STV Advert Project

Collaborating with STV ‘ads up’ for art students

Design for Digital Media students from Gray’s School of Art at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, have been working in collaboration with STV to design and create a range of concepts for television ads.

The students created a collection of adverts to highlight the range of services provided by STV Advertising Sales using the motion graphics and visual effects package Adobe After Effects. The ideas the students came up included the concept of a bored businessman with nothing to do because his services hadn’t been advertised with STV.

While designing the ads the students were asked to consider tasks such as developing a design brief with the client, carrying out research and investigation, and exploring ideas using a range of design processes and techniques.

Student Jonathan Lewery (20), from Inverness, came up with a concept favoured by STV bosses above all others. He thought up a scenario involving a small news agents where the shop owner uses a laser device to duplicate his customers, with awful consequences, instead of advertising with STV. This demonstrated how advertising with STV was much easier than going to great lengths to increase your customer base.

Jonathan was acknowledged for a strong pitch and a humorous treatment of the subject and was offered a work placement with STV as well as receiving an award. Now in his fifth week of the placement, Jonathan is enjoying working on a variety of commercial projects for the company and enjoying every minute of it. He said: “The experience I am gaining from being in this fast-paced, creative environment is invaluable. I am getting the opportunity to work on live client briefs that allow me to expand my skill set and challenge me to produce original ideas to meet the demands of the clients.”

Paul Farquharson, Commercial Producer at STV, said: “Jonathan’s witty take on the brief really caught our imagination. We were extremely impressed with the standard of work produced by the third year Digital Media Design students across the board and look forward to working with them in the future.”

Created for stv north’s ComCab Aberdeen campaign.

Creative by Paul Farquharson.
Animated by myself.

The whole thing was animated in about 10 hours. It’s probably the quickest turn around I’ve had and by far one of the most fun jobs. Props to Paul for the awesome script and to the voice-over artist who brought it to life. It worked a treat!

Cameron Craddock, Programme Leader for Communication Design at Gray’s said, “Our courses regularly work and collaborate on projects with a wide range of industry partners to ensure our students have the relevant key skills required to enter the workplace. It was a pleasure to work with STV and I would like to thank them both for taking the time to give our students an insight into their daily working activities.”

Maritime Rescue Institute Rebrand

Live projects, in which students work on real solutions for real industry partners, are an essential part of many of the courses Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, has to offer. A recent project coordinated by Gray’s School of Art on behalf of the Maritime Rescue Institute (MRI) has seen three students participate in a rebranding exercise for MRI.

MRI is based in Stonehaven, Kincardineshire, and is recognised as a centre of excellence, providing specialist training and advisory services on all forms of waterborne emergency response to organisations and governments around the world. It also provides a 24-hour lifeboat service for the North-east coastline and now operates as an independent charity, relying on sponsorship from a number of companies, as well as seeking funding from the Lottery and other trusts and foundations. Shell U.K. Limited is one of the organisations which supports the charity and was able to put MRI in touch with the Gray’s students as part of an ongoing partnership it has with Robert Gordon University to utilise and nurture fresh talent.

As a result, three Gray’s design students Joel MacDonald (21) from Stonehaven, Robert Paul (21) from Elgin and Scott Mathieson (21) from Aberdeen have taken part in a project to rebrand MRI.

Joel has concentrated on reworking the MRI’s logo and corporate branding as part of his final year Graphic Design honours project and Robert, a Design for Digital Media student has created visuals for those who run MRI to see what they might hope to achieve from a major overhaul and extension of their existing headquarters. Scott, who is also a Design for Digital Media student is currently working on a new MRI website which will be launched later in the year.

Hamish McDonald, CEO and founder of MRI, is also a world-leading figure in waterborne emergency response and rescue and is absolutely delighted with what the students have come up with. He said, “Our product is knowledge. Our hands-on, real life experience and tremendous spread of contacts and projects is valuable to organisations much larger than our own and we also have a strong tradition of support to and from the local community.

“I think the corporate branding and website the students have worked on will really help to establish the Institute as an independent organisation and strengthen our position in both the local and international marketplace. It has also been fantastic to be able to utilise fresh local talent so we can see the proposed future of the MRI building by way of high-tech visuals and move forward with that insight.”

Cameron Craddock, Programme Leader for Communication Design at Gray’s School of Art commented: “This kind of live project ensures students gain relevant ‘real world’ experience and develop the necessary skills required of today’s digital designers. Design graduates are highly employable and develop a range of transferable skills whilst studying on the course.”

Shell’s Head of Communications, Steve Harris added, “The partnership between Gray’s and ourselves has been particularly fruitful because it has enabled MRI to benefit from the knowledge and skills of three talented individuals, Joel, Robert and Scott, whom we would not otherwise have had the opportunity to engage with.”

For further information about the digital media design courses at Gray’s, visit:
Grayscale

RGU/BP Race Car Launch

Digital Media student creates bodywork graphics & visuals for the RGU/BP race car launch.
click here to download the completed ident (Flash Movie 20.3 MB)

Made by student(s) from Robert Gordon’s University, BDes Digital Media, for the unveiling of the jointly funded BP/RGU race car

Mearns & Gill

Digital Media students from Gray’s School of Art at Robert Gordon University have been designing concepts for online promotional presentations for Mearns and Gill, one of Aberdeen’s leading digital media, design, event management and advertising companies.

The students designed a collection of interactive ‘e-Promos’ to highlight the range of services provided by Mearns and Gill using the web design and animation package Adobe Flash. The student ideas range from an interactive notice board to a digital maze which is negotiated through by a silver ball.

While designing the e-Promo the students were asked to consider tasks such as developing a design brief with the client, carrying out research and investigation and exploring ideas generation using a design process and techniques.

Nine designs were short listed (from over twenty submissions) as finalists to present their idea to Alan Mearns, Mearns and Gill Managing Director, and Graham Tait, Senior Media Designer. All nine 2nd year Bachelor of Design students received £50 of John Lewis Vouchers from Mearns and Gill.

The winning student was Jonny Smith-Campbell (20), from Edinburgh, who designed the notice board submission which demonstrated how Mearns and Gill has evolved throughout 70 years of design consultancy. As well as receiving the John Lewis vouchers, Jonny will have the opportunity to carry out a work placement at Mearns and Gill to fully develop his winning idea.

David Crossen, lecturer and 2nd year coordinator said, ‘the Digital Media course regularly works and collaborates on projects with industry to ensure our students have the key skills required to enter the workplace. We are extremely pleased to be working with Mearns and Gill and hope we can continue this link in the future.’

Mr Tait, Senior Media Designer, Mearns and Gill, said: “What was so encouraging about these presentations was the exceptionally high standard of work which the students produced. Nurturing upcoming talent is so important and we look forward to building on the links with Digital Media, Gray’s School of Art and RGU.”

For further information visit: http://www.graysdigitalmedia.co.uk

ENDS January 2008

Gail Haddock
Senior Communications Officer
The Robert Gordon University
Schoolhill
Aberdeen
AB10 1FR
Tel: 01224 262210
Email: g.haddock@rgu.ac.uk

Viscom Project

Viscom challenges RGU students to a taste of the real world — in 3D

Design for Digital Media students from Gray’s School of Art at Robert Gordon University are being challenged by Aberdeen video and multimedia specialist Viscom to demonstrate their expertise and creativity by producing their own 3D animations to a commercial standard.

The 15 students have been given six weeks — until the end of April — to fulfil a brief drawn up by Viscom General Manager Bruce Milne and are competing to demonstrate their abilities in three individual categories and also be crowned overall winner:

* Most creative approach
* Most technically accomplished piece of work
* Most thorough research and development process
* Overall winner

The brief is to produce a 3D animated introduction for a theoretical DVD-based educational pack for Calderglen Country Park, a four-star tourist attraction just outside Glasgow which has a children’s zoo, extensive nature trails, adventure and special needs play areas, and a golf course.

Mr Milne said: “The 3D piece would set the tone for the DVD content and might be repeated throughout the programme. It needs to capture what Calderglen is all about and invite viewers to explore — through the DVD — what’s on offer.”

“The overall winner will be the student who has shown the greatest all-round technical, creative and understanding in executing the brief. There will also be prizes for the runners up, and something for the rest of the team — as long as they complete the work to the standard required.”

Viscom is also offering one of the students taking part the possibility of a summer placement.

The students’ first task is to produce storyboards — which Mr Milne will assess — before they get down to work on the production phase.

“We greatly welcome the opportunity to work with RGU on this project,” he said. “It gives us the chance to showcase what we can do to students who will be looking for employment once they graduate, and it gives us the chance to assess the creative talent on our doorstep.”

RGU Digital Media course leader David Crossen said: “We are delighted to be working with Viscom. This project gives our students the opportunity to work on actual commercial projects, and being exposed to the real business world in this way is invaluable.”

Viscom was founded in 1987 and is the leading provider of passenger safety briefings to the North Sea helicopter sector. The company moved to 430 Clifton Road, Aberdeen, in 2002 and has since expanded into new markets. The shareholders — all significant — are The Robert Gordon University, Heli-One, and Bristow Helicopters.

Jonathan Lewery working with STV and ComCab

Digital Media student Jonathan Lewery worked in collaboration with Paul Farquharson at STV Creative to produce an ad for ComCab. The ad has recently been selected to feature in STV Creative’s showreel.

Grayscale Site Launch

Commercial Photography – Course Information

Introduction

Commercial Studio Projects will allow you to expand upon practical and technical abilities in studio and location-based projects linked to live clients, industry and commerce. Through self-directed work, you will concentrate on your core strengths to build a professional portfolio of work.

Critical and Contextual Studies in Photography will support your understanding of photography through historical, cultural and economic dimensions, exploring the work of key practitioners.

Business Start-up in the Creative Industries and Management Studies will allow you to develop sound business awareness to support your business development.
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Digital Media – Course Information

1. Overview

This course produces graduates to satisfy the demand for creative designers in the exciting field of digital media production.

The curriculum enables you to develop a skill set which spans both design and computing. Subjects include: motion graphics; interaction; interface and web site design; 3D computer modelling and animation; visual effects; audio/video post production; DVD authoring and computer/mobile games content design.

Year 1

You will be introduced to the visual and technical skills that are required by digital media designers
The basics of design methods, creative/critical thinking will also be presented

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