Graduates recognised in national design awards

Two Northumbria University graduates have been commended for their work after making the shortlist at the prestigious RSA Student Design Awards.

Abbie Smith and Frankie Harrison attended a glittering public awards ceremony at the RSA headquarters in London during the first week in July to celebrate their achievements.

Their collaborative submission, an animation called It all starts on paper, was shortlisted and commended in the category of Centenary Celebrations – a special category to highlight the 100 years of the RSA Student Design Awards (SDA).

The RSA – the royal society for the encouragement of arts, manufactures and commerce – was established in 1754 and its Student Design Awards was set up in 1924, before being incorporated in the RSA Design for Life awards this year.

Abbie and Frankie’s artwork was carried out during the final year of their studies in response to the RSA’s Centenary Celebration brief which asked how it could bring to life 100 years of the RSA Student Design Awards through the medium of textiles or moving imagery.

Submissions for the six awards categories were anonymously reviewed with Abbie and Frankie selected to go through to the interview stage before finding out they had been shortlisted alongside dozens of other entrants from across the globe. Another Northumbria student, Mez Knott, was also in the top 10 shortlisted in that category.

Abbie said: “We approached the brief by trying to find something that connected the different designers we had to explore and represent. We decided on having a connection to paper as for us that feels like the start of all design processes.”

Frankie added: “From there it was a lot of experimenting with methods, both digital and analogue, until we found print animation. We used a normal printer to print out our digital animation into frames, which we then scanned back in to give an animation that had the warmth of paper and related back to our main idea.”

Abbie explained: “Just finding out we were shortlisted was brilliant and the commendation also felt unreal. Working together to make something that we were proud of was great and the commendation is a real acknowledgement of our animation. It has been a great experience throughout.”

Frankie said: “Going down to London to attend the SDA event was so exciting. Afterwards we had time to network and get to know the other people who entered and people in the industry. For us it feels like the first real step into a professional world!”

The pair graduated alongside their peers from Northumbria’s School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries earlier this week. Watch their winning animation on the RSA YouTube channel below.

Northumbria University Lecturer in Film, Chloe Rodham, said: “Abbie and Frankie’s artwork was a considered answer to the RSA brief and it was a real achievement to be shortlisted and commended in the Centenary Celebration.

“We are very proud of these talented students and it’s such an accolade to be commended in such a prestigious award that accepts entries from worldwide.”

Joanna Choukier, Director of Design and Innovation at the RSA, said: “The standard of entries for the Student and Pupil Design Awards is always truly awe-inspiring, and after 100 years of these awards being given, it is truly humbling to see the standard continue to exceed even the highest expectations.

“All submissions this year show that the challenges of the future can be met with the ingenuity and creativity of the present, and we at the RSA are incredibly proud that Student Design Awards are still finding the next generation of innovators and changemakers, who are using design to improve the quality of life for people across the world.”

Dedicated to nurturing creativity and innovation, Northumbria's School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries offers study programmes in Arts and Environment, Fashion, Product and Heritage, Visual Communication and Digital Cultures which are delivered internationally, with partnerships including the BINUS-Northumbria School of Design in Indonesia and the Academy of Design in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Arts and Creative programmes are led by world-renowned experts in fine art, creative industries, film, media, performance and visual cultures with opportunities to study abroad and via institutional partners in Singapore, Indonesia, and China.

Central to the learning experience are opportunities for students to work on live projects with a range of cultural and industry partners. Discover more online by visiting https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/