Inverness College UHI students work on design project for Moray brewery
A MORAY brewery has teamed up with students from Inverness College UHI to design a range of new merchandise.
Windswept Brewing Co, an award-winning craft brewery based in Lossiemouth, Moray, challenged students in the 2nd year of the University of the Highlands and Islands’ HND Visual Communication programme to come up with designs which would complement its brand.
Brewery marketing manager Heather Christie held a series of virtual meetings with the students to talk to them about the brewery, its target audience and to provide feedback on their ideas.
This month the students presented their final ideas, which ranged from water bottles and bum bags to enamel mugs, t-shirts, and hiking socks.
Angela Wylie, an HND Visual Communication student from Ullapool, said: “I really enjoyed the challenge of working on a live brief and bouncing ideas back and forth with the client until we had honed in on the design the client preferred. For me personally, it was fun to introduce a design for a women’s t-shirt that I could see myself wearing.”
Ariella McAuslan, an HND Visual Communication student from Rothes, said: “I really enjoyed working on a live brief as it gave me real insight into what I want to do when I finish my studies. I really enjoyed coming up with different items for the merchandise line. I also really appreciated all the feedback I was given.”
Heather Christie, Marketing Manager at Windswept Brewing, said: “It was great to see the students’ enthusiasm for the brief and our brand throughout the project. Over the semester, they learned to develop and hone their designs which resulted in a very high standard overall. I am delighted that Inverness College UHI are giving their students this opportunity as it provides fantastic preparation for their future careers in design.”
Ken Gowans, Visual Communication lecturer at Inverness College UHI, said: “This project formed part of the students’ client-initiated design brief, which sees them work with an external client and get real-life experience of what it is like to work as a designer. It is an example of the inspiring project that anyone studying Visual Communication with us can expect. The whole experience, from the initial design brief to the design process, through to the client feedback and design follow-up, is so invaluable for our students. Our industry partnerships play an essential role in shaping their student experience and creating graduates ready for the workplace, and I would like to thank Windswept Brewing for their support.”
Applications are now open for our Visual Communication programmes.