Radio success

Recent Visual Communication graduate, Shamraiz Khan is about to make his Radio debut with Bradford Community Broadcasting. Shamraiz will soon be on air with the station, after being awarded a bursary with the station. The recent Wolverhampton graduate is also planning to undertake  courses with the Princes Trust. Well done Shamraiz. If you are in the Bradford area the station can be heard on 106.6fm or listen live on http://www.bcbradio.co.uk/

“Waiting…"

On Thursday February 17^th the Lighthouse Cinema Wolverhampton is the venue for “Waiting” a screening of films produced by Graphic Communication students in response to the question “what is waiting?”. The English Oxford Dictionary’s generic definition; “the delay in a meal while we await the arrival of someone" is an example we probably all recognise and yet there are many others more mundane, more dramatic. The act of waiting can bring with it an auto-response vocabulary of words and gestures we use to deal with routine delays, or it can initiate the unexpected by suddenly relocating us to a unique moment in time with its own personal and intense narrative.

Approaches and ideas draw on occurrences of waiting in everyday life, popular culture and film, and were supported by visits to Birmingham’s Eastside District and the Liverpool Biennale; whilst the filmmaking process fully engaged many students for the first time with the skills of writing, direction and editing.

The screening schedule comprises fifty eight films, each approximately a minute in duration and initiated through individual interpretations of the theme. Sequences are informed by diverse influences including amongst them; re presentations of personal narratives, time motion audits of daily routines, deconstructions of game show fragments, references to contemporary art practice, the semiotics of medical drama, the intertextual language of film, the syntax of call queuing systems, and manipulated rituals of celebration and performance.

The waiting screening starts at 12.15 pm on Thursday February 17th

Joanna Ladowska in print!

Proud, first year Visual Communication student Joanna Ladowska is delighted to have an article devoted to her work, within ‘Art of England’ Magazine.
Joanna, from Poland, is an enthusiastic member of the first year student community, with a keen interest in Illustration, typography, and layout. Joanna’s illustration which is displayed prominently across a double page spread, is shown along side the work of such renowned artists as, as John Swannell and Norman Rockwell.

“Joanna has a particular interest in drawing from life, both in class and on location." Says  Senior Lecturer,  Ben Kelly. “I predict a bright future for her, as she continues to develop her illustrative style” he concludes.

Typographic Conference

Typewriting, a day long conference totally devoted to all things typographic, is coming to Birmingham on March 16th.

This symposium will explore the link between the typographer and the writer of words, be their texts literary, commercial, instructional or inspirational; whether they have been produced by a professional writer, graphic auteur or the casual passer-by who has simply given form to his thoughts. Tickets are available now from: http://www.typographichub.org/diary/entry/type-writing/

Why not take the opportunity to meet an array of people with a passion for type and come along to hear a fascinating array of talks from a variety of international speakers, including University of Wolverhampton, Visual Communication lecturer, Jessica Glaser

Countdown to D&AD competition

It's approaching the deadline to this years D&AD competition (good luck to those who are entering).

As part of the countdown there is a daily post from one of the judges, or someone of note connected with the competition. Today's comment comes from Michael Bierut, the graphic design jury chairman and discusses a resurgence in enthusiasm and interest in print.

His post is expressed in 140 words (the limit for descriptive text that should accompany all D&AD professional entry).

"Despite expectations to the contrary, print and publication seems to be far from dead, but in fact may be entering a new golden age. In reaction to the rise of the iPad, enabled by the accessibility of more varied (and digitally-enabled) print-on-demand technologies, magazines and newspapers and broadsides at every scale keep coming on strong. I noticed on "Downton Abbey" that the servants used to iron the newspapers upon delivery, lest their masters' fingers get smudged with ink. Is it wishful thinking that I am yearning for some smudging again?"

RotoVision Award for Wolverhampton Visual Communication Students

We are proud to announce that for the third year running, RotoVision Publishing are sponsoring an award for graduating Visual Communication students. During the forthcoming, September graduation ceremony, the prize, will be presented by the Dean of the School of Art and Design, Dr Bryony Conwy, to the winning student. Former recipients of ‘The RotoVision Award for Excellence in Editorial Graphic Communication’ have been Ineesa Iqbal and Matt Zarandi,  both of whom have gone on to highly successful employment as graphic designers. In previous years RotoVision have also generously supported Visual Communication students with an internship offered within their design studio in Hove.

Remember to look out for more information about this years award recipient, in the months to come.

Hello from Mauritius

Hi, my name is Ashvin Saneecharaun, I graduated from the Graphic Communication degree at the University of Wolverhampton in 2007. I now work for Air Mauritius as a Graphic Designer after previously working at Orange and at M&C Saatchi, in London. 

My current role gives me a good insight of an industry with lots of opportunities. I work on the airline's online advertising campaigns as well as design for print and web. Design and strategies here are methodical and result from research and analysis, we work with international consultants and coaches who guide us with the best industry practices.  

I enjoyed both multimedia and editorial design at university. I cannot believe it's nearly 4 years since my graduation. It was an enriching experience studying at Wolverhampton and I met many really talented people and made lots of friends. During my study, I enjoyed typography, design for print and design for screen and this has prepared me well for working as a graphic designer.

Ashvin 

SPEED programme success

Recent graduates David Healey and Keith Vickers have just been accepted on the SPEED 2011 scheme. "Competition has been tough" said David "there have been 60 applicants for just 20 places, so we are really thrilled to have been offered this wonderful opportunity" he continued.

SPEED 2011 offers students from and recent graduates any course, the opportunity to develop their business ideas whilst at University. Running since march 2009, the £5million project, partially funded by the European Regional Development Fund, aims to help students become the entrepreneurs of the future.

Students accepted on the SPEED WM programme will get financial and support assistance tailored to suit their particular need, as well as provision of training days and workshops.

The programme lasts for a period of 36 weeks and acts as an integral part of the University experience; it is designed to either offer an alternative to the traditional work-based placement or to run alongside a studies.

Successful students, such as Keith and David, will receive training and access to a variety of internal and external resources to give them the best chance of generating an income from their business and will be coached at each stage of their development.

The principle of the SPEED WM project is to give students the opportunity to improve their business skills through the development of a business idea in a supportive environment.

To find out more about speed, visit:

http://www.speedwm-wlv.org/

Congratulations Keith and David.

Open evening and creative fair

SAD is hosting a seasonal creative fair on 9th December from 10.00am - 5.30pm. Why not come along and enjoy the stalls selling Cards & Christmas Gifts, Handmade Felt Gifts, Hand Blown Glass Baubles, Decorated Ceramics, Sculptural Ceramics, Glass Gifts, Fine Photography Prints, Handmade Jewellery and Beads, Soaps, Candles and lots more.


At the same time there is also an open evening hosted by the school, giving visitors the opportunity to tour the facilities and find out more about the exciting range of courses on offer within the School of Art and design. The open evening runs from 4.00-7.00pm and all are welcome.

Happy Holidays!