Edinburgh College students design prizes for local award ceremony
Photograph by Hope Holmes
A group of Edinburgh College students saw their creations being presented to the winners of a prestigious awards ceremony in Edinburgh recently.
The BA (Hons) Visual Communication students designed the awards that were presented to the winners of each award category at the annual Creative Edinburgh Awards which took place at Summerhall in November.
The students were challenged by Creative Edinburgh to design ten awards which were then printed using laser printing technology at the College’s Granton Campus and collected by Creative Edinburgh in time for the ceremony.
The brief set to the students was to create an award using sustainable materials and the concept of jigsaw puzzles as inspiration. The students got into groups of two and designed the award that was allocated to them, with the final design required to be in the format of a square to represent a ten-piece TANGRAM puzzle.
The students used a variety of approaches such as utilising found objects, experimenting with wordplay, and collaborating over design whilst using their various backgrounds as inspiration to help create each unique award which was produced digitally before being printed on sustainable bamboo materials.
The group of students are the first cohort of the recently-established BA course which is delivered by Edinburgh College and validated by Kingston University in London.
The Creative Edinburgh Awards highlight creative projects from across the city and recognise the achievements of Edinburgh’s creative talent. The scheme unites creative thinkers across the city through events, career support and advocacy, to help grow the city’s creative community.
BA (Hons) Visual Communication student Craig McBeath said: “It was great to be given the chance to work on an actual client-led brief and for the work to be in support of other creatives in the Edinburgh area. The Innovation Award is right up my street and to create that award on a laser cutter seemed particularly appropriate. On a personal level, it is always nice to be given the opportunity to learn new techniques and to use different tech.”
Art and Design lecturer Natalie Doyle said: “The students demonstrated clear skill, imagination and motivation when designing their bespoke designs ahead of the Creative Edinburgh Awards ceremony. All the groups made great efforts and certainly rose to the occasion for the live project and each individual award is testament to that.
“We have had our laser cutter sitting in-house for several years but due to the pandemic, we have been unable to take full advantage of our on-campus resources until recently. It was a joy for the staff and students alike to utilise the technology, especially with a mind to take a more sustainable approach to the fabrication process. The biggest thing I took from this project was the class's enthusiasm in designing a product that would be realised in a fully physical form. After the last couple of years, it is so important to celebrate the corporeal and the fact that the awards were presented in person this year, with the students in attendance, was truly special.”
Creative Edinburgh programme manager Zoe Farrugia said: “Working with the staff of at Edinburgh College and the students from the BA (Hons) Visual Communications course was a memorable experience, and the awards ceremony wouldn't have been the same without their participation.
“The students were tasked with creating Creative Edinburgh Awards 2022 trophies. They took inspiration from the stunning visuals created by Chiara Cellini, our first Artist in Residence, an alumnus of the College herself. Their unique laser-cut-into bamboo creations were not only sustainable but also contemporary in their expression and evocative of the values that we hold as an organisation.”
Find out more about the Creative Edinburgh Awards.
