Graphic Design and Illustration students win 5 D&AD New Blood Awards

The D&AD Awards are the professional body for Graphic and Communication Design disciplines in the UK. Their New Blood Awards are open to advertising, design, digital and marketing students, recent graduates and young creatives worldwide. Students are invited to participate in industry lead briefs, which provides an opportunity to gain exposure and kickstart their creative career.

D&AD visited º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ in early March to brief Graphic Design and Illustration students on the awards and briefs. The awards took place on the 9th July live via Instagram where 213 pencils were awarded nationally, of which only 39 were yellow (the equivalent of a gold medal). º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ students entered a total of 31 projects, with 5 projects announced as winners.

giffgaff brief: giffgaff gotU
Winner: Nour Abosaif
Pencil: Yellow

7 million people in the UK experience symptoms of agoraphobia. Linked to anxiety, agoraphobics avoid public transport, open, enclosed, or crowded spaces. The problem is, they fear escape may be difficult and help will not be readily available. The app ‘giffgaff gotU’ is solving this by empowering those who struggle with agoraphobia to leave any situation before panic kicks in.

Read more about gifgaff gotU on the D&AD website here.

 

giffgaff gotU illustration background and hands holding smart phones

giff gaff brief: Unlock the power of 5G for the giffgaff community
Winners: Henry White and Rory Cowan
Pencil: Graphite

There are over 900,000 deaf people within the UK. There is a silent divide in our society, a divide that isolates the Deaf community and makes them twice as likely to suffer from mental health issues. Harnessing the unparalleled power of 5G, Hands Up is here to solve that and reimagine communication.

Read more about Hands Up on the D&AD website here.

Hands Up graphic on a yellow background

Rare & Xbox brief: Create a game that helps players create stories together
Winners: Andrew Grech, Peter Jago, Ali Mshasha
Pencil: Wood

Challenged to create a new co-operative experience, encouraging players to interact for memorable, shareable moments, and inspired by Elite, PlanetSide and Star Trek; Andrew, Peter and Ali designed a crew adventure set underwater.

Read more about In Deep Ship on the D&AD website here.

image from in Deep Ship

VBAT Superunion brief: Brand a bike hire scheme in your city
Winner: Bartek Marzec
Pencil: Wood

Clique is a summer bike-hire scheme focused on targeting the youth of Birmingham. The purpose of Clique is to provide an outlet to those in limited opportunity areas of Birmingham, where youth centres are rare or no longer operating.

Read more  about Clique - Break Out the Cycle on the D&AD website here.

Clique logo in blue on yellow backround

BBC brief: Use the BBC to create a new intersection of physical and data
Winners: Olivia Kite and Sophie State
Pencil: Wood

Our BBC breaks down physical barrier people may face. Creating a digital space where family and loved ones can connect. It does this by deeping their values and exploring their interests on a more meaningful level.

Read more about Our BBC on the D&AD website here.

Our BBC smart phone with display and descriptive text

Alongside the winners, the following students and their projects were announced as the New Blood Festival Ones to Watch:

Bartek Marzec
Josie Hales
Laura Chu
Myles Walsh

Senior Lecturer Illustration & Animation, Andrew Selby comments that "The Graphic Communication and Illustration teaching team would like to express our admiration for the resilience and determination shown by the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ students in achieving these awards. To have such an impressive set of results in a COVID-19 affected year is remarkable. º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ now has over 30 awards and recognitions by D&AD New Blood and some of our graduates were on jury panels for awards this year."

View all of the briefs and award winners from the D&AD New Blood Awards 2020 here.