European Benetton showcase for UCA
Visual communications by students from the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) will be shown at United Colors of Benetton stores around Europe as part of a special collaboration with the brand.
Benetton's communication research centre, Fabrica, invited a small number of prestigious universities around the world, including UCA Farnham, to take part in their Live Windows project which transforms selected flagship store-fronts into intelligent digital displays.
Third-year BA (Hons) Graphic Communication student, Ben Findlay, designed a special Valentine's Day 'window' which was shown at Benetton's Milan, Barcelona, London, Munich and Moscow shops on 14 February. Three more Graphic Communication students will show their work at European flagship stores in March.
Craig Burston, Course Leader in BA (Hons) Graphic Communication, said: "I'm extremely proud that four of our students have had their work chosen by Benetton/Fabrica for the Live Windows project.
"To have our students work shown across Europe - and beyond - is a big achievement indeed and excellent for the profile of the course and UCA."
Fabrica chose to work with design institutions such as UCA to encourage an exchange of ideas among the next generation of talented designers and to provide a global platform for them.
"We were delighted to receive a call from Fabrica - it's testimony to the course and the university that they approached us and wanted to collaborate with UCA," Craig added. "It's crucial that students get real-world briefs with major clients and they don't come much bigger then Benetton.
Ben Findlay's stop-motion Valentine video shows a wedding cake with an unexpected mix of bride and grooms. Works by Mark Walter, Harvey Brown and Emily Wright have been chosen to grace the Benetton Live Windows around Europe in March.
Craig continued: "The students were required to work with moving image for this project which makes it more challenging, both technically and conceptually.
"The brief is a great test of their practical and creative skills and it was technically challenging but it demonstrates that we can, and will, communicate by any means necessary for collaborators and don't simply rely on traditional means, such as print media."
For more on the project visit: www.livewindow.it which provides links to their Facebook and Twitter pages.
For more information contact:
David Reilly, Press Officer, UCA
T: 01252 892939
E: dreilly@ucreative.ac.uk
