In the recent Crowbar Awards 2015 for budding creatives, 15 Communication Design students and fresh graduates from the Glasgow School of Art bagged 4 Golds, 2 Silvers, 6 Bronzes and 7 finalists across the Design, Photography and special SG50 categories. We chat with some of the winners of the Design category.

CHRISTINE FRANCES LIM HUI YU, GSA COMMUNICATION DESIGN GRADUATE 

Entry Title: Cooper’s Cabinet of Curiostities

Award: Gold

Some of the many curious objects Christine illustrated.

Christine’s favourite creation is the chair with only two legs. When someone rests on it, his/her two legs help form a four-legged chair.

Tell us about your winning entry.

Cooper’s Cabinet of Curiosities is a collection of everyday objects illustrated with a playful twist. Many seem absurd but provoke thoughts about our daily encounters with them. A nod to surrealism, these objects are a result of taking apart and reassembling things. Imbibed with human character, the objects take on a new persona while maintaining a relationship with its use and context. My favourite creation was the chair with only two legs, waiting for someone to ‘rest’ on it, form a four-legged chair with the additional two human legs.

Cooper’s Cabinet of Curiosities

How did what you learn from GSA help you?

GSA focuses on communicating ideas through visuals. We do not define ourselves as artists or designers, we are all about the ideas. There were no restrictions. Everything was possible in creating great work. Learning together with over 70 classmates, I was also able to learn from my peers.

What influences your design?

I am particularly attracted to Salvador Dali and surrealism. Dali was able to challenge visual languages of his time, paving new ways of looking at things. His eccentric personality made him even more interesting. I wish I was at least half of who he was. I am greatly influenced by Leonardo Da Vinci. He takes an observational and scientific approach in his inventions, using the forces of nature to solve and improve the daily life.

Where are you working now?

I’m currently onboard at advertising agency DDB Singapore as a Junior Art Director.

Check out Christine’s full project here and here.

KAM KIT MIN, GSA COMMUNICATION DESIGN GRADUATE

Entry Title: The Strange in my Skin

Award: Bronze

Kit Min’s illustration adopts a scroll-like format.

Tell us about your winning entry.

Inspired by the craft of scrimshaw and the 1978 novel, Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne, I likened the act of looking inwards to a journey to the depths of the earth. Both metaphorically and visually, I wanted to create a “flow” that weaves its way down, therefore the scroll-like format of my illustration.

It starts with the surface, a ship borne on the waves, moving from island to island. Never settling in a place for long. Always searching for new discoveries. As the narrative dives downwards, we trawl through a forest of kelp, which symbolises the multitude of thoughts that would cloud our consciousness and would only surface deep in the night. It also signifies the many aspects that contribute to us as a whole.

And when you think you have reached the bottom of the ocean, the darkness clears up and you realise that you have a lot more to discover. The wide expanse of the ocean trench opens up to the boundless emptiness of space, where the moon’s light is the only way you know which way is up. In the darkness of the night, it is where you start to truly find small fragments of yourself and the full understanding of your identity comes about.

How did what you learn from GSA help you?

Through the feedback and guidance of the GSA lecturers, I challenged myself a lot more. Compared to my pre-GSA days, I believe that my ideas and mentality have matured greatly. GSA taught me to grow and expand my views, not stop at the first solution I arrive at, but to forge ahead and find various means to explore a particular issue. I still have a long way to go, but GSA has definitely made a large impact on my mindset.

Who is your favourite designer/artist/illustrator?

Ryan Andrews, Ryan Woodward and Noelle Stevenson have really inspired me and I have a deep respect for their work. Their dedication to their craft is a constant reminder for me to try even harder. Besides established artists, I’m surrounded by really great artists and friends who are amazing too. Although we’re just starting out in the industry, watching them grow with their work, exploring new ideas and creating amazing work is always a huge motivation for me to grow.