I went to the Visual Communication section, so Graphic Design, Illustration etc, and unfortunately was a little underwhelmed. I know that sounds mean, but there was no 'wow' factor to me, and nothing that stood out to me as being anything higher than undergraduate level.
However there were two projects that I really admired. Foolishly I did not write the artists' names down, but I managed to sneakily take a few pictures as I don't think you were supposed to.
The first was a children's picture book with an educational element drawn to understanding autism. I loved the layout of this book, as it was cleverly designed to be from front to back, and back to front. It tells the story a lively and enthusiastic squirrel desperately attempting to befriend and understand the strange behaviour of the autistic hedgehog.
I loved the sensitive and naive approach that the narrative takes, trying to get across such a misunderstood condition. It was clear to tell that a lot of research had gone into the concept, but not so much experimentation and refinement in the imagery through the students sketchbook and final outcomes. Nevertheless, I loved the layered textured watercolored finish, and I would definitely consider buying this for my child (if I had children).
The second was more of a Graphic/Visual Communication campaign style approach in response to the matter of food waste. 'Ugly' is proposed to be a specialist chain of restaurants that places emphasis on their produce consisting of 'rejected' misshapen fruits and vegetables; completely edible yet didn't make the cut to be sold in supermarkets.
I think that this concept is fantastic in the way that it highlights the shocking volume of food that goes to waste in the UK, as well as making an effort to be environmentally efficient and kind to the planet. I also saw another underlying message (that could be slightly cringey) along the lines of 'not judging by appearance' in terms of us as people, because we are pretty much all the same on the inside no matter how we look.
In a nutshell, I was impressed by a small proportion of the work I saw today and it kind of made me rethink the purpose of doing a masters. I don't know what I would personally gain from doing a masters specifically in Illustration as by the time I graduate I will probably feel ready to step into the industry, and keep learning in a personal and professional manner rather than educationally structured.
For me a masters would be beneficial if I wanted to learn more about a specific area of illustration, for example I know some universities do a masters in Children's book illustration, which is has a clearer direction and is much more specific.
So to save myself another 10 grand for now, I may put the idea of doing a masters to the side for a good few years and consider doing one in the future.
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