London College of Communication blog

From the Series 'Vacant' by Hannah Blackmore

Hannah Blackmore, a graduate from the BA Graphic & Media Design (GMD) course at LCC, has been awarded £1000 by leading design magazine, Creative Review (CR).

The bursary (courtesy of iStockphoto) will allow Hannah to pursue a personal project of her choice with the end result being featured on the CR website. She is also one of five outstanding graduates featured in the September issue of CR, touted by the magazine as having a “very bright future”.

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This year’s four summer shows have been and gone but if you head over to our YouTube channel you can watch videos from each of the shows and relive all the action.

All films were made by BA (Hons) Film and Television students Joseph Eckworth, William Powers and Andrea Fischer.

If you missed out on our last summer show, ‘Round About’, feel like you were there by taking a look at some of our images from the private view on Flickr.

If you did attend, check out the images to relive the experience and if you manage to spot you or your work don’t forget to tag yourself in any of the pictures taken by our photographers, second year BA Photography student Vicki King and recent graduates Christian Anderson and Ana Escobar.

LCC’s last show of the summer, ‘Round About‘, drew in a large crowd of  industry experts, parents, students, past students and design enthusiasts (young and old) for its show preview on Thursday 30 June 2011.

Guests queued to see work from final year students across nine courses at LCC, (BA) Graphic & Media Design, (FdA & BA) Design for Graphic Communication, (BA) Graphic Product Innovation, (FdA) Graphic & Spatial Communication, (BA, FdA & ABC Dip) Animation, (ABC Dip) 3D Modelling & Animation, (BA & FdA) Media Practice, (BA & FdA) Digital Media Design and (BA & FdA) Games Design.

Split into six pathways the Graphic & Media Design course (whose work is also available to view online) drew in a large crowd.

In the Upper Street students from the Illustration pathway presented a diverse mix of final pieces.

Work by Kirsten Abildgaard (BA Graphic & Media Design – Illustration pathway)

On show were projects in various forms from print to digital, with some pieces consisting of hand-made projects such as a quilt by Kirsten Abildgaard, which could be seen hanging from the ceiling of the Upper Street and a colourful deck chair by Lucy Barrett.

Work by Lucy Barrett (BA Graphic & Media Design – Illustration pathway)

The students from the Design for Print pathway have their work displayed in the Atrium Gallery. Their work looks at the importance of print within the Graphic Design industry and how it is used to convey a message to the audience.

Elsewhere the work by students from the Design for Advertising pathway received very positive feedback. “Very inspiring work” were among the messages left on the comments wall in the show space.  As well as the brilliant design work on show an underlying deeper message was often present. This was to fit with  the courses aim to establish a deeper understanding of strategies and audiences, covering a range of media platforms, considering environmental, political, social and cultural agendas and challenging the ethics of traditional advertising.

Showcasing in room D112, 38 students on the Typo/Graphics pathway address issues and form theoretical view points around a number of topics including, ‘design as pollution’ and creating a commercial re-branding of London 2012.

Work by BA Graphic & Media Design – Typo/Graphics pathway students

The work on display, the result of eight project briefs, was bright and eye-catching. Narae Lee’s ‘Dynamic London’, a response to the London 2012 brief, considers the skyline/architecture in London as a key element of the new identity. The colourful and abstract figures shown below give a positive impression that London is playful, exciting and dynamic.

'Dynamic London' by Narae Lee (BA Graphic & Media Design – Typo/Graphics pathway)

But alongside the bright and colourful displays there was a project that was slightly different from those surrounding it, ‘The Mirror Test’, a machine which claims to read brain waves. This self-initiated project by Rongkai He (pictured below) is made up of moving mirrors that react to data produced by the participant’s brain waves.

The work described here is just a snapshot of what’s on display; you can see the full range of work produced by the Typo/Graphics students on their website www.typois.co.uk designed by Rich Cousins and Pedro Moreira.

'The Mirror Test' by Rongkai He (BA Graphic & Media Design - Typo/Graphics pathway)

Design for Interaction & Moving Image was down in the Atrium and presented guests with a range of work using various forms of media and materials.

While spread across the two rooms, D105, D116, the Information Design pathway students engaged their guests with their projects. Lots of guests studied the work on display in these areas in depth and took some extra time during the evening to stop and browse the pieces in detail.

Information Design student, Harol Ha Ni Ng produced a series of eye-catching horoscope books that were displayed nicely and caught many guests eyes in the Reading Room.

Work by Harol Ha Ni Ng (BA Graphic & Media Design – Information Design pathway)

Away from the work of the Graphic & Media Design students and despite the heat in The Gallery, the work displayed by the students from the Design for Graphic Communication course generated a huge amount of interest. The room was full of guests discussing the work and taking the time to study each piece.

Work by Richard Radam (BA Design for Graphic Communication)

There was a good selection of work on display from the quirky to the serious. And with an interactive section consisting of screen-printing and binding, guests were drawn in by chance to take something away from the show. The night also saw two students from the FdA Design for Communication win leading digital agency LBi’s Talent Takeaway prize.

Meanwhile, luring the crowd in with bags of popcorn, students from Animation and the 3D Modelling & Animation courses were showcasing their videos in the Main Lecture Theatre. Their work could also be found up in the Refectory, where sketches and models generated a lot of interest.

Work by Ginevra Boni, James O'Sullivan and Alex Parperis (FdA Animation)

Upstairs the Games Design and Digital Media Design students displayed their work and the atmosphere up there was far more relaxed, with many guests taking the time to sit down and absorb or interact with the work around them.

Displaying downstairs in the Lower Street were students from the Graphic Product Innovation and Graphic & Spatial Communication courses. Lots of interactive pieces were on display and BA Graphic Product Innovation student Joel Longbone used a bike to demonstrate his product.

'Cyke' by Joel Longbone (BA Graphic Product Innovation)

The project named ‘Cyke’ uses a multi-coloured device attached to handlebars of a bike to help facilitate better and safer navigation in London. The colourful arrows flash in order to tell the rider which direction they should go. Joel says that the product will show that, “Existing concepts can be improved and change the way people go about their daily routine or encourage people to do something they don’t usually participate in.”

Students from the Graphic Product Innovation course also held an outdoor event for the occasion in the containers in front of the LCC building. Students dressed up and interacted with guests and games such as coconut shy were available.

Work by some of the students was also available to buy in the Pop Up Shop.

‘Round About’ will be running until Friday 8 July 2011 from 10 am – 7pm.

Photography: Ana Escobar, Christian Anderson & Vicki King (BA Photography)

Words by Dominique Major

Second year FDA Design for Graphic Communication students Toby Milner-Gulland and Daniel Samson were awarded a two-week paid placement with leading digital agency LBi at the Round About private view that took place on Thursday 30 June 2011 at LCC.

Both winners were delighted to have been chosen for LBi’s Talent Takeaway award, by creative directors Abi Ellis and Simon Attwater. Their winning prize is a two-week paid placement which could end in possible future employment and unlike most placements Abi and Simon have emphasised the hands on nature of what they are offering. Simon described the experience as an “access all areas pass to the company.” What the winners can expect is to be based in the heart of the company working alongside both Abi and Simon where they will build a direct relationship with both the Creative Directors, something not usually found within a placement, especially with such an established company such as LBi.

LBi is currently the world’s largest marketing and technology agency that looks to blend insight and creativity to solve other companies’ business problems. The agency is based in Brick Lane but is made up of a network of 26 offices in 16 countries with a client list that includes brands such as Coca Cola and Marks & Spencers.

Arriving at the show early Abi and Simon were there to seek out the best talent for their company. The judges were overwhelmed by the standard of work on display and when talking about Toby Milner-Gulland’s winning project Abi said she “Absolutely loved his piece.” When asked what they thought about the overall standard of work on display at the Design for Graphic Communication show, Simon said: “Stunning! Jaw Dropping! The students have brought fresh thinking to an old challenge and that’s what we want to see. The students clearly have so much talent and that’s why we are here, to look for talent and passion from the students.”

L-R Simon Attwater(LBi Creative Director), Darren Raven(Course Director), Toby Milner- Gulland, Daniel Samson, Abi Ellis (LBi Creative Director) and Paul Bailey (Lead Tutor)

LBi’s collaboration with LCC is the first of its kind but both Abi and Simon hope that it will be the first of many. Abi said  they hope to, “Create a relationship with LCC in order to keep coming back and pick up the amazing talent that it has to offer. We want the fresh talent before anyone else has the chance to get them.” LBi hope to offer other students the unique chance of interning with them, by providing various internship placements throughout the year.

The winning projects can be seen alongside the rest of the Design for Graphic Communication student projects in The Gallery at LCC’s Round About show which is running until Friday 8 July 2011.

Words by Dominique Major

London College of Communication’s (LCC) Summer Shows 2011: Round About will be opening tonight for a private view and then to the public for one week from Friday 1 July.

The show, which is the final one to take place this summer, will be made up of work in design, animation and film produced by 500 LCC students graduating from various courses throughout the College.

Courses displaying at this year’s show will include one of the College’s biggest courses BA (Hons) Graphic & Media Design which is split into six pathways. Each pathway will be displaying students work in various areas around the college.

• Illustration – Upper Street Gallery
• Interactive Moving Image – Well Gallery
• Design for Information – D105, D116
• Design for Advertising – D109
• Design for Typo – D111,D112. Work by students on this pathway can also be found on their exhibition website.
• Print – Atrium Gallery

Stepping outside of LCC, the containers at the front of the College will be home to work by students on the BA Graphic Product Innovation course. Their work will be displayed  in a unique outdoor event which aims to promote both the work and the students of the course to potential employers. The course, which is a new addition to LCC, will also have  major projects by students from its first graduating year displayed in the Lower Street Gallery alongside work by FdA Graphic and Spatial Communication students.

Back inside more great work can be found with the BA/FdA Media Practice course being displayed inside the Podium Lecture Theatre.

Tucked away on the ground floor, the work by FdA/BA Design for Graphic Communication students can be found by following an innovative design (pictured above) by second year FdA student Nic Carter . He  uses a technique called anamorphic projection to draw guests down a long corridor to The Gallery where the exhibition can be found. The technique of anamorphic projection is used to project 2D images into a 3D space. The students have created their own exhibition website.

Print work by students on the ABC Dip 3D Modelling Animation and BA, FdA & ABC Dip Animation courses will be displayed in the Refectory and their animation videos will be screened in the Main Lecture Theatre.

Further away from the hustle and bustle, the 3^rd Floor Galleries and Foundation Studios will be home to work by BA/FDA Games Design and BA/FDA Digital Media Design students. As well as the work that can be found throughout the show the BA Digital Media Design students have also set up a website dedicated to their designs.

We will be tweeting live tonight from the private view. Follow us on Twitter @lcclondon and #lccra

Missed last Thursday’s Private View of ‘Upside Down’? Above are images from the opening night taken by second year BA Photography student Vicki King and recent graduates Christian Anderson and Ana Escobar.

We hope you like them!

Jakrin Jaungbhanich is awarded Best Director for 'Replica'

LCC BA Film & Television students rubbed shoulders with industry professionals at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) on Monday (13 June), when their graduation films were viewed by experts from the UK’s film industry.

Ten films (previewed below) were shown on the big screen at BAFTA, including three fascinating documentaries and seven thought-provoking dramas about human cloning, a man who talks to the moon, a young boy whose head turns into a pig, and an urban 24 hour grocery store that watches, listens, feels and cries.

Prizes judged by industry professionals were awarded on the night with Best Film going to ‘Friedrich,’ a documentary exploring the life of unknown artist Friedrich Nagler. While ‘Replica’, a film about bioethics and cloning, scooped two awards with Peter Lee Scott winning Best Producer and international student, Jakrin Jaungbhanic, winning the accolade of Best Director.

BA Film & Television Course Director, Dr Emily Caston comments: “I am delighted that the students are continuing to show an intense imagination and a willingness to explore difficult subjects using unusual and experimental formats in the tradition for which the BA Film and Television, now in its 28th year, is famous.”

Among the guests were Khalid Abdalla from the Kite Runner (who played the lead role in the graduation film ‘Predella’),  John De Borman , President of the British Society of Cinematographers and Sir John Tusa, Chairman of the Governors at University of the Arts London.

Film-making is a collaborative effort, so congratulations to all those who screened their films and picked up awards! Below is a list of the award winners in full:

Best Film – ‘Friedrich’ (Procuded by Natalia Mirskaya and Directed by Kitty McMahon)
Best Producer – Peter Lee Scott for ‘Replica’
Best Director – Jakrin Jaungbhanich for ‘Replica’
Best Assistant Director – Scott Ryan for ‘Gun Dog’
Best Cinematography – Lauren Matthews for ‘John Hughes’
Best Production Design – ‘Predella’ (Produced by Lucia Munoz Iglesias and Directed by Vita Hewison)
Best Editing – Joseph Pearlman for ‘Every Hour’
Best Sound Design – Vladas Litvinas for ‘Ant’
Honorary Award – Chiaka Suzuki

Find out more about film at LCC.

Legendary shoe designer and London College of Fashion alumnus, Professor Jimmy Choo OBE, was among our special guests at last Thursday’s opening of ‘Upside Down’. He came to see the work of ABC Diploma Photography student Zanne Wong (pictured above) and according to Senior Course Tutor, Adrian Mott, Mr Choo was “very impressed with the standard of the work that he saw.”

The exhibition, featuring the work of over 80 ABC Diploma Photography students, ends today (22 June). If you couldn’t make it to the show, here’s a sneak peek at some of the works on display.

‘Children’s Portrait’ by Nicette Makinga

ABC Photography exhibit in the Upper Street Gallery

‘Tracing Paper: 2011′ by Lilly Field

‘Dales Folk’ by Stuart Howat

ABC Photography showcase in The Well Gallery

The ABC Diploma, a one year Further Education course taught at LCC since 1992, is designed for those who are considering professional photography as a career.

Adrian Mott, says: “This course, taught by professional photographers, is unique in the UK as it is the only one year practice-based photography course in the country that teaches students all the in-depth photography skills they need in order to succeed in the professional market. The course is diverse, both in terms of age range as well as nationalities. People wishing to change career as well as school leavers breaking into the professional market for the first time get a chance to realise their full potential and follow in the footsteps of successful alumni.”

If you’d like to find out more visit the course page on our website.

If you didn’t get the chance to see some of the outstanding work exhibited at LCC during ‘Upside Down,’ below are some of our highlights from the Surface Design show exhibiting in the galleries on the 3rd Floor of the Workshop Block.

Before we show you some of our favourite pieces, Sue Westergaard, Senior Lecturer on the BA & FdA Surface Design at LCC, explains the philosophy behind Surface Design at LCC.

“The courses in Surface Design at LCC deal with both the practical and theoretical aspects of what surfaces are, how we inter-relate with them. They play with tried and tested ways of decorating surfaces, and encourage an exploration of the possibilities of what surface design can become in the future. This 2011 exhibition shows the work of Surface Design students who are innovating on that journey.”

BA student, Natasha Lawless, is a fine example of a student who is exploring the boundaries of surface design. Her silk-screen printed wallpaper with mapping projection, titled ‘The Enchanted Forest,’ is inspired by Natasha’s favourite Grimm’s fairy tale, ‘The Shoes That Were Danced Into Pieces’.  Natasha describes the concept behind her work: “The piece plays between the seemingly ordinary existence of a wallpaper and the sense of magic created when the projection is turned on, when the viewer is invited into a real-life fairy tale.”

In keeping with the interactive theme, we were drawn to Felicity Taylor’s (FdA Surface Design) hand-printed thermochromatic wallpaper. The inks in the wallpaper change colour when heated by the sun, a radiator or in this case a hair dryer!

Mark Amura, a student on the BA, has produced a series of wallpaper prints using a specialist print technique he picked-up while on a work-placement with Zoffany. His innovative ‘pearlised’ prints are inspired by buttons worn by London’s Pearly Kings and Queens.

Greg Abbott’s ‘Brain Food’ (above) combines a hand-painted wallpaper with a striking lightbox . Greg says: “The work is a reaction to the harsh realities of the early pioneering surgeons of the 1800′s. It was such a brutal time for the patients that I wanted to make light of the subject with a little humor in the style of my work and to show in such a way in that the patterns can be used in a varity of situations.”

‘Monty And The Travelling Show’ by Emma Van Diggele is a playful and interactive piece that invites viewers to contribute to the magical world she has created. Emma was recently awarded first prize in the ‘London Life’ wallpaper competition set by the Wallpaper History Society and Zoffany.

Last but by no means least is Rowan Shaw’s ‘Self Contained.’ Her piece – featuring a bag in the shape of a watermelon – explores the reoccurring theme of boxes and containment.

Above is just a sprinkling of the exciting range of work showcased as part of the Surface Design Summer Show. If you missed ‘Upside Down’, fear not. You can find our talented young surface designers exhibiting their wares at New Designers 2011 Part 1 from 29 June – 2 July.