Wednesday 13 July 2011
Design talent shines through at national awards
Artwork by Alex Card for the D&AD animation competition
Four students from Nottingham Trent University's School of Art & Design have scooped awards at two national exhibitions of graduate design talent. The students in textile design, graphic design and multimedia have been recognised with prizes at the New Designers, and D&AD New Blood exhibitions in London.
At New Designers, graphic design student Lucinda Ireland won the New Designers Hallmark Award. Her portfolio of typography and hand lettering impressed judges enough to secure her the £1000 cash prize, along with a month long placement at Hallmark's Bradford based studios.
Lucinda said: "It's a really nice surprise to have the judges recognise my work like this. I've put a lot of time and effort into my portfolio and projects, and it was great to even been chosen to exhibit at New Designers. To have picked up an award as well is really special."
Textile design student Toni Lake won the Clothworkers Company Associate Prize and the Christy Carpets Associate Prize, also at New Designers. Her design work and portfolio of printed textiles were commended for demonstrating innovation and creativity that lent itself well to the possibility of being developed into a commercial carpet design.
At the D&AD New Blood exhibition, Graphic design student Ian Upcott won a Best New Blood award. His portfolio included work that he'd created for a pet shop, using items such as pet food, to create images of the animals that they relate to.
Alex Card, a multimedia student, came second in the Walt Disney Company sponsored animation category of the D&AD awards. Working to a brief set by the Walt Disney Company, Alex created and animated a character that could be used for a narrative-driven comedy cartoon. Having won second prize, Alex has also been commissioned by the Walt Disney Company EMEA to work on the character design for an animation series currently in development.
Alex said: "It's been hard work, but a lot of fun. Getting the chance to work on a project like this has really tested my skills and creativity, but coming second is a great result and I'm very proud to have my work recognised like this."
Judith Mottram, dean of the School of Art & Design at Nottingham Trent University said: "I was really pleased to hear about our students' success at these exhibitions and awards. We're always proud to see our graduates displaying the skills that they have developed during their time with us, and I wish them all the best of luck with what I'm sure will be very successful careers."
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The School of Art & Design's success at these two national exhibitions also follows significant achievements at this year's Graduate Fashion Week. Fashion knitwear design student, Rory Longdon, was named Gold Award Winner, whilst fellow student Wonjee Chung won the Stuart Peters Visionary Knitwear Award.
