8 July 2011
DJCAD run of success continues
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design's recent run of success has continued with a further four awards for graduates and DJCAD itself being nominated for an industry prize.
At the recent New Designers exhibition, Kate Webster won the Textile Society Award, Paddy Stevenson-Keating the Designersblock award for Outstanding Creative Thinking, and Rory Colsell the Cyber-Duck Associates Prize.
Textile Design graduate Kate will receive a cash prize and prestigious exhibition space while Paddy, a Product Design graduate, has won space at Designersblock London 2011 and Designersblock Milan 2012 (value £4,000) as well as mentoring and office space at the organisation's Shoreditch HQ.
Rory, a graduate of the Digital Interaction Design programme, has won a 12-month apprenticeship with digital agency Cyber-Duck and a Nintendo DSi. This is the second year in a row that a Digital Interaction Design student from DJCAD has won the Cyber-Duck prize.
Their success follows on from that of Jewellery & Metal Design graduate Filipa Oliviera, who won the Goldsmith’ Company Jewellery Award at New Designers last month, the third graduate from DJCAD, part of the University of Dundee, to have won the award in the past three years.
Graphic Design graduate, David Tolmie won a Best of New Blood award, at the exhibition of the same name, and receives a place on the D&AD graduate placement scheme, and a highlighted position on the D&AD online showcase as well as other prizes.
The five prize-winners were among the 300 graduates who exhibited at the Dundee Degree Show at DJCAD last month. The exhibition, Dundee’s largest annual art exhibition which attracts around 10,000 visitors each year, has been nominated in the Best Marketing Strategy category of the Scottish Event Awards 2011.
DJCAD marketing manager Mhari MacDonald said she was delighted with the nomination and the success that graduates were having at exhibitions across the UK.
'It’s fantastic for us to be nominated for our marketing strategy but, no matter what we do, the Degree Show is only ever a success because of the quality of work being exhibited,' she said.
'Year after year we see our graduates win accolades and be recognised as being among the most talented young artists and designers in the country, and this year is no exception. Kate, Paddy, Rory, David and Filipa should be congratulated for their achievements. They’ve done themselves and DJCAD proud and I’m sure they’ll all go on to achieve wonderful things in their careers.'
DJCAD’s innovative marketing strategy utilised social media to allow final year students to help design the promotional material for their own Degree Show. The artwork was created by illustrator Johanna Basford, herself a DJCAD graduate, using 'crowd sourced' images.
Johanna is known for creating interactive illustrations by asking people to suggest the content for her drawings. By joining a specially created Facebook group, students were able to contribute by sharing memories of their time at DJCAD. They were invited to upload photos, share links to items or events, or posts suggestions on the page’s wall.
More than 70 submissions, including pictures taken on exchange trips, memories of tutors and even talking dogs, were then translated to the page and appeared on invitations, posters, advertisements and other material.
The award winners will be revealed at a ceremony held at Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange on 15th September. The Degree Show previously won the award for Best Educational Event in 2009.
Filipa followed in the footsteps of Hannah Livingston and Elizabeth Humble, who won the 2009 and 2010 prizes respectively. She was presented with a cheque for £1,000 plus vouchers for precious metal to the value of £500. She will also take a place on ‘Getting Started’, the company’s annual graduate business course, and be registered at the Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office for the next 10 years.
Dozens of this year’s DJCAD graduates have been exhibiting at some of the UK’s biggest showcases for young designers in recent weeks.
Sixty-eight graduates from the Digital Interaction Design, Jewellery & Metal Design, Product Design and Textile Design programmes were among the exhibitors at New Designers, while 31 Illustration and Graphic Design graduates took part in the New Blood exhibition. Twenty Interior Environmental Design graduates will exhibit at Free Range later this month.
Exhibitions such as these are visited by tens of thousands of people each year, including some of the most important and influential figures in the design industry. This gives exhibitors the opportunity to develop contacts with trade professionals, potential employers and the media as well as having the chance to win awards, work placements and recognition.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
