Art talent nurtured

The common denominator is they have been inspired and encouraged by Advanced Practitioner Jeffrey Tribe and his team who take a special pride in guiding students towards new horizons in national and international awards, as well as introducing them to great work experience opportunities.

Over nearly 26 years Jeffrey has seen cohorts of students go on to great things in the world of design.

“By taking risks and stepping further into the water than we are comfortable, our students have learned that they can make things happen, like winning international competitions, gaining paid work placements, networking, earning fees and gaining credible employment. Planning a curriculum that offers these opportunities, including critiques and assessments by professionals, plus a commercial trading arm aptly titled ‘Bridge’ allows us to put ‘vocational’ at the very heart of everything we do and merge education and professional practice into one,”

Said Jeffrey.

Director of the Arts at The Bedford College Group Toby Clark said: 

“Jeffrey’s Higher National Graphic Design course is the epitome of industry-focused Higher technical Education. By working on live briefs throughout the programme, students are well prepared for professional success having pitched to some of the leading professionals in the industry and worked on high-value commercial projects.

“For over a decade, his students have regularly out-performed students from prestigious Higher Education establishments in industry-led competitions. This high standard was recognised by the industry at the last public D&AD exhibition where a disproportionate number of Jeffrey’s students were singled out as ‘ones to watch’ – a coveted acknowledgement afforded to only some of the 1,000s of graduates that take part in the exhibition.

“Jeffrey’s teaching not only prepares students for excellent employment opportunities but nurtures social awareness. Students have regularly developed and tested their communication skills by tackling big societal issues such as hunger in schools and homelessness.”

Here are some of the recent success stories from Bedford College:

Beer cheers 

Carli Pfurtscheller (formerly Hall) has seen her design for the Wells & Co Brewpoint on the A6 Bedford won a Platinum Award for the Best Unique Logo Design in the UK, and then take the GLOBAL prize for the same this month (May 2021).

The Craft Beer Marketing Awards (the Crushies) saw the best brewers marketing teams from across the world competing for prizes. Wells & Co also picked up gold for the On Point Pale Ale can design by Carli, making it a hat trick of prizes.

In April 2021 Carli unveiled a commission of a 155ft vector illustration of St Neots, commissioned by Govia Thameslink Railway & Neotists. The ‘building bridges’ artwork spans the walkway to the station from the local community.

Carli, who was a BA Graphic Communications student at Bedford College’s South Bank Arts Centre, had previously received an international Creative Conscience award for her final major design project ‘Refabric8’ –  a branding concept based on the idea of up-cycling second-hand clothes to tackle the growing issue of ‘fast fashion’.

Carli’s entry, which won her a bronze award can be seen at: https://www.creative-conscience.org.uk/winners/carli-pfurtscheller/

As featured: HuffPost  TEDx   Design Museum London   Mindvalley University

Art at the Arc

Sara Sayer is now producing a fantastic range of custom gifts such as drawings of your home, and tea towels featuring local pubs of Bedford. Some of these are on sale at The Ark art shop and Gallery cafe under the Lurke Street car park (run by the Gillett family, long-time supporters of the arts).

Sara completed an HND with Bedford College in 2018 and, with a partner, won a national YCN art competition.

Talent spotted

Hannah Underwood has been nominated for a Prestige Award as a Creative Design Service. Hannah is an alumnus of Bedford College and her talent was spotted by the YCN and D&AD. She now has her own agency and is offering opportunities for internships to BA students.

Hannah was also highlighted in the National Westminster Women in Social Enterprise for her community art services during lockdown, enabling 1,000s of downloads by families struggling with home schooling.