Student wins national magazine cover contest
Design student James Bryant, 21, has won a national magazine cover design competition with an assignment he completed while studying at the University of the Sunshine Coast last year.
James, of Mermaid Beach on the Gold Coast, claimed first prize in the 2007 DG Student Cover Design competition last week with a work that features a stunning layered wood grain effect.
His prize includes a designer profile on the DG Design Network, a year’s membership with the network and computer software that will help boost his design skills.
James said he was thrilled by his victory and the national exposure of his work.
“I’m ecstatic. I still can’t believe it,” he said. “I would have been glad to get just a commendation or a mention. This opens up a lot of new opportunities for me.”
James thanked USC art and design lecturer Debra Livingston for her help when he was studying a Bachelor of Arts (Design and Communication) last year.
“Debbie really pushed me to explore my ideas further,” he said. “She encouraged me to look at what’s been done before, take that on board, and then find a different perspective.”
James said most other vector-based designs used flat colours, whereas he created depth in his artwork by using organic textures.
“It was a new approach on a style that has been done so much before,” he said. “I’ve created a contrast between the natural, organic style and the computer-rendered shape and form.”
— Terry Walsh