Art students winning designs for record label.

A group of BTEC Level 3 Art and Design students has been working on a unique collaboration with a leading producer of children’s music. The group responded to a ‘live brief’ from the St Anne’s-based company. Company boss, Phil Waddington came into college to choose a logo and a piece of album artwork for a new children’s digital music channel called KIDSNOW.
By Jon McLeodContributor
Published 22nd Mar 2024, 14:17 BST
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The students have had two weeks to prepare their designs after Phil sent some key criteria for what he was looking for. Phil, who has been working in the industry for thirty-five years said he was deeply impressed by what the students had come up with in a short period of time.

He chose a logo developed by Tilly Hargreaves and a digital album cover created by Jasmine Hardy. These students will each be rewarded with a £100 prize and worldwide recognition for their work when the music is distributed through streaming services such as Spotify and Amazon. The logo will feature on the KIDSNOW website kidsnow.co.uk when it is launched soon.

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Phil explained that the students’ work has helped fill a need for his company as he doesn’t currently have anyone in-house to create artwork. “My wife suggested that I give this opportunity to local art students to see what they could do and I’m very happy that I took her advice! The work is all of a really high standard and I’ve gone with the two pieces which best met the terms of brief.”

L to R: Ross Allan, Tilly Hargreaves, Jasmine Hardy,Phil Waddington (KIDSNOW and CRS Records) right.L to R: Ross Allan, Tilly Hargreaves, Jasmine Hardy,Phil Waddington (KIDSNOW and CRS Records) right.
L to R: Ross Allan, Tilly Hargreaves, Jasmine Hardy,Phil Waddington (KIDSNOW and CRS Records) right.

Tilly, a former Cardinal Allen Catholic High School student described her approach to creating the winning logo, “I wanted to use really strong colours and I came up with using the seven colours of the rainbow. I then added the headphones as that helped make it clear that it was for a music brand.”

Jasmine, a former Unity Academy student, said she had gone through a process of trial and error for her digital album cover, “I wanted to make it colourful and fun and give a Disney-feel to it.”

Both students feel that they have benefitted enormously from the chance to work on a real commercial brief of this kind so early in their two-year course. Tilly is interested in pursuing a career in architecture whilst Jasmine is looking more at graphic design or possibly interior design.

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BTEC Art and Design teacher Ross Allan said he was extremely grateful for the KIDSNOW brief, “This element of the course is about portfolio building and helping students to learn how to develop commercial skills alongside the development of their technical skills.”

Blackpool Sixth's BTEC Level 3 Art and Design course is a ‘triple award’ and is the equivalent of three A levels. It is the perfect platform for students to pursue a huge range of study paths and careers in the exciting world of visual arts and design.