2. The Project – UEA Annual Report

Pitching a charitable direction for the UEA Annual Report was a daring proposition. Studio was buzzing to win the opportunity to design this project, so it was interesting to see how our clients would meet this challenge.

Their response was very exciting – to further the awareness of the University's international work and its achievement of the Queen's Anniversary Prize, the UEA Africa PhD Scholarship Programme would be established. Its objective to raise at least £120,000 to fund four african students for a three-year course – providing them with a life-changing opportunity they would not other wise have. It was brilliant to hear this level of ambition. Now to make it happen.



In comparison, Studio's role was simple – creating an Annual Report with a prestigious feel, befitting of the University and announcing this new programme. Its visual theme features landscape imagery from Rwanda, from a region known as the Thousand Hills in Nyungwe an area worked in by the University's School of International Development. Faculty members were then revealed in the inside front of the Report – positioned opposite, the Queen's Anniversary Prize logo which can be used by the University for the next four years.







Additional views of the Thousand Hills (or 'Darren's Hills' as they became known by a few clients) were also applied to UEA Court, the event which launches the Annual Report and celebrates its achievements.

For Studio, this year's Annual Report was not only a victory for the idea, but a design which genuinely makes a difference for an educational programme which could potentially change lives. Nice, eh?

Please visit www.uea.ac.uk for more details on the University of East Anglia Africa PhD Scholarship Programme. And if you know anyone wealthy, please tell them too.

With thanks to Anne-Marie Triggs, Suzy Gook and David Street.

1. The Pitch – UEA Annual Report

The prospect of a pitch for any designer is a challenge, testing our creativity to win new business.

Earlier this year, Studio pitched for University of East Anglia's Annual Report for 2008–09. It's a prestigious project to work upon, but firstly there's a competitive selection process where the effectiveness of your work is measured alongside your peers (nine agencies on this occasion). I've worked on many pitches and it's always exciting but it doesn't get any easier.

For new clients, it's building trust in your abilities and your service – but more importantly, the chemistry between client and designer is vital to the process which creates exciting work.

Studio enjoyed its presentation, putting forward three great ideas – but we were keen to present just one, because it felt right. The University had recently won the Queen's Anniversary Prize for their international research work, helping communities to address poverty and climate change. Taking their work in post-conflict Rwanda as a visual theme, Studio pitched an idea of how the Annual Report could be a charitable booklet and raise money for african charities. After all, it would be good for the soul and not just another corporate document.



After the presentation, there's a huge sense of relief – you've met the challenge – but then you wait, and wait a bit more. Until the phone rings.

Thankfully, Studio were successful, later meeting an excited client with ambitious ideas. More to follow in the next post (with pics!).

Geoffrey Lefever Exhibition Catalogue

Studio have recently created the exhibition catalogue for artist Geoffrey Lefever of the Norwich 20 Group.

Designed by Darren and Scott and printed on two contrasting stocks - text pages were set upon a textured uncoated stock, sitting nicely alongside the image pages, printed on an absolute white Naturalis. Ideal for Geoffrey's equally textural art. All this and perfect bound too.



Geoffrey Lefever's Selected Works 2000–2010 is being shown at The 'Stew' Gallery, Fishergate in Norwich until June 15th. Catalogues available at the show.