A pair of Staffordshire University students have won a top accolade at a global design competition for a project which encourages children to learn maths.
The coveted D&AD New Blood Award champions aspiring creatives from all around the world as they enter the workforce.
Students respond to real briefs, set by real clients, judged by the industry’s top creatives.
This year, companies including Google, Heinz, Penguin Books, and Heineken tasked students to complete industry level projects.
Final year BA (Hons) Graphic Design students Will Bagnall and Becky Johnson Pudney were praised for their response to a brief from Duolingo Maths to inspire audiences to build new maths habits.
Will, 24, from Lichfield, said: “The concept stemmed from research into children’s habits and screen time which led to creating a digital plug-in for on demand streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+ and YouTube which encourages extra learning time before they access their accounts.”
Becky, 21, from Crewe, said: “We’ve done a lot of briefs with the course, but obviously this is a massive step up. It’s global and we were going against a lot of competition.”
Will and Becky have been showcasing their work and networking with industry professionals alongside fellow graphic design students at the New Blood Festival in London.
They were also presented with the Graphite New Blood Pencil Award at a special ceremony.
“It was a lot of celebration. We weren’t expecting it at all!” Becky added.
Will said: “I would say it’s the best feeling we’ve had since being at uni. It was like euphoria.”
Sam Owen, Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design, commented: “This D&AD New Blood is a great accolade for these students and a recognised award and achievement.
“It will serve them well when looking for employment. Both Will and Becky have also secured themselves a paid internship at world renowned design agency VCCP this summer. They are really flying.”
