Eight inspirational projects from AUB’s graphic design and illustration courses.
If you're looking for the best new graduates for your studio or agency, don't miss Computer Arts' New Talent special, issue 243, featuring the team's handpicked selection of the UK's best graduates – on sale 24 July 2015.
Arts University Bournemouth invariably boasts a strong line-up of graduate talent, and the literature for the show itself has turned heads too – winning a Brand Impact Award in the Education category last year.
Here, we've picked a selection of eight – four each from the BA Graphic Design and BA Illustration courses – from the 2015 show, which is running until 26th June.
Can't make it to Bournemouth? Be sure to check out the AUB stand at D&AD New Blood next week, and come and say hi to us on the Computer Arts stand too.
Grace Parry took inspiration from 17th century printing trends, including ornate borders and numbered paragraphs opened with small caps
Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design
Project: John Locke: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
Responding to a brief from the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) to reconsider a key historical text from a typographer’s perspective, Grace Parry chose to present John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689) as a series of self-contained silk-screened posters.
"I was struck by Locke's argumentative dismissal of the ancient philosophy of innate ideas and the radical new logical theories he replaced it with," she explains. "The idea of philosophies overwriting one another over time inspired me to experiment with developing two contrasting typographic voices of the old and new philosophies."
Parry used bold lettering and fluorescent colours to convey the radical nature of John Locke’s ideas to a modern audience
For the 'established concept of innate ideas', Parry used the calligraphic GT Sectra from Grilli Type, while the 'philosophy of logic' was expressed in Simplon from Swiss Typefaces.
Liv and Dom Cave Sutherland were keen to avoid tired stereotypes about British holidaymakers, and focused on situations where people might take their clothes off
Course: BA (Hons) Illustration
Project: Observations of the British on holiday
For twin siblings Liv and Dom Cave Sutherland, working collaboratively is second nature – but doing so on a sustained basis on their final-year brief was particularly rewarding.
"Our process usually starts from one of two places: an observation on location or a piece of fabric," explains Liv. "Characters often jump out from fabrics and furs so starting with swatches is a helpful process for us."
Ginger on a Beach. The duo were influenced by Martin Parr’s seaside photographs from the 1980s, brought up to date with their own experiences in Bournemouth
The siblings set out to create a body of work that explores how people behave in public settings – "Particularly places where people have the change to get their clothes off," chuckles Dom.
"We looked at what was expected of people in these settings, then just ran with the boldest ideas we could think of. The aim was to start a brand from this project, and we've since set up an online shop."
Under The Jersey started as a square-format publication, but was changed to an extended rectangle to help emphasise the rise and fall of Armstrong’s career
Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design
Project: Under the Jersey
In a response to an ISTD brief to present key milestones in the development of a particular subject or person, Matt Reilly chose disgraced Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong – picking out 10 milestones in his life for his project Under The Jersey.
A eight-page-long halftone quote runs through the middle of the book to sum up Lance Armstrong’s story
"My creative process stretched over a seven-month period," he reveals. "One of the biggest challenges was finding a clear system and set of typographic rules for myself and the book to follow. Another big challenge was typographic detailing and grammar – the only way to overcome this was tedious checking, checking and checking."
Describing himself as an "observer who enjoys questioning human behaviour", Michael Tada enjoys creating back-stories by placing himself in others' shoes and trying to appreciate their thought processes.
For his final project – entitled mApp – Tada developed an animated campaign for Airbnb to help expand the brand's diverse community of users, and give them a greater sense of collective belonging.
Michael Tada's campaign communicates Airbnb's brand values entirely visually, so it transcends language barriers
"mApp explores the playful aspects of the brand through animation and interactive elements, which present the potential offered by Airbnb's services," he explains. "It visually communicates the themes of sharing and community without words, in order to overcome language barriers and engage a global community."
Next page: four more outstanding design graduate projects – plus get a half-price subscription to Computer Arts...
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