We are pleased to announce that Robert Owen, from Nottingham Trent University, is this year’s winner of the coveted Elmwood Student Award 2014. The competition was tough; we were very impressed with this year’s standard of work. However, Robert’s strong research, original ideas and passionate presentation skills pitched him to first place.
Robert was among a number of students who answered our ‘You Don’t Have A Choice’ brief. This brief was born from a desire to give students a more authentic experience of how projects work in the design industry. As a designer you have to expect the unexpected. There are many occasions when you will be faced with a brief that you have no prior knowledge of. This is not always a bad thing. By having a brief forced upon you, it gives you the gift of starting something with a fresh perspective and no pre-conceptions. Great ideas can come from something you thought you wouldn’t like or never really gave a second thought about before.
Students were asked to pull out at random a word from a hat that would be a specific service, object or occupation and re-brand it. The options were very far-ranging and included a 24-hour laundrette, pet insurance and a holiday service to Mars. All entrants were judged on how well they brought their brand to life. To make it unique and exciting they needed to think about more than just aesthetics and find a proposition for the brand that was engaging and had a different point of view. We wanted them to consider all aspects of the brand, not only the name and logo but also the entire visual identity, tone of voice and appropriate applications.
Robert picked out ‘a medieval re-enactment group’ and went far and wide in his initial research, even going to the lengths of contacting an actual re-enactment group. In conversation, the group told Robert how all the members were so close to one another that they felt part of one large family. This insight informed his entire project and inspired his main concept ‘Bringing People Together’.
‘Alliance’, a perfect word to encapsulate this idea, was used as the brand name. We particularly liked how Robert had applied his idea to the logo, a castle icon that continues to evolve and grow in size as the group gains more members. Each stone in the logo represents a different member; its size and shape is dependent on the member’s hair colour and height. This idea created a logo that was personal, engaging and very different from what is currently out there. He also created some other intriguing applications for the brand including interactive posters that emitted medieval sounds and smells.
So what was Robert’s prize for such good work you wonder? The answer: a beautifully, well-crafted Excalibur trophy made from only the finest materials and by the most skilled of craftsmen. Furthermore, Robert was awarded a placement at our Leeds’ studio.
Robert, we hereby knight you the winner of the Elmwood Student Award 2014. Go forth and celebrate!
