The Sheaffer Prize for Use of Language in Graphic Projects will be awarded for the first time at graduation in September and the winning student will receive a collectors version Sheaffer pen.

Jessica Glaser, Senior Lecturer in Graphic Communication at the University’s School of Art & Design, added: “We are delighted by the generous support of Sheaffer UK. We are thrilled that they have offered to reinforce the achievement of our graduating students in recognition of the important link between written language and graphic design.”
Sheaffer have been established since the early 1900s and produce a wide range of high quality writing instruments, including collectors pens and pencils.

Update on RotoVision award

Earlier in the year RotoVision publishers confirmed their desire to continue to sponsor a graduate award.
We are delighted to announce that this coming year RotoVision will be adding to this prize and sponsoring 3 awards, not just the one.
The 2 extra prizes to be presented to lucky graphics graduates, will be

The RotoVision Prize for Excellence in Packaging Design & The RotoVision Prize for Excellence in Branding Design

These 2 new awards will sit alongside the existing RotoVision Award for excellence in Editorial Graphic Communication.
Thank you RotoVision

Design competition win for Theo Johnson

Final year graphics student Theo Johnson has just won the design competition to develop a new identity for Student Union publication ‘Cry Wolf’. Theo’s design will be permanently adopted by the Student Union eZine and the story behind his winning design will be featured on the landing page of the Student Union website.

“Whilst developing the new identity, I decided to explore incorporating a wolf in a more contemporary way. After a exploring a number of alternatives in visual form, I came up with the idea of using the silhouette of a wolf against a full moon, to substitute for the letter ‘O’. I have chosen a sans serif typeface to ensure that my design is right up to date.” Says Theo. “I am really delighted that my idea has been selected and I look forward to seeing my design in use” he concludes.

Graphic Communication students are a Glass Act....

The Glass Association, a registered charity, is a national association born almost 30 years ago out of the need to foster the understanding and appreciation of glass and glass making techniques throughout the UK.

Level 2 Graphic Communication students have been working on a live brief to re-brand the Association to include stationery, print focused publications - quarterly magazine ‘The Glass Cone’ and the Association’s biennial Journal and web, social media groups / blogs etc.

Designs shown here are: (clockwise from top left: Xintong Du (Dee), Daniel Dean, Alex Steer, Andy O'Rourke and Katie Howells)

You can find out more about the Glass Association by visiting: www.glassassociation.org.uk

Lisa Barrett has bags of style...

Lisa began her placement at Bradleys the Tannery Ltd in August 2010 after winning a live brief module in semester two of the BA(Hons) Graphic Communication course. Over the last six months she has worked on a range of design materials, initially beginning with a company rebrand - this included the design of business stationery, retail signage and a range of promotional materials including a 32 page catalogue.

With Lisa's help and expertise, the brand has received positive feedback from customers and wholesalers and Bradleys believe that the new brand is helping them to reach new clients.

Lisa’s placement has lead to a variety of opportunities including visiting Chatsworth Country Show and Spring Fair International at the NEC.

Her future plans include working with a web developer on Bradleys’  new website and art directing photo shoots.

Lisa says, “This live brief has given me invaluable experience increasing my personal and professional confidence and will no doubt help me on my journey to securing employment as a graduate designer.”

Graduate success: Louise Carrier

In 1998, I graduated with First Class BA (Hons) Graphic Communication. My first job was as a designer at the multidisciplinary design
consultancy Hurlston Design in Bourneville, Birmingham. I was lucky enough to work for clients including The Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Van Heusen and Business Post.

“I felt utterly at home and on the graphics course at the University of Wolverhampton. With the help of the theory, practice and collaborative learning, I started to develop my practice and have continued to do so today. The people, experiences and ideas I gained from my time as a student now live on in my mind and will do so forever.”

I have gone on on to work as an In house designer for Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council, and have been awarded A.H.R.B Bursary to study on the MA Communication Design at Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design. After completing my Masters, I began to work with two fellow Wolverhampton graduates Rachel Collinson and Stefan Cartwright, under the company name of Rechord. During this time Rechord were nominated as part of Creative Review's Creative Futures for Sound and exhibited their sound toy 'CuBop' at the Roundhouse, Camden and Digital Women, London. Our Clients included Greenpeace UK, Talent Circus and The London Sustainability Exchange. Indeed the re-design of the Greenpeace UK website was my first major project as a partner of Rechord.

I now run my own Business, Louise Carrier Design and Illustration and enjoy working for a range of clients, including Floor Couture. My site can be seen at:
http://www.louisecarrier.co.uk

“Due to this excellent practical and theoretical grounding I graduated not only with relevant specialist skills but also a wealth of transferrable skills and an awareness of people, ideas and modes of thinking which continue to guide and assist me in every aspect of my daily life.”