Disciples of Design

Fresher's Week 2007

2007-10-11T15:16:00.000+01:00

First years Graphics, Interior Design, Textiles and Ceramics made shelters on the Avenham Park in Preston...here are some pictures taken by Suse and Steve Bennett. Winners received their pressies in the Bridge Inn, pub on London Road.

Suse becomes administrator

2007-10-11T15:14:00.000+01:00

Hello!

BA (Hons) Interior Design London Research Trip Nov 06

2007-02-06T11:18:00.000Z

The first year students on the BA (Hons) Interior Design course enjoyed their annual study trip to London which this year included getting dizzy on the slides at the Tate Modern.....drinking Port in an historic subterranean bar...freezing at the Millenium wheel....a night of Jazz in the King's head...a visit to the mysterious Sir John Soane's museum... being evicted from the new Children's museum...and hot pasties in Covent Garden...plus many other truly amazing events.

The trip played part of the ongoing research students enjoy in relation to their current project...in this case lighting effects... the results of which will be posted soon.

Visiting Professionals

2007-02-06T11:10:00.000Z

Steve Spence Managing Director/Executive Creative Director of Scholz and friends in London visited the department to work with the Advertising students. He came to crit the students on an Aide memoire brief i.e. something to leave behind after they have shown their work to a creative director, plus to look at thair portfolios.

Steve is an ex-student from the Graphics course from about 10 years ago and spent many years as senior copy writer at Abbott Mead Vickers working on award winning Volvo campaigns. He has employed some of our students and is a former External examiner on the Advertising course.

Halloween

2006-12-07T14:32:00.000Z

Year 1 Games Design students recently completed a Halloween mask brief. Whilst this is an interesting way to develop drawing and design skills, it also gets students to consider the 3D aspects of their design.

A good day in games

2006-12-01T15:23:00.000Z

Some wry obeservations from games design students during a recent presentation and crit of their work.

Pete was never one to hold back...

Lee didn't need much excitement in his life...

Steve's attention wanders...

Jez needs to project more...

Alex displays more honesty than modesty...

And finally....

Something Fishy

2006-12-01T15:11:00.000Z

On November 16th the third year advertising students did a presentation for a brief on John West tuna and salmon using 48 sheet posters. This was to Andy Cheetham Creative Director of Cheetham Bell JWT in Manchester, who gave critical feedback on the students' work. He also showed a DVD on the future of advertising and the effects of digitalisation on conventional media. It was a fantastic day and the students were there for five hours. Here is some of the best work by Adrian Posniak.

Silicate Research Unit

2006-11-29T14:30:00.000Z

David Binns and Alasdair Bremner have set up the Silicate Research Unit within the Department of Design. the website can be found at www.silicateresearchunit.org

The SRU can be described as firmly rooted in Ceramics. However, its research extends beyond materials that purely fit within the 'standard' classification of ceramic materials. Research interests involve related materials such as Glass, Refractory Concretes and Concrete itself. The common or unifying ‘sub-material’ found within all these materials is Silica – hence the term ‘Silicates Research'.

Graphic Success

2006-11-14T16:03:00.000Z

UCLAN was recognised as the 4th best Graphic Design course in the UK for achieving D&AD Student Design Awards this year.

Xiao Yan Chen (Rebecca)
YCN Commendation
Illustration
Rhian Coley
D&AD Student Handbook
Advertising – Customer safety
Simon Humphreys
YCN Commendation
Promotional Advertising

Rachel Edge
YCN Commendation
Awareness Campaign
Paul Gregson
YCN Commendation
Promotional Advertising
Ka-Chun Lam
D&AD Commendation
Advertising – Customer safety
Paul Gregson
D&AD Student Handbook
Advertising – Age Concern
Lucy Gascoigne
D&AD 1st Prize
D&AD Best In Show
Illustration – Greetings cards

Jenny Walters
D&AD Student Handbook
Graphic Design – Promotional Bags
Matthew Johnson, Jordan Stokes & Oliver Wigglesworth
D&AD Student Handbook
Graphic Design – Environmental Poetry
Kathryn Speake
BA(Hons) Graphic Design Best In Show 2006,
NEW BLOOD Best In Show
Nicola Johnston & Jhenna Radcliffe
D&AD Commendation
Advertising – Don’t light up!

Emma Thorpe
D&AD Commendation
Graphic Design – Environmental Poetry

Emma Thorpe
STARPACK Silver Award
Creative Metal Packaging
Emma Devine
STARPACK Gold Award
Gift Packaging
Debbie Lawley
STARPACK Silver Award
Childs Gift Packaging
David Thompson
BA(Hons) Graphic Design Best In Show 2006
Debbie Lawley
STARPACK Silver Award
Childs Gift Packaging

think

2006-10-05T15:38:00.000+01:00

Designers for Mental Health Care Settings Network have just launched their web site. It is of particular interest to any design practitioner interested or involved in design related to mental health care.

www.dmhcsn.co.uk

Mixed Media Graduate

2006-10-05T15:36:00.000+01:00

Recent Jewellery (Mixed media) graduate Jodie Dutton is featured on the BBC website following her work being exhibited at the Platform Gallery, Clitheroe.
New Creators showcase talent

Huff and Puff

2006-10-05T15:03:00.000+01:00

Fiona Candy’s work focuses on the ways that people make and use things; from personal clothing to public buildings, in order to express identity, define communities and generate social life.

This installation may bring to mind the folk story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’: a cautionary tale about life’s inherent dangers. In the story “the big bad wolf” represents the ever-present risk of catastrophe and threatens to blow the little pigs’ houses down, one by one. The differences between the pigs’ lifestyles and by implication their industriousness and social commitment, are symbolised by the houses they each build; one made of straw, one of wood and one of brick.

But here, presented in the affecting intimacy of a gallery, each ‘house’ has been painstakingly crafted, utilising the traditional skills of a time served, local craftsman. Links between house and home; neighbourhood and way of life; individuals and communities are implied. The little houses serve to remind us that the intrinsic materiality of man-made things i.e. their qualities of construction, look and feel, are the source of their capacity to objectify myth, morality, power and social values.

In our era of urban regeneration, the ideologies conveyed by folklore: sociality, aesthetics, craftsmanship, the sensual appeal and longevity of materials, all take on renewed significance for citizens of Preston, as the ‘old’ prepares to make way for the new…

a-brand is Fiona Candy’s ‘own label’ and aims to represent the paradoxical relationship between art and commerce.

Contact fjcandy@uclan..ac.uk

3X3

2006-10-05T14:54:00.000+01:00

As part of their end of semester assessment second year Textile Innovations students recently mounted an exhibition of their work called ‘3x3’ in Victoria Building’s own gallery space – PR1 Gallery.

The project asked students to think about the consequence of the heritage and mechanics of the loom and its warp of threads, and that many textiles are woven and finished in a continuous length; stored in rolls to be cut up to make finished products. Clothing and curtain fabrics, floor and wall coverings are all ordered and sold by the linear or square metre. This project asked students to acknowledge this through the design and production of their own inter-related collection of three, three metre textile lengths, some of which you can see in the accompanying images.

Each student was given two words, picked at random, that described material qualities with relevance to textiles. They then interpreted their combination of words in their own way to develop a visual and tactile theme that could support personal design work for the semester.

They were are asked to consider the full dimensions and complexity of textile qualities: handle, touch, drape, volume, opacity, weight, embellishment, decoration, translucency etc and particularly the concepts of scale, decorative sequence and rhythm inherent in designing for ‘length’.

For further information about BA Hons Textile Innovations, please contact the Department of Design office. 01772 893372 or visit
www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/destech/design/courses/ba-textiles.html

Student of the Year

2006-07-11T15:40:00.000+01:00

Dave Woodman has been named Student of the Year at the University. He recieves a prize of £1000. Staff in the department congratulate Dave and wish him luck. Dave graduated from the B.A.(Hons) Games Design Course with First Class Honours. He is now working at Embryonic Studios Manchester.

Animators

2006-04-07T14:17:00.000+01:00

Andy Ley's online portfolio. (2005 graduate)
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=42514&pp=60

Doug Wilson's portfolio/blog (current third year)
http://www.twooldbatchelors.blogspot.com/

more third year blogs to follow.....

Interior Design

2006-04-07T10:47:00.000+01:00

Lecturer Steve Bennet teamed up with MA Interior Design student Pam Reynolds last weekend to provide the University Library a vision for the future. The vision was intended to address the increased demand in the next ten years in study space with growing demand especially apparent in Postgraduate areas. The weekend provided an opportunity to stretch the use of SketchUP which is now taught across the course as the 3D Sketch Modelling programme.

Here are the final visuals.....

INHABITANTS ©

2006-04-07T10:36:00.000+01:00

Fiona Candy is one of the lecturers on BA Hons Textile Innovations and a member of the Department's People Product and Practice Research Group. She has recently completed a project called 'The Affect of Clothing' which was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

One of its outcomes is a prototype visual archive called “Inhabitants”. This uses digital video to capture the detail and materiality of clothing styles, along with the personal appearance and qualitative body movement of the individuals wearing them.

Fiona thinks that personal style - which she defines as the effect of artefacts on the qualitative movement of their users - is often overlooked by designers. In the case of this project she aimed to develop methods that can capture and analyse the embodied, 'lived experience' of clothing rather than just its 'look'.

The image shows a still from the archive. For more information see link http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/destech/design/research/pages/fiona.html

Graphic Designer successes!

2006-04-06T15:52:00.000+01:00

Three third year UCLan BA(Hons) Graphic Design students were presented with Starpack Awards on 30 March 2006. Emma Devine won a Gold Award in the ‘Gift Packaging’ category, Emma Thorpe a Silver Award in the ‘Creative metal’ category and Debbie Lawley received a Silver Award in the ‘Child Innovation Gift Package’ category.

Rachel Simpson a second year BA(Hons) Graphic Design student was awarded ‘Over All Best Student’ by the Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) in 2005. She was recently presented with a £1,000 prize. This project was also printed in the D&AD Student Awards 2005 book in the ‘Applied Graphic Design category’.

Tom Esslemont Design Graduate

2006-03-27T09:25:00.000+01:00

Having graduated in Product Design at UCLAN, Tom has been lecturing in Product Design within the department. Since finishing he has started work for an architectural design practice in Kendal, specialising in visualisation for architectural and landscape design fields.

''I have learnt a lot from my experience at UCLAN, and with the lecturing, I have been able to develop my skills into more specialised areas, including projects that include interiors, architectural detailing and planning. 'Some projects have been undertaken in relation to projects such as the RIBA Midland project, a major international competition, where I have been able to develop visualising and design conceptualising skills at a number of levels.''

Overall, Tom feels that Product Design courses are an excellent degree for progression into many different related areas. The skills learnt allow personal development in areas such as personal presentation, design practice and the ability to interrelate skills picked up to other design areas.

Tom joins a long list of graduates who have found employment with highly regarded employers regionally, nationally and internationally.

Noise Festival

2006-03-27T09:20:00.001+01:00

Noise is looking for young creative people
Are you 25 and under and want to get into the creative industries? Would you like to see your work on television, radio, online and in print? Plus an opportunity to have your work reviewed by some of the UK’s most renowned creatives and potential international collaborators.

What is Noise?
NOISE is an arts and media festival for all young people (age 25 and under). From now until 31st May 2006 you can submit your work for the Noise media showcase in October 2006.

2006-03-21T09:00:00.000Z

Joanne Carton shows her fashion led Jewellery designs to an enthusiastic audience at a presentation seminar held for 3D Design students. There's more common ground than may be first thought and both groups learnt a lot by comparing approaches!

Final year Design student Marc Bushell demonstrates his strengths...........

Design Futures

2006-03-16T09:44:00.000Z

Design Futures students conducting an idea selection process in the studio. All the students present and discuss their concepts in terms of viability and potential. A selection of the concepts for future products was agreed upon and now will be taken forward to the next phase of concept development.

“Inside Out” Research and Development in Design for Mental Health Settings

2006-03-16T09:27:00.000Z

Conference Background and Aims
For three years now, the Department of Design at the University of Central Lancashire has been collaborating with staff and clients within mental health care settings in order to design and refurbish in-patient and low secure units. During this period the department has been told by many health professionals that they often feel isolated in their work and are often asked to oversee refurbishment and new builds with little design knowledge of their own. “I wish I had known what alternatives there are and how to project manage” is often expressed by health service staff and departments whereas designers want more understanding of mental illness and the needs of mental health service users who they may be working with.

Service users and carers want to know how they can best contribute when they are asked to give advice. Therefore, the Department of Design is pleased to announce the first one day conference for designers and those involved in the design or refurbishment of mental health in-patient settings.

The primary aim of this first conference is to explore the context in which design takes place within these settings and the effectiveness of the contribution designers can make.

Topics to be covered include:-

Language use and communication
Service User Involvement
Ethical Issues and Research

Organiser
Dr Ann Whitworth, Research Co-ordinator for health projects in the department of Design at The University of Central Lancashire, Dr Whitworth has a health background and experience of facilitating the involvement of designers and service users in planning mental health premises.

Who should attend?
ANYONE with an interest in designing mental health units and settings. Architects, artists, designers, NHS estates staff, services users, medical staff, clients, nursing staff, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists… whatever your interest, if you have been asked to advise on or get involved in designing new mental health settings or refurbishing your own areas this conference is for you!

Conference Programme
A full conference programme will be available as soon as individual speakers have been confirmed. The complete programme will be available on the following website:
http://www.uclan.ac.uk/other/hs/academic-conf.htm

New York New York

2006-03-16T09:19:00.000Z

The annual Department of Design student trip to New York took place earlier this month. Places visited included the Guggenheim Museum, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, United Nations Building and the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum. Students even found time for a bit of shopping on 5th Avenue!

Richard Taylor

2006-03-16T09:06:00.000Z

In summer 2005 department of Design graduate Richard Taylor, attended New Designers at the Business Design Centre in London as part of the graduating year. He was selected by the show judges to receive the DKNY award of £1000; this was presented at the award evening during the show. During the summer his work was exhibited in the DKNY flagship store in Bond St. London for several months as part of their collection launch. Subsequently he was asked to submit work to DKNY as an application for an internship in their New York studio; he was successful and took up the 3 month placement in January 2006. In Sept 2005 he made a successful application for a post as a part time development officer for the Creative Industries in Preston and he will shortly be returning to this post after his time in America.

Black Bull Studios

2006-03-08T10:25:00.000Z

Second year Games Design students had the opportunity to pitch ideas for next generation mobile phone games to Black Bull Studios. Directors Peter Melling and David Hothersall reported that they were extremely impressed with the game concepts presented by students, and have identified several concepts with strong commercial potential. Students are now busy preparing full Games Design Documents for a final presentation in April. This type of live brief gives students the invaluable experience of feedback from games industry figures and the support to develop their work in a professional manner. Check in April for news of the final presentation.

Simon Harrison

2006-03-06T13:58:00.000Z

Simon Harrison is a Third year student on the B.A. (Hons) Games Design Course. He has recently been offered the post of Senior Artist at THQ in Brisbane Australia. Simon had worked in the games industry prior to his application to the course but realised that a degree in Games Design and the opportunity to improve his skills and understanding of the processes involved in games design would be invaluable. Simon says "3 years at UCLAN has given me the opportunity to integrate a more structured approach to my work and enabled me to produce a show reel of industry quality ultimately achieving the goals I had set myself upon entering the degree.” The Department of Design wishes Simon good luck and hopes to see his name on the credits of some exciting games soon.

The Disciples of Design?

2006-03-05T22:53:00.000Z

'The Disciples of Design' is a fully inclusive attempt to inform both staff and students of their respective recent Research activities (the 3 R's). Presented in a considered and accessible manner, the journal draws upon the general media at large in a light, yet relevant way. It is linked from our main site but we have repeated it here in the links anyway!

Halima Cassell

2006-03-02T15:19:00.000Z

M.A. Graduate Ceramist Halima Cassell has a display of her sculptural ceramics at CLitheroe's Platform Gallery (4.3.06 - 22.4.06). She is also giving an artists talk at Lancaster University 7.00pm Thursday 9th March. Her work is also on display here in the gallery's ceramics room (13.2.06 - 24.3.06). Cassell produces striking work which embodies her inspiration from Islamic and African sources.

Disciples of Design

2006-03-02T09:47:00.000Z

Welcome to the new blog of the Department of Design at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston. The trouble with working in a large department like ours is that whilst we are good at developing creative and innovative individuals, we do not always have the time to tell people about all of the work we do. Hence this blog has been created to keep you all updated of the latest developments and achievements of the Department of Design.