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Fruitful partnership gives students valuable insight into industry practice
21/02/2023
Leading creative communications agency, Top Banana, gave University of Wolverhampton design students more fruitful advice recently when they visited the Wolverhampton School of Art - advancing on their already successful Design Academy programme which is now in its seventh year.
Driven by Top Banana’s Art Director, Dave Pinches, the Design Academy’s goal is to nurture new, creative talent and help young people progress into the creative industries with experience and guidance from Top Banana's practised creative department.
Top Banana has creative studios in London and Stourbridge.
Once again, the creative team is working with second-year students studying on the Undergraduate degree course in Graphic Design, offering them valuable industry insight and advice.
Top Banana has tasked the students with a live brief which is based on a project that the agency has worked on. The project involves designing a logo and collateral for an event or brand design and the development of brand campaign materials. This year the project is brand focused. The team from Top Banana recently visited the School of Art, giving an overview of what the agency does before setting the live project.
Students are given the opportunity to share their initial ideas and the creative team feeds back. The live project culminates in a final presentation by the students which potentially could cover motion graphics, digital or traditional designs.
One student is awarded the chance to work with the creative team at Top Banana on a two-day placement.
Dave Pinches, Art Director at Top Banana and a Wolverhampton School of Art graduate, said: “One of the many reasons we love to run Design Academy is to work with the next generation of creative minds, the makers, the creators, and the free thinkers. The creative industry offers such a vibrant and colourful way to view and interact with the world around us. It's just nice to give something back and reminds us why we decided to work in this industry in the first place.
“By allowing real life studio experience and the opportunity to work on live, time sensitive projects, the students all get a true insight into creative design processes and a view into working life post-university.
“At Top Banana we’re really passionate about getting new and fresh blood through the studio, and as I have previous experience as a lecturer we decided to marry the two worlds. The programme gives young people a chance to hear professional feedback on their work, helping them understand how to use their portfolios to showcase their skills when talking to prospective employers. Our aim is for students to come away excited about the industry and passionate about design.
“There are certain things that a degree can teach you about yourself but industry insight is invaluable in relation to how you develop your stage craft and how you develop yourself as a professional if you want to work in the creative industries.”
Marc Austin, Course Leader in Graphic Design at the University, said: “We are delighted to welcome Top Banana back to our Graphic Design studios for the 7th consecutive year. Each time they visit, we witness the positive impact that student engagement with industry professionals has on everyone involved. Thanks to everyone at Top Banana for once again dedicating time and energy to the Design Academy in collaboration with the University of Wolverhampton.
“And thanks to the creative team for their enthusiasm, patience, and professionalism; their commercial insights and advice for student designers is invaluable. We continue to be an ambitious course attempting to balance the academic study of Graphic Design with replication of industry practice, and our on-going collaboration with Top Banana is a highlight of our academic calendar.”
Anyone interested in courses being offered in the Wolverhampton School of Art should check out the website or register for one of our forthcoming Open Days.
ENDS
For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.
