Please check your Napier inbox for instructions. The website will be launched when submissions have been made.

Following its reporting by the BBC, Design Week and others mentioned previously, Elaine McLuskey’s Social Spheres project has gone global. Apart from UK press coverage by the likes of the Daily Mail, the Times Higher and The Herald (twice), and a mention in the Hindustani Times, Elaine’s degree show project has been blogged by the likes of Gizmodo, Trendhunter and CNET, as well as an interesting write-up by George Prochnik, author of Pursuit of Silence.

Elaine was also invited to STV on 19th May to present Social Spheres live on their programme The Hour (part 2, or see clip above).

The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) made two awards to Creative Advertising students at the opening of the degree show yesterday.

Between them, Callum Robertson and Iain Pender – who work as a creative team – won awards for their work across two modules, Campaign Creation and Digital Creative, as well as picking up Best Portfolio.

Awards were presented by Ken Dixon, Chairman of the Scottish IPA and Planning Director/Partner at Newhaven advertising agency. Sara Robertson of IPA Scotland was also at the presentation.

The winners will start their internship with The Leith Agency at the end of May, and they already have a number of agencies interested in talking to them about work.

Degree show sponsors Arup Scotland have awarded their prize for the best project to Product Design student Roxan Buys.

Roxan’s Sessio design is a re-configurable outdoor seating area that promotes social interplay between light and shadow both day and night, thanks to built-in solar-powered lighting.

The prize was presented on Wednesday night by Arup Scotland’s Martin Surridge.

New Vice Principal Prof John Duffield kicked off proceedings, which also included the presentation of the Arup Scotland Prize by Arup’s Martin Surridge.

Alex Gilkison, Head of the School of Arts and Creative Industries, used the launch to re-affirm the university’s rating in the Guardian University Guide 2010, which in Art and Design ranks Edinburgh Napier 7th in the UK (out of 79), and number 2 in Scotland.

Featuring a range of work from students in Design, Photography & Film, and Creative Advertising, the degree show runs until 23rd May. Open to the public weekdays 10am-6pm, Saturdays 10am-4.30pm and Sundays 12-4.30pm.

Social Spheres are acoustic devices which help people to have conversations in noisy public spaces. As well as being functional they highlight an important aspect of disability uncovered by Elaine’s research – that we are often disabled more by the environment we’re in, than by an impairment such as hearing loss.

Elaine is hopeful that the eccentric-looking objects will trigger debate around hearing impairments.

Social Spheres can be seen – and tested out – at the 2010 degree show which is open to the public 13-23 May, at the Merchiston campus.

May is here and the countdown to the 2010 Degree Show has started!

The visual identity for the show was designed by Naomi Gibson from third year of BDes (Hons) Graphic Design. Along with input from students on MSc Creative Advertising, Naomi’s artwork is featured on way-finding, banners, posters and flyers.

The show will feature graduation projects from Product Design, Interior Architecture, and Photography & Film, plus work-in-progress from masters students in Interior Architecture, Interdisciplinary Design, Interaction Design and Creative Advertising. Also featured will be third-year work from our new BDes programmes in Graphic Design and Design & Digital Arts, both of which will have their first set of graduates in 2011.

We’re very grateful to our new sponsors Arup Scotland for their support. The 2010 show is also presented in association with EveryCreative.

Down the Rabbit Hole (Eva Pervolovici, MFA Advanced Film Practice 2009)

Alongside the degree show on the Merchiston Campus there will be two screenings of student films at the Filmhouse Cinema.

BA (Hons) Photography and Film
Tuesday 11th May 2009, 6–8pm
Filmhouse Cinema, 88 Lothian Road, EH3 9BZ

To obtain tickets to this film event, please contact the Filmhouse Box Office: 0131 228 2688.

MFA Advanced Film Practice
MA Film
Thursday 13th May 2009 6pm
Filmhouse Cinema, 88 Lothian Road, EH3 9BZ

For further details on 13th May event, including booking details, see ESSAMA website.

The overall winner was Michael Ridd from BDes (Hons) Product Design, for his “BabyBoard”, a new lightweight way to carry small children on public transport.

A number of other students exhibiting in the show also received Honourable Mentions:

Victoria Baty – BDes (Hons) Product Design – “Hybridians”
Arturo Pereira Delgado – BA (Hons) Photography and Film – “The Way to Macondo”
Albert Guardiola – BDes (Hons) Product Design – “Social Kitchen”
Jennifer Hargrave – BA (Hons) Photography and Film – “Minute”
Rebecca Kaye – MA Creative Advertising – “Childline”
Sam Luntley – BA (Hons) Photography and Film – “coop not hole”
Scott McPate & Tracey Darby – MA Creative Advertising (joint project) – “Scottish Seabird Centre”
Andrew Murray – MDes Interdisciplinary Design – “Made by…”
Laraine Naughton – BDes (Hons) Interior Architecture – “Heart of Leith”
Paul Rich – BDes (Hons) Interior Architecture – “Safe Haven”
Zoe Winters – BA (Hons) Photography and Film – “Animal”