At the beginning of the academic year, we were told that a design agency called Thoughtful would be coming in to the college every Thursday to work with the second year graphic design students. The intention was that they would be helping us with briefs, giving us their advice and their knowledge of the design industry.

We were told that after Christmas six students would be chosen to work alongside Thoughtful in a new studio within the college. Everyone was really excited about this and it really spurred us all on to produce great work with the hope of being chosen as one of the six. It would be a fantastic opportunity for any student, and a very unusual, if not unheard of project within colleges and universities.

Just before Christmas I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the six students who would be working with Thoughtful. Amy Berriman, Ed Johnson, John Newton, Lauren Pennington and Chris Shearston were the other students to be chosen and we'll now be working together, along with James Graham, Chris Jeffreys and Stuart Price from Thoughtful for the next six months.
So far it is going really well!

Craig Ward - Words Are Pictures

I've recently been looking at Craig Ward's work, if you haven't seen it then check it out... he produces some amazing typographic illustrations.
Basically, in his own words, Craig is a London based graphic desgner who like playing with words. He was recently named as one of the Art Director's club's young guns for 2008 and describes the way he works as "continuously exploring the notion of word as image."
I love the way that typography can be used with such precision and detail and i'll definitely be looking at his work for future inspiration.

Steve Owen and Dan Ingham

Steve and Dan both graduated from Stockport College in 2007, each with a 1st in Graphic Design and also D&AD new blood 'best in show' awards to their names. They recently came in to talk to the second and third year students about their achievements.

One of the main pieces of advice they emphasised was to make the most of being a student and to really seize all of the opportunities that you have. For example; make use of the college facilities and be aware of everything the college has to offer and use it to the max, because in a design agency all you'll really have is a mac and a printer. Also to make sure that you're turning up for college because one of the most important things about being in the creative industry is interacting with other designers and bouncing ideas off one another. They also told us that now is the time to start getting ourselves noticed, by the time we come to start thinking about our careers we'll be fighting off competition from the 15,000 or so other graduates who are after the same jobs. The key is to not be afraid of being different and to have a certain unique quality that makes you stand out from the crowd. They told us to start contacting design agencies and begin networking, getting ourselves out there, attending events, entering competitions etc. And of course, making the most of our tutors experience whilst we have the chance and gaining knowledge from the likes of the great Ian Parkin and James Corazzo.

The advice they gave really helped and made their achievements seem within reach, and as for their success at D&AD New Blood, they said that it is a fantastic opportunity for any student; a chance to meet agencies and contacts that you will have for life. 2,000 of the best students from around the world attend the three day long 'New Blood', and out of only 40 possible prizes, Steve and Dan were awarded one each, which was a fantastic achievement for themselves and also the course as a whole.
The benefits of their D&AD success has allowed them to raise their profile within the creative industry, giving them a head start with job interviews and portfolio viewings. They have done placements at Thoughtful and The Chase and now have steady jobs at very contrasting agencies; with Steve working at McCann Erickson and Dan at the more independent Mark Studio. They both look set to have very successful careers and I wish them good luck for the future.