Inverness student recognised in global design awards

An Inverness College UHI student is preparing her final pitch after being shortlisted for a global student design award.

Final year BA (Hons) Visual Communication and Design student Rachel Brown (21), from Invergordon, designed and developed a business case for a new service inspired by disused office furniture, in response to a brief set by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) Student Design Awards.

A globally renowned competition, the annual awards celebrate up-and-coming designers and focus on providing innovative, practical solutions to social problems.

Rachel’s concept, dubbed ‘The Admyra Beautifiler’, sees redundant filing cabinets transformed into beauty stations, and was submitted as part of her fourth year professional project.

Rachel said: “I feel excited that I have been chosen and delighted to have achieved such recognition from the judges.

"The 'Admyra Beautifiler' has been created from filing cabinets that are no longer any use in the work place. They are transformed into beauty stations for makeup artists to use at home or in their beauty salons.

“The Beautifiler is compact and can be stored away when not in use. It can also be customised to the need of the customer, and their own branding can be transferred onto the design via an online website.

“The Visual Communication and Design course relies heavily on self-motivation and self-directed study, which has allowed me to find and explore my creative niche."

Gill Berkeley, Head of Curriculum, Inverness College UHI, said: “It’s wonderful to see such recognition for the innovative and valuable ideas coming from the Visual Communication and Design course, testament to the hard work of Rachel and the support of her tutors and course leaders.

“Real-life projects are invaluable in helping to process concepts learned in the classroom. Providing opportunities like the RSA Student Design Awards helps to promote our students’ talents by offering an introduction into the creative industries, allowing them to identify their passions and pursue them upon graduation.”

One of seven shortlisted entries in the sustainability category, Rachel has presented her ideas to a panel of judges and will discover if she has been successful over the next few weeks – with a cash prize, paid industry placements and complementary RSA Fellowships amongst the rewards for winners.