Posted on May 31, 2015

The team provide their highlights from the various graduation shows they've visited over the last few days.

Cardiff School of Art and Design graduation show
Author: Graham 
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I graduated from UWIC which is now the Cardiff School of Art and Design many moons ago and try and make the pilgrimage to my former university on a yearly basis. I had the best educational experience of my life and put it down to the amazing, creative students I studied with, whom many are close friends and the lecturers who were truly inspirational, making me the designer I am today (someone pass the Kleenex… a tear's come to my eye reminiscing, such fond memories).

Anyway, I digress… the purpose of this article was to talk about the graduation show. Well, on attending I found that it was now held within a brand new building, an exceptional building wihich architecturally took my breath away, designed by Austin-Smith:Lord which only this month won a prestigious Regional RIBA Award. You really need to see it to believe how wonderful and beautiful it is.

First, I attended the BA (Hons) Illustration graduation show and was amazed by the variation and creativity on display. Styles ranged from computer rendered vectors to conventional pen and ink. What I particularly liked were the backstories being told by the artists and the way in which alot of consideration had been taken to display the work. Particular highlights included the work which looked at 'Consumer indulgence' and the powerful graphic work 'Huzun, Saints, Mystics and Monsters' which explored traumatic human experiences. Click here to view the work from this course.

Secondly, I went to the BA (Hons) Graphic Communication (my old course) and wowsers, the amount of space to display the work was very, very generous. In my day work we had a limited area to exhibit our work within but this had been addressed with vast amounts of space provided to enable the work to live and breathe. The work I'm happy to say lived up to my high expectations with a strong focus on form and function, a conceptual purpose behind each project. Particular highlights included the work which looked at the concept of 'Synergy' and the visually distinctive ‘Nautical alphabet’ brand identity project. Click here to view the work from this course.

In conclusion, I left the Cardiff School of Art and Design graduation shows with a huge sense of pride, there's an abundance of talent, an amazing creative workspace to study in and great lecturers to learn from (a special mention goes to my former lecturers, Olwen Moseley and Ian Weir). Hurrah!

University of South Wales graduation show
Author: Graham 
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It was my first time visiting the University of South Wales and after the effort the BA (Hons) Graphic Communication students had made to spread the word about their graduation show via conventional means and social media I was enthused to see their work. I can't stress how impressed I was by the way in which they were proactive doing this, at one point we even had 2 students visit our studio kindly giving us cupcakes and a bespoke pack playing cards, each card representing a student on the course. Nice touch, it was appreciated.

Firstly, I attended the BA (Hons) Visual Effects and Motion Graphics course and within minutes I became immersed with the work on display. There was a large touchscreen which controlled a screen projector showcasing the students work and number of computer stations in which you could individually look at their projects. With motion graphics having an important role in what we do at Sugar this was one exhibition I took a keen interest in. I could've stayed within the room for hours but realisation dawned upon me that I also had to look at the other shows. From what I saw I particularly liked the ’Super Mario Kar Park' project which as the name suggests did exactly what it said on the tin. Very clever and resonated with me as I am and always will be a Nintendo fan. Also of note was a projection mapping project which mesmerised me through its attention to detail and execution. Sadly, I didn't get to view all the work but if you'd care to find out more click here to visit the 'Flux15' Twitter page where more work from the students can be found.

Secondly, I attended the BA (Hons) Graphic Communication course and was overwhelmed by the amount and diversity of projects displayed with the course having 50+ students. Everything you could imagine had been thought of by the students from hand drawn typography, Apple Watch UI design, 3D printed models to Google Cardboard concepts. All my senses had been catered for, in a word… 'fantastic'.

Again, like the VFX course I could've spent an excessive amount of time looking through each and every project but sadly time didn't allow for it. Luckily, the proactive nature of the students came into play and within a few minutes a student came up to me and taking to where her work was and also impressively took the time to explain her process (equipped with an iMac… boy times have changed). Beforehand, I had already visited her Behance portfolio site which resonated with me as I'm a big fan of pen and ink drawings and on seeing her work I was equally impressed. Big brownie points from me to the student (who will remain unnamed to be fair to the other students… you know who you are) for being so enthusiastic.

On taking some photos of a project which caught my eye the creative, came up to me and talked me through his ideas. I was very impressed with him taking the initiative as I recall being a shrinking violet when I was a student. The work he showed 'Stimulus' was striking and about a brand dedicated to multi-sensory based products. Spookily, it was the same student I had chosen as my favourite from the bespoke pack of cards that were given to us at Sugar.

There was so much work on the Graphics course I could comment on that captivated me but if I was to continue this article would be become a novel on the size of 'War and Peace'. To find out more about the show and the students click here.

In conclusion, I was dazzled with the creativity on display from the students of the University of South Wales. Very impressive.

University of South Wales graduation show
Author: Dave
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After graduating last year from enemy territory (Swansea Metropolitan University) I wanted to see what Cardiff design students had to offer. I was surprised by the amount of students on each course and range of ideas & styles which were on display, I don't think I saw anything similar. However only a few caught my eye. I was drawn towards the web/app/UI design much more than anything else as this is an area I work in & think is a growing market. I found the layout skills of some students outstanding considering they might not of worked for a company before. 

I was very much drawn towards the Games Design course for most of the show as interaction is something I am instantly sold by. 'Comets Tale' caught my eye as the quality of this game was incredible for student level. Being a game fanatic myself I was drawn to the level of detail put into the character design of this game. I don't want to trophy anybody or give people marks out of 10 because I believe everyone at the show put in a lot of effort to get their work done and they all deserve equal celebration! However the students that I spoke to at the show should know that they have a lot of originality and will probably go very far in their careers. 

University of South Wales graduation show
Author: Chloe
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I graduated two years ago from University of South Wales (USW) and have gone back to the final shows ever since. The standard of work seems to improve each time and there were plenty of exciting things to look at. 

My favourites of the evening where the hand drawn type piece and the maze repeated pattern, simply because of the sheer determination and patience, which I believe were both executed by the same person (well done!). I also enjoyed the isometric piece as I love this style of illustration. I also liked the project trying to encourage people to vote as it’s something that I’ve taken a keen interest in this year.

Unfortunately, no-one chatted to me about their work so I couldn’t praise them in person for their achievements. I know how daunting it feels to approach people from the industry when you’re still a student, but I did at my final show which gave me the chance of an internship and now, a full-time job. We don’t bite — honest!