Book exploring dyslexia wins design award

A project inspired by a Northumbria University graduate’s personal experience of dyslexia has led to her winning international recognition and a major industry award.

Amber Bruzzi graduated from Northumbria’s Graphic Design BA (Hons) course this year and for her final year project chose to tackle the misconceptions of dyslexia many people have.

She designed a book which uses typography to visually explore what people with dyslexia experience – raising awareness of the condition.

The project was named joint winner in the typography category at this year’s Global Creative Graduate Showcase 2024 – an annual celebration of creative talent established by Arts Thread – a digital platform for emerging artists and designers.

This year the competition saw 225 highly esteemed industry judges determine the success of work submitted by over 5,000 students, graduating this academic year.

The impressive turnout included 108 nationalities, 523 art and design universities and colleges worldwide, 635 shortlisted graduates, and 114,318 public votes.

Collaborators of this year’s event included WGSN, a world leading forecaster of consumer trends; Coloro, a colour coding system used within the arts and design industries; and Google Arts & Culture, a non-commercial initiative aiming to preserve and bring the world’s art and culture online so it’s accessible to anyone, anywhere.

Speaking about her success, Amber said: “There are many misconceptions of dyslexia including, 80 percent of people thinking that dyslexia is linked to an intellectual disability, or that dyslexia can be cured. These misconceptions result in many people not taking dyslexia seriously, leaving 6 million people in the UK struggling with dyslexia undiagnosed.

“I have used typography and design to help me explain what the many symptoms of dyslexia can look and feel like to those who don’t struggle with it. This book was designed, printed, bound and covered by myself at university facilities.

“This book contains five chapters, all emphasising on a different area of struggle. There are many physical elements to the book to create an interactive and personal experience for the reader.

“People may not understand the types of difficulties that are faced every day, but hopefully this book can encourage people to take dyslexia more seriously.”

This year the Global Creative Graduate Showcase marked its fifth year, with hundreds of graduates having gained employment or launched their own brands thanks to the unique initiative – making it officially the world’s only online showcase of graduating artists and designers worldwide.

Alex Brownless is the co-founder of Arts Thread. During a recent visit to Northumbria University, he met current arts and design students.

Speaking about Amber’s success he said: “This entry is exceptional and stood out to our industry judges who were given the task of working through in excess of 5,000 entries, the visual communication, digital and film category is one of the biggest areas equating to over 1,500 entries.

“Amber’s work is world-class and not only resonated with our judges, but I’m sure it will also strike a chord with many people who are living with, or know someone who is living with dyslexia. I’m delighted that the Arts Thread Global Creative Graduate Showcase can provide a platform for such a range of talents and disciplines.”

Industry judge Kim Tidwell, Managing Editor of PRINT Magazine equally praised Amber’s work "I love this project’s use of letterforms and distortion to bring the reader into the dyslexic world”.

All winners of this year’s showcase have had their worked shared on both Arts Thread and Google Arts & Culture, allowing it to reach a global audience.

Amber will also receive a one-year free subscription to the Arts Thread Foundry, a new initiative which helps creators protect their intellectual property, trade and monetize their creativity using blockchain technology in a seamless and transparent way.

Amber’s work can be found on the Art’s Thread website, along with all other winning work from the Global Creative Graduate Showcase 2024.

See more of her work via her website and Instagram.