A Collection of University Projects
I’ve collated a number of design projects across the three years studying my Ba (Hons) Graphic Design degree at Manchester School of Art, where I obtained a 2:1. I also hold a UAL Drawing Award, as well as a UAL Level 4 Foundation Degree. Despite half of my second year and the entirety of my third being spent designing from my laptop at home thanks to covid, I really enjoyed my time at uni. My work from this period might not my strongest, but shows a bit of how my structure works and how my brain ticks.
Wellville
In first year, me and a group of mates worked on a special project that had to culminate in a final submitted video.
We were randomly assigned a subject, ours was ‘Cornflakes’.
I carried out research into the history of cornflakes, its origins and its uses, as well as contemporary research into modern cornflake packaging, branding and advertising. Inspired by pop-art and the bold, child-friendly design styles of cereal advertisement, but with a… twist…?
Best to see for yourself.
Hardcopy
Hardcopy is a print publication dedicated to archiving and celebrating websites considered “useless”. By translating these sites into a physical form, we aim to preserve their unintentional beauty and cultural value beyond the internet. Each issue is themed around a single letter, following the QWERTY keyboard order, with featured websites connected to words beginning with that letter.
The magazine is designed for a visually creative audience, rather than any really specific target age group. Following in-depth market research, we positioned Hardcopy to sit alongside other concept-driven, art-directed publications. It’s intended for curated spaces like Magma in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, or Liverpool’s Open Eye Gallery, places that value experimental print and strong visuals. You can see the magazine in all its glory by clicking here.
The Science of Strolling - A Consideration of Promenadology and Psychogeography
My first ever publication project, from the start of first year. I have always been a big outdoors fan, be it on my bike or up a big hill, I love to be outside. I have been known to rant on about how humans invented ‘inside’ and we are not meant to spend our time indoors with artificial lighting. This formed the basis of this project, and I went on to discover the concept of ‘promenadology’ and ‘psychogeography’.
Psychogeography is the exploration of urban environments that emphasises interpersonal connections to places and arbitrary routes. Influenced by Marxist and Anarchist theory, alongside the attitudes and methods of Dadaists and Surrealists. Promenadology is the science of strolling - as a method of aesthetics and cultural studies with the aim of becoming aware of the conditions of perception of the environment and enhancement of environmental perception itself.
These grand ideas took me to consider my own routes, as often I will not follow a map, instead opting to go wherever FEELS like the best route. I explore this deeper and pair it with my own photography from the Northern Welsh countryside. I bound the book myself in a book-binding workshop but unfortunately have no images of the finished article (I may have prioritised partying a little too much in first year, which I’m sure is more than understandable…)
