Animation student's success at national design show

A Northumbria graduate has scooped a prestigious award at this year’s D&AD New Blood exhibition in London after designing a campaign for an international online film streaming company.

Each year design briefs are set by a variety of global brands ahead of the D&AD New Blood event, with current students, recent graduates and under 24s from around the world invited to submit their work. The winners are then announced at the exhibition, which aims to stimulate, enable and award creative excellence in design and advertising. 

Emilie Hoggarth, who has just graduated with an Animation BA (Hons) from Northumbria, decided to take on the brief set by online cinema service MUBI as part of her final year of study.

Her campaign, entitled Get Some Perspective, compared the way issues such as immigration, feminism and race were portrayed in the media with their portrayal through film.

Emilie, originally from Middlesbrough, said: “One of the things I love about film is the way it allows you to explore other people’s worlds and experiences though relatable characters. It can be an incredible way to foster understanding and create empathy.

“In contrast to this, the media and news outlets can often have a negative or one-sided standpoint and often rely on the use of numbers and statistics, which can have a dehumanising affect.

“For my campaign I wanted to show how film allows you to explore issues such as the Syrian refugee crisis or the Black Lives Matter movement by contrasting their portrayal in the mainstream media with their portrayal in film.”

Emilie, 21, created several trailers, showing newsreel clips alongside clips from films portraying the same events – for example, news coverage of the recent refugee crisis followed by clips from films which tell the stories of those affected. 

Her campaign won a coveted ‘pencil award’, recognising the best in advertising and design work each year, with winning entries also included in the D&AD Annual.

Emilie said: “Taking part in the D&AD New Blood exhibition with Northumbria University was a fantastic opportunity – I met lots of industry contacts and managed to set up some internships in London which I hope will lead onto a job in the future.

“Winning a pencil award was a great end to what has been a fantastic three years of study at Northumbria. The Animation course allowed me to be creative and there was a fantastic sense of community, as well as great support from lecturers and other students.”

Paul Goodfellow the D&AD project tutor for the Animation BA (Hons) degree at Northumbria said:  We are very pleased to see Emilie’s work recognised in these awards, as her work demonstrates the mix of conceptual thinking and professional design skills that are at the heart of the degree. She has shown a deep understanding of the contemporary issues of immigration, feminism and race, and has delivered a sophisticated and professional campaign.”

To find out more about studying Animation at Northumbria University visit  or come along to one of our Open Days – find out more here.