New talent 2017: Best graduates from London's top colleges

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We’ve already brought you our favourite graduates from outside London, as well as from two opposite corners of the UK:  Edinburgh and Falmouth. Now discover the rest of our picks of the very best graphic design, illustration and animation graduates from the capital's finest colleges.

Whether you’re looking for new creative talent for your  studio or collaborative opportunities, the talented graduates here boast  exceptional final year projects that excel in both concept and execution – and are worth keeping an eye on. 

And don't forget to head over to D&AD New Blood at London’s Old Truman Brewery, Shoreditch, from 5-6 July to get a closer look at the work from the class of 2017 and meet the graduates in person.

Want to search by university instead of scrolling through? Just hit the drop-down menu above to skip to: London College of Communication, Chelsea College of Art, Camberwell College of Art, Ravensbourne or Kingston University.  

First up, Central Saint Martins...

Jiawei Yu

• University: Central Saint Martins
• Course: (BA Hons) Graphic Design
• Project: 30-Day Library

An unassuming brief – the visual documentation of the usage of a graphic design bookshelf within the Central Saint Martins’ library over 30 days – yielded a spectacular Futurist eruption of geometry and colour, and was one of the standout pieces at Saint Martins’ show.

Jiawei Yu modestly claims he simply wanted to "make people aware of  the importance of using a library correctly", but his interactive book, shelf and poster demonstrate how the simplest of briefs often produce the richest rewards.

Oliver Vanes and Kwan Chow

• University: Central Saint Martins
• Course: (BA Hons) Graphic Design
• Project: Transcendent Graphic Design

VR is one of the year’s hottest trends, and Oliver Vanes and Kwan Chow set out to explore the crossover with graphic design. The duo created a series of posters, then transformed them into VR experiences. 

“We wanted to create a graphic, typographical experience, moving away from traditional ‘room’ or ‘world’ structures,” explains Vanes. “It has been fantastic to see people have such emotional reactions to it.”

Noah Petri

• University: Central Saint Martins
• Course: (BA Hons) Graphic Design
• Project: Portrait

Berlin-born illustrator Noah Petri begins all his work with a hand-drawn, time-intensive line image. “Often the lines in my initial drawings are so meticulous and refined, they are already mistaken for computer-generated elements,” he explains. 

“I then scan the image in and slowly start digitally manipulating it. A hybrid between classical hand-drawn elements, digital tools and photographic components develops.”

Sharing the same highly distinctive style, the resulting portraits, environments and themes hail from a dark and mysterious world. “They are aggressive and dark, creepy, unsettling and, in essence, otherworldly,” says Petri. “I’m creating a coherent visual world for the viewer to explore.”

Berta Valló 

• University: Central Saint Martins
• Course: (BA Hons) Graphic Design
• Project: Paraphrase

Originally from Hungary, Berta Valló is fascinated by human behavioural patterns and emotions, and her work often explores themes of identity and female sexuality in relation to consumerist culture. 

Having lived in London for three years, she was inspired by 15th-century German artist Albrecht Dürer to create two-metre-high digital print Paraphrase in an attempt to condense how she feels about the capital’s diverse and complex culture.

Andrew Long 

• University: Central Saint Martins
• Course: (BA Hons) Graphic Design
• Project: Letterpress Workshop Guide

A proudly analogue designer in an increasingly digital world, Andrew Long returned to education after working as a plumber. 

Designed to encourage more of his fellow students to explore CSM’s letterpress workshop, his project is based around a series of beautifully produced prints highlighting some of the fonts from the collection.

Next page: All the top talent from London College of Communication

Get 5 issues of Computer Arts for £5!

Computer Arts will be bringing you the cream of the 2017 graduate crop in a special new talent issue, on sale 21 July. Subscribe now to make sure you get your copy – and get five issues for just £5.

Santa Cielava

• University: London College of Communication
• Course: (BA Hons) Graphic and Media Design
• Project: The Library of Babel

Reimagining a short story by Jorge Luis Borges – The Library of Babel – Santa Cielava’s pop-up book is held within a 59-kilo bookcase, which was produced in Latvia by her father. The project demonstrates Cielava’s love of precision and minimalism, albeit disrupted by chaos and disorder. 

“I took every word from the story and categorised them into alphabetical order,” explains Cielava. “And to take it to another level, I chose to write the words by hand.”

Inviting comparisons to German artist Anselm Kiefer’s work, Cielava’s sculpture perfectly expressed the multidisciplinary breadth and intellectual ambition that dominated this year’s shows.

Christian Gyde

• University: London College of Communication
• Course: (BA Hons) Graphic and Media Design
• Projects: Ryoji Ikeda & Neu Utility

Christian Gyde’s stunning posters advertise digital sound artist Ryoji Ikeda’s experimental installations, recreating the disorientating effect of the “incomprehensible amount of information” in his work via type.

The otherworldly typeface Neu Utility was inspired by “the lexicon of pavement utility markings, used by local authorities as a way of remembering what actually lies beneath the ground.”

Richard Underwood 

• University: London College of Communication
• Course: (BA Hons) Graphic and Media Design
• Project: Physical/Visual System

Inspired by Ryoji Ikeda’s 2014 installation Supersymmetry to explore the potential of live data, Richard Underwood’s project features ball bearings on a light box, which is mounted on two servos. A camera above is also connected to the servos and a Raspberry Pi.

“Code, written in Python, calculates the position of the eight balls and moves the servos to balance the centroid of the balls in the centre of the light box,” says Underwood. 

The data was painstakingly recorded, then represented visually in four different ways to create background textures for the exhibition posters.

Haruka Hochin

• University: London College of Communication
• Course: (BA Hons) Graphic and Media Design
• Project: The Lottery in Babylon

Haruka Hochin’s reinterpretation of a  Jorge Luis Borges story – The Lottery in Babylon – explored the role chance plays in life. It’s an intricate, experimental typographic system ruminating on the theme of illogical corruption, and is woven across three formats: type, image and a combination of both. 

The process involved continuous iteration and experimentation, but the resulting work has strengthened Hochin’s passion for creation. 

“I have come to re-appreciate the physical, traditional print and craft of graphic design,” she says. 

Hannah Martin

• University: London College of Communication
• Course: (BA Hons) Illustration and Visual Media
• Project: Self-deprecating Narcissism

For her final project, Hannah Martin documented observations, occurrences, thoughts and emotions in the form of a daily art journal. 

“I hope people are inspired by the raw truths and honesty within my work, and find reassurance in knowing that they are less alone in the worries they have and struggles they face,” she says. “I found the project a therapeutic way to channel my negativity, and used it as an outlet for my self-deprecating thoughts.”

Next page: Our pick of the talent from Chelsea College of Arts

Jack Collis

• University: Chelsea College of Arts
• Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Communication
• Project: dot-draw.xyz

Inspired by The De Stijl movement and “imagery created by reducing components to the essentials of colour and composition,” Jack Collis’ interactive project is a playful modular system that enables users to explore, create and submit images.

“People have submitted everything from penises to typefaces, voting propaganda to signatures,” explains Collis. “It’s incredible to see just how differently one creative challenge can be approached.” 

Jeong Eun Yoo

• University: Chelsea College of Arts
• Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Communication
• Project: Regather Hangul

South Korea-born Jeong Eun Yoo was tired of work from her native land focusing on North Korean propaganda, or the North–South divide. Inspired by the stories of families separated by the conflict, Regather Hangul has a message of unity and resolution. Her typeface was inspired by the traditional Korean art of Jogakbo – patchwork made from leftover clothes.

Next page: The best student talent from Camberwell College of Arts

Ellie Veale, Katy Everett and Jack Harness

• University: Camberwell College of Arts
• Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design
• Project: Degree show identity

Recent graduate Ellie Veale collaborated with third-year Graphic Design students Katy Everett and Jack Harness to create a stunning brand identity for Camberwell College of Arts’ summer show.

“My work aims to create a physical experience incorporating both the designer and the user,” says Veale. “I find it interesting how the user can take part in the design process.” 

Using data collected from the third-year class, the trio built the startling typeface from a unique grid of their creation. The typeface was then printed in fluoro ink on signage, posters and even on cool plastic sleeves holding postcards for each designer on show.

Next page: The best work from the Ravensbourne degree show

Catherine Searle

• University: Ravensbourne
• Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design
• Project: The Upbeat Project

After reading a report that claimed over 80 per cent of young people in London often or always feel alone, Catherine Searle devised The Upbeat Project, a charity created by students for students to engage and connect people.

“The work tackles the issue of chronic loneliness in a bold, spirited manner, with a vibrant, diverse set of illustrations printed on risograph,” explains Searle. “I’m pleased to have touched a subject that’s had an adverse effect on many of my peers in London.”

Medeea Lascar

• University: Ravensbourne
• Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design
• Project: Out of the Blue

Out of the Blue is a campaign to raise awareness of the Horniman Museum’s exhibit: Photographs of British Algae – Cyanotype Impressions, a 1843 book by Anna Atkins. Using a Riso printer to replicate the vivid blue of the original cyanotypes, Lascar created a series of posters and leaflets that can be torn into individual postcards.

Next page: Top design talent from Kingston School of Art

Ruth Gardiner

• University: Kingston University
• Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design
• Project: Londependence

When a petition to make London independent gained over 180,000 signatures, Ruth Gardiner set out to explore what that could look like. Gardiner was initially excited about the idea, but changed her mind after looking at how the East-West divide affected German design. “The project aims to show people how important it is to stick together,” she says.

Lauren Doherty 

• University: Kingston University
• Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design
• Project: Skill Stickers

Designed to “break the boundaries put up by laptop screens” in shared workspaces, Skill Stickers encourage communication by indicating a willingness to collaborate. Each of Lauren Doherty’s designs represents a skill: lecturing, photography, art direction, typography, writing, coding, film, making, and fashion.

Get 5 issues of Computer Arts for £5!

Computer Arts will be bringing you the cream of the 2017 graduate crop in a special new talent issue, on sale 21 July. Subscribe now to make sure you get your copy – and get five issues for just £5.

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