��������

“I feel so privileged that my time at �������� coincided with this opportunity where my work will be on display in the park forever.”

To celebrate Peel Park’s 180th anniversary, all second-year students on the course were tasked with creating a new brand identity for the park as it prepared to undergo a physical and digital transformation.

After three weeks of researching, Fowziyah Adam, 22, presented her new suggestions to a panel which included members of �������� City Council’s design team - who later declared her as the winning designer.

She said: “I’ll be able to come back in ten years' time and show others what I did here as a student – that's not something that most students get to achieve whilst studying here so I feel very lucky.”

Committed to producing the best design, Fowziyah spoke to park visitors and engaged with the nearby �������� Museum and Art Gallery as part of her research to understand the park’s regular visitors and what they wanted from the space. 

The finished work includes new logos, interactive wayfinding, digital animations and social media graphics which will be implemented later this year by the council, providing a permanent legacy to Fowziyah’s time at the University.

“I believe that every piece of graphic design has to have a purpose and meaning.”

To celebrate the city’s centenary, ��������-based brewery Seven Bro7hers wanted to create a project which gave back to the history and culture of the area.

Samantha McAvoy, Head of Marketing at the brewery, had graduated with a BA Graphic Design degree from �������� back in 2015. 

She wanted to champion the students of ��������, who are at the very beginning of their career and looking to follow the same path she did, so she got in touch with the course about getting the 2025-26 cohort involved.

“The students had a challenging brief to learn from, with the opportunity to learn about different mediums and the potential for their design to be sold to thousands of people around Greater Manchester.”

The winner was Anhelina Serhiienko. The second-year student knew the importance of ��������’s industrial heritage, incorporating its bridges, cranes, mills, the Bridgewater Canal, and the River Irwell into her design.

She embodied the usual themes of Seven Bro7hers’ distinctive branding, such as bright colours and geometrical shapes, all whilst aligning the design with the �������� centenary campaign branding.

Anhelina conducted extensive research into ��������’s history to reflect its identity in the strongest and most accurate way. The resulting creation, 1926, is still available to purchase via the brewery’s website. 

She said: “I love creating designs with deep meanings, metaphors, and philosophy behind them.

“I like to analyse the information and then put the jigsaw together. This brief was an exciting opportunity for me to do this.”

“It feels like a genuine collaboration where both sides benefit.”

For �������� based peer-support community Talk About It Mate (TAIM), mental health is as important as physical health.

The organisation runs a series of groups, workshops and events aimed at providing a safe, comfortable space for members of the community to interact without judgement.

The group has recently grown significantly and so founder, Mike Richards, wanted the branding to ‘better reflect who we are. Real, grounded and built around connection to capture the feeling of our men’s groups.’

As such, �������� students were invited to develop new brand concepts for the group including logos, visual identities, social media promotions, merchandise, and print materials.

Armed with a quick brief and pressing deadlines, the students were given the freedom to creatively interpret new designs for the organisation. Four successful students made it through to work with Mike on their designs. 

He said: “Each one captured something slightly different about TAIM, but all felt true to the heart of what we do.

“They reflected the honesty, accessibility, and sense of connection that sits at the centre of our work.”

Ellie Openshaw’s designs told the story of a group member by using a stop motion style collage.

She said: “I wanted it to feel approachable and honest, so I had to make it feel human and accessible for the men of ��������.”

The chosen designs will be rolled out across social media, print and used in future group sessions.

Mike added: “This partnership has been massive. It’s helped us move forward with our branding in a way we wouldn’t have been able to do alone. It feels like a genuine collaboration where both sides benefit.”

As a former student at ��������, Mike now hopes to provide the winning students with a placement opportunity to maintain the brands' onboarding process and keep the partnership going.

Ellie added: “The opportunity for a placement at this stage makes the workplace feel less intimidating and allows me to experience a professional design environment.

“The opportunities here have exceeded my expectations and made me glad to have chosen ��������.”

“Students get their foot in the door before they even finish their degree.”

The UK’s largest health insurer, BUPA (regionally headquartered in �������� Quays), was on the hunt for a local and talented student to join their creative studio on a new internship.

So when they put out the opportunity to the University, second-year student Isabella Duarte jumped at the chance, making a lasting impression on the recruiter Sophia Besso, a Creative Lead at BUPA and another former �������� student.

Isabella started designing a campaign for BUPA’s Weight Management Plan, and after impressing further, had her contract extended a further three months.

Sophia said: “Isabella blew us away with her ideas to create a positive response regardless of the negativity medical weight loss gets in the press.”

“She has become a crucial asset to the team with her design skills, art direction, video editing, and creative concept work.

“The internship is a really valuable experience as it provides an overview of how the industry works before students even step into the wider world and sets them apart when it comes to looking for employment opportunities after university.”

After the success of the first year, BUPA have opened applications for next year's design internship as the company hope to continue the relationship they have built with students at the University.

“It felt surreal to see something I had designed being used on a product people can buy.”

Another design success for a beer label came via the University’s own micro-brewery, Lark Hill, where our students were briefed to create thirty icons which would appear on the brewery's new ‘Dreamed a Dream’ beer can.

Martyna Chmurzynska, the successful winner, said: “Through doing this project, I experienced the process of how a design comes to life from an initial design on a laptop to then being sold to customers.

“It has given me a good idea of what it will be like when we graduate and find jobs including the workload and the skills that are required within the industry.”

“I have struggled to be confident in my designs, so being chosen was a huge shock for me.”

Even closer to home, the ��������’s Student Union bar Atmosphere tasked our students with briefs for a range of new projects.

In 2025, Harvey Delahoy researched, designed and went on to storm the selection process with a new canned vodka-mixed drink identity. 

He said: “This project made me realise how this industry really works and how clients can request changes at very short notice.”

Liaising with the Student Union staff throughout the process, Harvey produced a design for the cherry and blue raspberry flavour drinks which are available to purchase in the bar.

This year, Mollie Golden found similar success when Atmosphere requested students to design a new vodka bottle for their original vodka alongside two additional flavours.

Settling on Deansgate Zest, �������� (City FC) Spirit, and Hacienda Honey, Mollie based all her designs and flavour choices on landmarks within Manchester and ��������.

She said: “When I first started, I was incredibly inexperienced, so I felt behind my peers, and I didn’t believe my design would be chosen as I had some major setbacks when submitting. But having the designs picked has empowered me to become a much more confident designer.

“I was not expecting this kind of thing to happen during my time at University, but I am so proud of myself for accomplishing something so early on.”

Written by Lily-Mae Cooper.

Find out more about studying BA Graphic Design at the ��������.