Jun
2008
23
telford college - final year exhibition
It’s easy to forget that what you are looking at while wandering round the Telford Graphic Design show is the fulfilment of just a two year HND course.
The students’ final visuals are presented in a way which is as professional as any we’ve seen and this is no exercise of style over content. The ideas are fresh and unconventional which is what you would hope for from young talent going into a business.
The venue at Telford College is bright and contemporary and it seems that students have raised their game to match. It would certainly appear that the involvement from over a dozen different agencies within Edinburgh has added to the relevance to the work. The invitation to review and give feedback at a half-way exhibition has paid its dividends. It was good to see how far, in some cases at least, the work had developed.
There can be some drawbacks though, I did quizzically ask one student why there was still no headline offer on a piece of advertising that still left me lost, only to be told that a guy from another agency said "it was fine as it was" and did not need one! It goes to show that it’s not who you believe but what you believe.
Heading out of the graphic design area and into the adjacent exhibition for illustration, interior design, photographic and fashion added to the overall sense of richness of work on display. Having been down to see a selection of degree course work in England it is good to see that the standards of design is equally high north of the border and that the investment in new facilities and equipment is just as great. When I was a student we used to think (very arrogantly) that we succeeded despite the input from our tutors but all of the students we spoke thought the tutors’ advice was invaluable.
At the end of the day what impressed us most was the confidence of the articulate students who had a real passion for design. No shrinking violets on show anywhere!
What were the downsides? Not many.
The LEWIS team thought it was disappointing that there was not a great deal of digital media work on show especially as web plays an increasingly important role within any campaign nowadays.
I get the feeling that students still continue to work as individuals and never together which is a real shame because in our studio that is when the real fun and excitement starts.
Students need to learn that the trick is still to appreciate the 'art' but more importantly to see below the surface to the core of the creative thinking in response to the set brief. With an Apple Mac and CSC3 you can 'polish a turd' in a hundred different ways but the good news is that, as you go around the show, there is plenty on display that brings out a knowing nod of appreciation and a smile in the mind.
ian kirkby
art director
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