We are delighted to announce that Professor Michael Twyman has been awarded the 2014 Sir Misha Black Medal for his contribution to design education.
Professor Sue Walker recalls:
‘Writing about ‘Typography as a university subject’ in 1970, Michael identified four ‘basic beliefs’ that governed the structure of the Reading course:
the visual form of typography should relate closely to the language used and its organisation reflect and reinforce its meaning;
typographic designers should understand the technical means at their disposal;
the reader must be respected;
typographic design is planning in relation to the above three, usually in the context of a client, an organisation, a budget and a deadline.
These statements are still relevant today, and have influenced the approach to design taken by our students.’
We are very pleased to note recent awards to students in Typography & Graphic Communication.
Chancellor’s Awards
Undergraduates Kate Goudsmit and Rob Lowe, currently in their final year of study, together with Ryan Lee and Peter Loveland, in their second year, all received the Chancellor’s Award for their overall performance in the academic year 2012–13. Sir David Bell hosted the award ceremony on Monday (25 November) and commended their high achievement. Award winners received a commemorative book featuring short interviews with each recipient.
Warm congratulations to our four winners!
Rob Lowe and Kate Goudsmit with Sir David Bell.
Sign Design Society
Undergraduate Emily Whiteside, currently in her final year of study, was awarded a commendation for her submission to the Student Work category of the annual Sign Design Society awards. The submission was her ‘Designing a journey: the Chatsworth Shuttle’ project, completed under the direction of project tutor Sara Chapman. In their comments, the judges praised ‘the expertise and evident quality of the solution’, which involved the design of a map and timetable for the Chatsworth shuttle bus service, deployed as a poster, flyer, and downloadable app.
Emily Whiteside’s entry to the Sign Design Society awards.
Also receiving a commendation was MA Information Design student Joan Zalacain for his map of Amsterdam’s tram system, created during his studies at Reading in 2012–13. In their remarks on his design, which emphasized the location of barriers at system access points, the judges noted that ‘the graphic solution had been carefully thought through and the result was functional and stylish.’
Typography alumna Anne Brady’s company, Vermillion, has scooped success at the annual Institute of Designers of Ireland by winning not one, but two awards in the digital category.
The two winning apps come from the two ends of Vermillion’s client spectrum. The first explored the fascinating world of singer-songwriter Pierce Turner and concentrated on the writing and production of his much-acclaimed song Snow, from his album Songs for a Very Small Orchestra. The second win was in the academic area and is called Books of Dublin. It showcases a selection of rare books from two of Dublin’s most renowned antiquarian libraries and includes commentaries from leading academic specialists. You can download both free to your iPad from the App Store.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, IDI President Andrew Bradley said that the awards “further demonstrate the impact of design in the area of new media. It proves beyond doubt how creative design skills can add value and indeed change the dynamics within the exciting and constantly developing field of digital communications and marketing.”
We are delighted to announce the success of the Design Star Consortium, one of AHRC’s new Doctoral Training Centres. Along with design departments at Brighton, Goldsmiths, Loughborough and the OU, we have secured funding to support around 60 PhD studentships over the next five years.
This year’s Monotype Studentship, awarded to an incoming MA student through the generosity of Monotype Imaging Ltd, has been awarded to Slovenian student Teja Smrekar, who will study Typeface Design. Teja receieved her first degree in Fine Arts from the University of Maribor, where her dissertation topic was ‘The socially engaged poster’. Teja has developed an interest in typeface design and attended workshops run by Gerry Leonidas and Reading alumna Veronika Burian. In her professional practice she has designed poetry books, an identity for the Association of Slovenian Artists, and has exhibited her work at EDUZGRAF in Zagreb, Croatia.
Dan Rhatigan, Type Director at Monotype, said ‘We selected Teja because of her overall enthusiasm and particularly her research interests in the Cambodian Khmer script. It’s always our hope that the Monotype Studentship will encourage the student who benefits from the opportunity and enable them to contribute to the wider body of typographic knowledge.’
Paul Luna, Head of Department, said ‘The support of industry partners is vital to allowing students from all over the world to study at Reading, and we are very grateful to Monotype for this continuing generous contribution to design education.’Teja Smrekar
Kate Goudsmit, who as a Part 2 student was a winner in the Vincent Ma awards run by Design Portfolio Marketing Services, has been interviewed on their blog. Design Portfolio have been generously supporting students in the Department through prizes for achievement and opportunities for work experience in their busy London studios for several years, in memory of former employee and Reading alumnus Vincent Ma.
Wayne Hart, a Department alumnus and visiting instructor for letter cutting, has just been awarded Gold Award & Overall Winner and Maker of the Year Award in the annual Craft & Design competition. The specialist media judge, Medeia Cohan-Petrolino, summed up Wayne’s work:
Wayne Hart’s work offers a unique juxtaposition – upholding traditional letter-carving methods while simultaneously being contemporary and innovative. His passion for his craft and meticulous manner come across in every aspect of the work that he produces. Wayne’s craftsmanship and creativity are already at an impressive stage and his plans to continue pushing forward with his practice and technical development will surely make him one to watch.
Wayne has already been awarded a number of prestigious scholarships from the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, the Worshipful Company of Masons, the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies, the Finn Family Fund, the Bishop of Norwich and a number of smaller charities. His work is increasingly recognised, and can also be seen in the base of the clock tower in the University’s London Road campus.
We are delighted that the John Morgan Studio has won the graphics category in the Designs of the Year award.
Reading Typography graduate, John Morgan, has been nominated for the 2013 Designs of the year competition run by the Design Museum for his work on the visual identity for the 13th Architecture Biennale in Venice.
Reading Typography graduate, John Morgan, has been nominated for the 2013 Designs of the year competition run by the Design Museum for his work on the visual identity for the 13th Architecture Biennale in Venice.
Over the summer BA Graphic Communication students who has just finished their first year entered a competition run organised by Oculus, a Reading design company who are celebrating their 20th anniversary. The students were asked to create a brand for a fictional company and to deliver both visuals and a written rationale of the thinking behind their idea.
Earlier this month the top ten entries were displayed at an awards ceremony hosted by Oculus and prizes were presented by the Chancellor, Sir John Madejski, to the three winners Mike Leonard (1st place), Bethan Prestwich (3rd place), and Emily Whiteside (2nd place).
