MA Graphic Design and Visualisation students capture the history of º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Bellfoundry in design challenge

Building on the already established partnership with the trust, students were set a challenge to develop a piece of graphic interpretation to capture the lost Bellfoundry House which was formally home to the Taylor family who set up the foundry in 1859.

Professor Phillip Lindley, Programme Director of the MA Graphic Design and Visualisation programme worked with the trust and Ginger Root Design to create a challenge for students to design a piece of graphic interpretation to capture where the Bellfoundry House once stood, and to showcase the history of the Taylor family and the Bellfoundry. 

Students were invited on a tour of the foundry, provided with details of the extensive history of Britain’s last major Bellfoundry where bellfounders John Taylor and Company cast more than 25,000 bells that are hung in over 100 countries around the world, as well as being supported with costing, graphic and branding advice from Alex Crabtree, Creative Director at Ginger Root Design to help realise their ideas.

A sample of the winning design by Lucy Butterworth, Jiaming Guo, Abigail Mansion and Antonia Williams

Working in teams, students pitched their ideas where they were judged and provided with feedback of their concepts. The winners of the challenge were Lucy Butterworth, Jiaming Guo, Abigail Mansion and Antonia Williams for their attention to detail of the family members and the aspects of interactivity in their design concepts.

Professor Phillip Lindley commented that:

My Graphics Design and Visualisation students at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ are inventive, culturally and educationally diverse and highly skilled. We were all extraordinarily impressed by the winning team’s innovative and beautifully articulated project. The whole experience of working together as a small team to respond to a brief, alongside a leading professional, with an actual, costed project was an enthralling and valuable experience for the students.

Speaking of the experience, Chrissie Van Mierlo, Museum Director explained that:

We’re delighted to partner with º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ as we usher in a new era for one of our town’s most important landmarks, a centre for traditional manufacturing skills and design innovation since 1859. It’s been a joy to work with staff and students from the School of Design and Creative Arts, with their talent and imagination opening up new creative possibilities for the future of the Bellfoundry’s heritage experience. We look forward to many more innovative and productive collaborations in years to come.

Read more about the winning design and the challenge on the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Bellfoundry Trust website.