D&AD On Tour

D&AD are hosting a student event at Glasgow School of Art on Feb 8th.

With our HND2 students out on work placement, HND1 are getting the opportunity to make the trip, with Helena and myself, to Glasgow for a day with D&AD.

The provisional timetable of events is as follows:

11.00am - 12.30pm: D&AD Talk - Student Awards and New Blood
12.30pm – 1.30pm: University Network Tutors meeting and lunch
2.00pm - 4.00pm: Industry led Workshops x 2
2.30pm - 4.30pm: Portfolio Surgeries
5.30pm - 7.00pm: Industry Talk – location to be confirmed.

There will also be an AVA bookstall, where students can purchase discounted publications and tutors will be able to order sample copies.

This is a great chance to meet other students and tutors, see and hear D&AD's great wealth of experience and knowledge, and of course visit one of the great creative institutions in the UK.

Later this week we will try and confirm times and travel arrangements.

Semester One Review

HND Year Two.

On Wednesday we finally managed to put on the review, retitled '16 Weeks and Counting', and using NC student Jonathan Walton's event branding. We had the professional touch of the college's new Events & Communications Co-ordinator, Lyndsey Dougan, and of course an amazing amount of organisational work from all the tutors and students.

This event was a departure from previous annual reviews. This time around we had the new improved Hub space, including the giant multiscreen - and all three current student years - HND 2, HND 1 and NC - were given the opportunity to show their work to industry mentors and educators.

HND Year 2 are due to go out on placement, and this was their chance to talk with their mentors and get valuable feedback on their work so far this year.


Looking through HND portfolios


Talking shop.


Interesting.

This year we have managed to secure 34 placements for 16 students across a four-week period. Clearly the creative industry is showing signs of recovery after a couple of lean years, and our students are in demand.

For HND 1 and NC years, as well as displaying a variety of work, they got the chance to collaborate on a 1 hour project during the event. We set them an MPA Roses brief - to selling water as if it had just been discovered. The sketches and concepts were then mounted on boards and everyone in attendance got a chance to discuss the pieces.


HND 1 and NC working on their one hour brief.



Helena introduces the one hour solutions.



It's time to explain the concept...

We had a surprise visit on the night from three of our 2010 graduates - Artur Pasiek, Amanda Gliddon and Lisa Henderson. Amanda even sat in on one of the collaboration groups and helped out. Finally, Helena handed out the newly-arrived and rather awesome YCN Annual to every student.

Hopefully this event has set a benchmark for the way we hope to integrate and promote the courses in the future.

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