Design Students Named Among International Top Talent by Adobe

Talented designers from the University of Lincoln, UK, have been named among the Top Talent of 2019 in the global Adobe Design Achievement Awards.

The awards are billed as the world’s premier digital media competition for students and emerging creators. More than 10,000 creatives from countries across the globe entered the awards with just over 500 entries awarded the Top Talent accolade.

Aspiring creatives were invited to submit entries across six disciplines; illustration, photography, video, print/graphic, digital products and experiences, or motion graphics and animation. Entries were judged by a diverse global panel of creative professionals.

Work from all the winners is showcased on the Adobe website in a live gallery. Winners will be given access to a full year’s worth of unique opportunities in the Adobe Top Talent community.

The pieces that impressed the judges to win the Top Talent awards included a wide body of work designed to educate, promote or inspire. The winning submissions from Lincoln students included More Than Meets The Eye – A visual exploration into Synaesthesia by Rhiannon Griffiths, Visit Lincoln by Leah Parr, Good Things First by Megan Dixon and Singularity – A Journey Into a Black Hole by Matthew Gilbert.

Rhiannon Griffiths, from Lincoln’s BA(Hons) Graphic Design, focussed her piece on synaesthesia, a condition that causes the senses to be experienced in a different way such as tasting smells or hearing colours as a sounds, and created a concertina book to highlight that it is a positive neurological difference that should be celebrated.

Rhiannon said: “I’m thrilled to be a part of the Top Talent 2019 as it’s a great way of kick-starting my creative career, and means all the hard work over the last three years is paying off!

“The opportunities that Adobe provide for Top Talent are centred on securing students with design jobs in the future, so it’s a really nice set-up to have straight after finishing university.

“The inspiration behind my project stemmed from my own experiences with synaesthesia (although very mild) and how fascinating, varied and complex synaesthesia can be. By talking to people about my project, a couple of people became aware that they themselves had a form of it, proving how little it is spoken about and the scope for further education on the topic.”

Professor Matthew Cragoe, Pro Vice Chancellor for the College of the Arts at the University of Lincoln, said: “I’m thrilled for Rhiannon, Leah, Megan and Matthew. To have won awards in such a prestigious and competitive international competition is sensational. To have four winners from Lincoln says a lot about the quality of the course and the dedication of the teaching team too – especially as this year’s awards build on a long track record of success in international competitions.”