One hundred and thirty NTU graphic design students made their way to Leeds to get a small taste for the industry and source inspiration to kick-start a new project. Among the studios were Robot Food, Something More, Split and the agency that I was lucky enough to visit, Elmwood.
Elmwood is an independent brand design consultancy which has studios in London, Leeds, New York, Melbourne and Singapore. They “believe that effective work challenges, engages, surprises and excites. Above all, it gets people talking and delivers a positive impact, socially and commercially.”
On entering Elmwood, we were introduced to Hayley and Ruth, two ex-Trent students, who gave us a brief tour of the office before talking about the company. They spoke about Elmwoods’ core values, gave us an insight into a day in the life of a graphic designer and explained their design process – highlighting a couple of recent projects for both local and global clients.
Hayley and Ruth were both engaging and passionate about what they do, enabling them to give a fantastic presentation that I am sure the whole room was enthralled by. If any one of my fellow peers needed motivating, the Elmwood studio visit, without a doubt, provided some much needed inspiration, as well as an insight into where we could end up after completing our degree in just over a years time.
LILLIE PRIOR 