Tuesday 25 October 2016

The Creative Conscience Awards


The Creative Conscience Awards is a platform for innovative ideas that encompass world changing creativity. Creative Conscience's aim is to inspire designers to apply their talents to socially valuable projects, promoting sustainability, freedom, social health and well-being.

There are 4 different themed briefs: Mens Mental Health, Gender Brief, Bright Futures and the Open Brief

The competition is open to all students of creativity across the globe (or those that have graduated in the past 24 months), whose conscience has encouraged them to build a passion for a certain cause and presents a fantastic opportunity for them to utilise their creative talent to make a positive change in the world.
Applicants are required to submit work under one of the following seven discipline areas:
Advertising, Architecture, engineering & interior design, Fashion & textiles, Film & photography, Graphics, Illustration & animation, Product & structural design

Each entry will be judged by a panel of leading and influential creatives each of whom have unsurpassed experience for their respective fields. Entry is open to applicants working alone or in groups of up to 3 people. Creative work submitted has to have been created in the past 12 months from the start date of the competition.

Creative Conscience respects applicants’ rights and does not claim copyright for works submitted to this competition; applicants will retain full copyright in each entry.

There is a minimal entry fee of 10 GBP (approx. 12 USD).

Eligibility
Open to full or part-time creative students across the globe enrolled on a recognised undergraduate, postgraduate or higher education course, or those that have graduated in the past 24 months.
Prize
The winners of the Creative Conscience Awards will be invited to a networking Awards Ceremony in London, providing a gateway into the professional world through mentorship or internships (through the CCA network) and profile building PR activities.

Deadline April 20 2017

Thursday 20 October 2016

Olivier Kugler talk to Visual Communication Students



Visual Communication students have enjoyed meeting illustrator Olivier Kugler and were particularly fascinated to hear about his recent reportage project based on the plight of the Syrian Refugees. 
Médecins Sans Frontières invited Kugler to spend two weeks in Domiz refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan. With the help of a translator, Olivier spent two weeks with the refugees who told him their stories of time spent in war torn Syria and their experiences in the refugee camp. During his time there, he took countless photos that are used as reference in order to work on the completed drawings.

http://www.olivierkugler.com




Tuesday 18 October 2016

Peter Kennard, Off Message Visit




Third year Visual Communication students have enjoyed visiting Peter Kennard's Off Message at the MAC. The exhibition showcases some of Kennard's most important work from 1968 to the present day. His photomontage images leave a lasting impression on the viewer, highlighting causes and concerns that are significant to many. The show runs till Sunday, 27 November

Friday 14 October 2016

Freefont Noto from Monotype and Google



Google Noto is A typeface five years in the making, and spans more than 100 writing systems in 800 languages, encompassing hundreds of thousands of characters. 

Noto is collaborative effort between Google and Monotype and aimed at being universal method of communication for billions of people around the world accessing digital content.

Download Noto free here - pick the languages you want or download all fonts

Tuesday 11 October 2016

£2000 Scholarship scheme 2017/18

The University of Wolverhampton has announced the extension of it's Scholarships and bursaries scheme for full-time undergraduate entrance in 2017/18

The Distinction Scholarship is offered to all UK based entrants to degree courses at the University of Wolverhampton who achieve ABB grades or above at A level, grades of distinction, distinction, merit or above at BTEC or an equivalent pass in the Access to HE Diploma. More detail of required passes and grades can be found here.

This scholarship scheme takes the form of a £2000 cash payment which is paid in two instalments in the first year of study only.


For more information on Distinction Scholarships see here

For detail on all University scholarship schemes and bursaries see here

Wednesday 5 October 2016

Begum Yucelay - MA Show



There are nearly 6,500 languages spoken in the world. English is regarded as the global language and although widespread, it is often people’s second or third language. The fact that it is a global language makes it advantageous to learn it. Having said that, people are more able to understand and decode visual languages. This tells us that visual languages do not present us with the same issues as linguistic languages.

In order to learn more about this distinction between the visual and linguistic I am going to analyse different visual languages in detail, which I will apply to different projects. I think that effective communication can solve a lot of problems all over the world. My aim is that, in this global world we live in, people with few educational prospects should be able to get the same information as people with a high level of education.

begumyucelay@icloud.com

Tim Wilczura - MA Show


I‘m a metalhead. For most people this just means that I like to listen to heavy metal but for metalheads heavy metal is more than a musical genre – it‘s a way of life! It‘s part of our identity. It‘s being part of a bigger family, united by music and by being different. This is what I want to convey to my audience through my film-project.

I‘m creating a documentary about the heavy-metal and festival-scene in Germany in which I present the people and the atmosphere rather than just the bands and their music. I‘d like to take more of a cinéma vérité approach to the project, to immerse the viewer into the situation, instead of a classical narrative with an explanatory voice-over. Additionally I‘ll create a music-video to the song “Your God” by the German thrash-metalband “Skulled” to utilize my filming experiences from my MA studies.

t.wilczura@maills.de

Kristina Weber - MA Show



“I had a flashback of something that never existed.”

Arms that weep and feet that escape; sad eyes longing for happiness. She throws her head back, spreads her arms wide and everyone can see how much she loves.

Expressing her feelings through movement she dances her heart out.


My MA project explores the theme of an unattainable love through the medium of film and photography, thinking of codes that express a certain feeling and taking on the metaphor of a rose to symbolise that with love inevitably comes pain. While the photographic part focuses on pondered sadness, the film is about breaking out of melancholy. Visualizing the emotional layer of a song through a dance performance inspired by Pina Bausch, I want to change the end of the thorn birds into a positive message: Sometimes you need to let go of a dream which never existed to find happiness. Farewell.

Matthew Walker - MA Show


Modern surveillance has become an integral aspect of culture. The panopticon is the earliest form of mass surveillance. It allowed for perpetual visibility, which is the feeling of being watched when you not necessarily are.

‘The Panopticon’ project is inspired by my research into surveillance culture in the UK, looking at the beginning of surveillance and how it has altered the public perception of the government. My work is split into two components – the first, a sculpture made from slip-casted porcelain to create surveillance cameras, which represents the most symbolic form of surveillance in a realistic manner. The second component is a booklet which delves deeper into different forms of surveillance, combining illustrative and graphic techniques.

Tilman Wagner - MA Show



As we all live on this planet and want to develop, we need to draw on its resources. The variety of our needs and consumption require different materials. For instance, wood, is a renewable resource, whilst plastic is not. 
Plastic is widely used as packaging which presents numerous problems. In 2010 the average consumer in the United Kingdom used 129 plastic bags just once before they were binned. As there is a big demand for plastic in every field of our life, the plastic production is overwhelming. An immeasurable amount of trash is polluting our environment and floating in our sea.
My aim of the project is to show my journey to find a way to force people to watch, and think about uncomfortable topics caused by their own fault, using the example of plastic waste and environmental pollution. By exposing the ruinous effects of plastic I hope to make people think about how they treat the environment.
tilmanwagner@gmx.de

Tuesday 4 October 2016

Maria Anglica Cartagena Varca - MA Show



Through all of my amazing travel experiences I‘ve decided to do an artist book based on my stories about travelling. The book is interactive and allows the reader to discover parts of me and my past.

The structure of the book is different than regular books - you have to discover the book to find out where the next pages are. In the book you might find an object such as a key, feel the texture of sand, or smell a flower. The materials used include wood, metal, found objects and different types of paper. Each page contains a different adventure from my life. The design has an antique feel, reflecting the fact that the stories are from my past. I chose to do the illustrations in the style of Japanese brush paintings, because this fits with my South-East Asian roots and also complements the antique design of the book.

Daniel Unger - MA Show

I became to realize that everybody‘s perception of reality was altered by their past experiences. For my MA project, I attempted to capture different viewpoints and perceptions into one book. 


By using a set of diffe­rent techniques, the viewer can read the book in more than one way, thus giving him/her a different experience and perception. The objective is to create a fully illustrated book and incorporating different techniques, such as coloured glasses, to view different parts of the book. Each illustration comprises two layers, which are painted on top of each other each in one solid colour. By using the coloured glasses, the viewer can then view one illustration and subsequently block out the other. With the help of the coloured glasses as a new form of viewing technique and by using different media, such as drawings and animations, I will try to explain the viewer the concept of different perceptions and how people might experience reality.

Sarah Stein - MA Show


I want to make a campaign for World Bipolar Day. This day is celebrated every year on March 30, on the birthday of Vincent van Gogh. My campaign will consist of a video and a book. In the video, I point out that the stigma must be destroyed so that people suffering from such a disease have the courage to talk about it. 

In the video I want a person always shown from behind, doing extreme things in various situations, while the symptoms of bipolar are shown starkly; from mania to depression. Until in the end the person decides to talk to someone about it. In the book I want to tell them what bipolar disorder is, what the symptoms are, and how they show up. I want the information to tell in a story consisting of photos to show awareness of how crippling this illness is, as well as the multiple ways it affects the individual.

sarahstein16@hotmail.de

Felix Schneider - MA Show


Most people are not aware what amount of damage is caused by their everyday lifestyles to the planet in many different ways. Rainforests are destroyed, the air is polluted, water contaminated and hundreds of millions of animals are being tortured and killed every day just to gratify our desire to eat meat. 
During my Master’s studies I became vegan. Supermarkets, food stores and the health industry have started to think differently and do now offer more alternative products than ever before. The problem is that most vegan products taste like vegetable broth and are overpriced. I want to offer inexpensive and tasty vegan products – mostly homemade to show the meat and dairy eaters that you can live a better and more sustainable life without having to give up delicious food. My concept is about a food store which attracts people from the ages of 20-30 and especially those who normally avoid vegan food. 

Yannik Schlenz - MA Show



My project focuses on further experimentation to create a toolkit of experimental tactile objects to experience and interact with. Today we are facing the problem of the increased fragmentation of identity through technology. My aim is to think about the value of the body and perception of being in the real world. 

We already have overcome the limitations set by our body through technology and are slowly descending into a state of hybrid identity. To support my practical work, the theoretical part will focus on supporting and exploring my idea by determining the socio-cultural changes and values related to embodiment. The Fluxus’ use of implanting the observ­ers’ senses through interaction as a medium, Raoul Hausmann’s vision of the modern human with technology as part of the body and Picasso’s study of body fragmentation form the inspirational background I want to bring together in my work.

yannik.schlenz@web.de

Darya Said - MA Show



Exactly 100 years ago in 1916 Kurdistan was split into four new states Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey. Ever since then Kurds have suffered an identity crisis. This documentary will explore what it means to be a Kurd in 2016.

Kurds are one of the biggest nations on the planet living without a state. This loss of identity has caused bloodshed between Kurds, who unwillingly have to live in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. They have been discriminated against because of their ethnic identity. The central regimes of these countries have ignored the Kurdish cause and the international community has not found it in their interest to put further pressure on the four regimes to support the Kurds. The film will focus on true stories that had happened as the result of the division of Kurdistan, and its consequences on the lives of Kurdish individuals. The question will remain what the Kurds struggle for?

daryasaid@yahoo.co.uk

Ines Rast - MA Show

A world population of nine billion people is predicted by 2050. Resources are already depleted and 795 million people fight starvation (WTF, World Food Programme), while one third of edible food is thrown away every year. What has this to do with food photography? 


As a food photographer one is required to present food to stimulate taste. Pointing out the perfection of a dish or product leads to a consumer reaction in buying the product or cooking the dish. With my project, I would like to use food photography in a new way. In giving food a ‘voice’, my aim is to make people aware of current social issues such as food waste and therefore use food photography in a social context. My aim is to change consumers’ behaviour and attitudes and guide them towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Simultaneously, different photographic techniques will challenge me in expanding my food photographic skills. 

Monday 3 October 2016

Andre Schmoll - MA Show

Understanding, acceptance and adaptation are the necessary conditions for a brand which wants to be both global and sustainable, both within the environment and in soci­ety. Many current brands and their communication models are not able to achieve this. The main reason is that brands focus on psychological ways to manipulate their customers to make the biggest possible profit.

I came up with the idea of combining art and design to achieve a new form of brand communication. Design and art in combination are powerful media and tools which help brands gain the follo­wing conditions: understanding (with simplicity), acceptance (with art) and adaption (with integrity). I call this idea “Simplicity, Art, Integrity”. To make this idea tangible I developed nine key featu­res about what constitutes good design. I will show that the combination of art and design create a sustainable future, not only for a brand but also for society.

kontakt@andreschmoll.de

andreschmoll.de

Lisa Prigge - MA Show



Over the last year I have become more and more interested in representations of death, especially from different cultures, and looking at different times and stages of life. 

For my MA project I am working on a digital game, or rather an interactive story, telling the journey through history from the perspective of death. As the story is seen from his/her eyes, it will be a first person game, letting the user play as Death. Connected to this will be a book, entitled Death’s Diary, to support the story with more detail. I hope to show different ideas about how people handle their last moments by creating a dialogue between them and the inquisitive Death. The story will start in the past, continue to the present and end with prospects of the future, including the confrontation of Death and science, threatening Death with its own demise through modern medicine.

priggelisa@web.de

Mirco Monsees - MA Show


Growing up in a small town in Germany, the Latin alphabet was the only writing system I ever came in contact with. Other languages and their unique ways of writing always had a certain draw to me and after practising typography and lettering in English and German for a number of years, I now want to expand my horizons.

My MA project represents an effort to step outside my comfort zone and explore different writing systems. My aim is to create a series of posters featuring the phrase “Nice to meet you" translated into the most widely spoken languages in the world created using a custom typeface that exhibits a consistent style throughout. Through the process of researching the construction of these writing systems and designing their letters, I hope to gain a better understanding of the amazing variety that language has to offer.

Alex McNutt - MA Show




I am taking elements of oral tradition and bringing them up-to-date by personalising and presenting them in graphic novel format and using this to explore the relationship between pictures and words. My main characters are rooted in Celtic and early Irish mythology and folklore, with additional characters drawn from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

I have looked into the folklore surrounding the megalithic structures of Ireland, such as dolmens or The Sidhe that were believed to be entrances to the Celtic Otherworld. At certain times of the year, for example, at the solstices and equinoxes, these entrances were thought to be at their weakest, making it possible to cross from realm to realm. 

Some parts of my graphic novel make use of homemade inks and also of homemade paper, inspired by rumours that Irish records were pulped by the British Government to make paper during the shortages of the First World War.

Kristina Moreale - MA Show

3D printing is our future. Someday we may be able to print whole body parts and organs. The medical industry has incredible possibilities concerning 3D printing. 

That is exactly why I want to draw people’s attention to this specific topic. My goal is to create a company that prints organs and sells them. Assuming that it is already possible to print every organ or body part, my project includes the corporate design and advertisement campaign for the products. The target audience will be everyday people who enjoy their lives and worry about nothing. The campaign will consider, for example, smokers who may someday need a new lung, alcohol consumers who may need a new liver or athletes who can get a bigger heart instead of doping. The aim of this project is that people start thinking about the morals and values of living well as well as possibilities for our future.
kristina.moreale@t-online.de

Manuela Mau - MA Show


With my Master’s project I want to cover the subject of mental illness in an abstract way by writing a book that is suitable for young readers from the age of 12. 

It is going to tell the story of a young girl who finds herself in a forest full of monsters and is inspired by Japanese mythology. Gradually the girl has to face adventures and challenges that help her to find her way out of the forest, which symbolises depression. The challenges the girl encounters show the reader how to face different mental illnesses, what to do if you are in the situation of being mentally ill and how to help people with mental disorders. In my opinion dealing with depression and other mental illnesses is something children should know about as it is widespread, affects many, and so should not be a taboo subject.

Saturday 1 October 2016

Thomas Kreutzer - MA Show

In the age of rapidly growing communication and information technology, the smartphone has become an essential device for us and our daily life is unthinkable without it. Today’s smartphones store numerous applications that make our life more comfortable and allow us to communicate with each other over different platforms from everywhere around the world. 

But technology has a downside – it enables a 24/7 connectivity to that device and makes us addicted to the smartphone. There is an app for everything you can imagine and our social interactions take place mostly over social network platforms. In my project I want to create a campaign to point out the dangers of smartphone addiction. I want to reach my audience over social media platforms because that makes up a large proportion of those that fall into that category.

Jean-Paul Heller - MA Show

Since my degree in Germany, I have developed a growing interest in advertising. During my MA research, I recognized that the advertising industry is a very slow changing and slow developing industry. 

This knowledge I got from my research, led me to my MA project. The future of advertising has been changed because of the digital age which has meant that many companies are using different digitally-based techniques and media to advertise their products.

My goals for the project are to find other solutions for advertising then just normal print or normal digital ads. I want to find a way to combine classic forms to keep and develop old forms of advertising for the future and to show what will be possible in the future with new media and inventions.

paulheller@kerschkamp-heller.de