Posted: 04/03/09
Students design posters in fight against knife crime
West Nottinghamshire College Interactive Media students have been working closely with Nottinghamshire Police to design a new anti-knife crime campaign to raise awareness in the community and their winning designs were revealed yesterday (3rd March).
The project was offered to Design students on the BTEC National Diploma in Interactive Media back in December 2008.
Yesterday, at the College’s Chesterfield Road campus, winners Jenna Abbott and James Lock scooped graphics tablet prizes as well as the knowledge that their top designs will featured on marketing campaigns lead by Nottinghamshire Police across the county and possibly across the UK.
Sarah Smithurst, Co-ordinator for Crimestoppers in the East Midlands who has liaised with the College to organise the competition, said: “These winning designs, one to raise knife crime awareness by James and the other containing a domestic violence message produced by Jenna really are fabulous.
“It’s been a hard task for us to choose just two winning designs. We’re really hoping to be able to incorporate the other three runners up’s designs as they were equally impressive. We already have other police forces across the country interested in using these designs for their own campaigns.”
As part of their course, students were asked to develop ideas for an anti-knife crime advertising campaign without using the imagery of knives within their designs. Each student produced two posters alongside a billboard advert and a black and white advert for a tabloid newspaper to raise awareness of the campaign.
Tutor Mark Dickson said: “I know the whole group felt passionately about putting their ideas together for this campaign. I am certainly very proud of all of the entries and for our students who are looking to apply for university, the kudos of working for a client such as the police force will be looked upon favourably. I am very proud of the work they have produced which contains some very powerful messages to be rolled out into the public arena.”
Jenna who produced the anti-knife crime posters said: “I’m really shocked that I have won! I aimed to be different in my designs and I really wanted to portray the feeling of guilt in my work by a physical image. My design tablet prize will be so useful in my studies.”
James who produced the domestic violence posters said: “I’m chuffed to bits to be a winner. My aim was to put across the theme of domestic violence being ‘in the shadows’ when I designed my campaign material and I am really pleased that I have achieved this.”
