Showing off student skills: Student employability is focus of innovative business model

A graduate from Aberdeen Business School is giving something back to the student community with a brand new business concept which aims to increase the employability of budding graphic designers.

Alex Barton (27), a Management with Marketing graduate, launched a new business last month called, Student Designers, which will work alongside universities and colleges to help young designers build their portfolios, gain experience, foster best practice and get paid.

Student Designers is a web-based business that links up student graphic designers with public and private sector organisations by offering the opportunity to work on live briefs. Organisations are invited to post these on the main website, including a full job specification - whether it be a new company logo or full brochure artwork - plus the budget/prize value for fulfilling the design work.

Student designers registered with the website are then invited to compete for the job by providing preliminary or even fully-formed artwork for the organisation by way of a comprehensive business pitch. These ‘competitions', therefore, allow students to build their portfolio of work by creating real solutions to live briefs.

Over sixty students are already registered with the company, with work briefs already coming in from organisations. A core team of advisors and designers, led by Alex, work behind the scenes to ensure that expectations of both parties are met and that the quality of work being pitched is consistently high. The ‘Designer of the Month' accolade on the website is just one of the fail safes put in place by the team to make sure that best practice is achieved at all times by participating designers.

Alex, who comes from Boat of Garten, near Aviemore, graduated from Robert Gordon University in 2008 with a first class degree in Management with Marketing. His final year project was based around helping businesses break into the world of e-commerce (web-based business models that have little overheads due to the lack of need for premises). Since graduating, Alex has worked alongside Business Gateway and Scottish Enterprise, taking on mentorship roles for new-start businesses in the region.

It was through this type of work that Alex realised his passion for helping young professionals release their potential, and young designers have most recently become the focus and welcome recipients of his talent.

"I have worked with young graphic designers both in and out of university, and have come to understand their thirst for vocational experience prior to, and after, leaving higher education," explains Alex. "Similarly, I have regularly come into contact with business professionals and organisations that are looking for new creative directions for their identities and marketing strategies".

"What ‘Student Designers' does is strive to achieve both objectives by working alongside the support and mentorship that students receive at University and college in terms of three areas: offering practical industry-orientated knowledge bases to learn from; advice on professionalism and best practice; and information on the day to day reality of freelance work including how to manage tax and national insurance."

With Student Designers now successfully launched, the drive for both budding graphic designers and organisations to register with the sight has begun in earnest.

"I thoroughly recommend both parties to come forward and register on the site," says Alex. "Although in its early stages, the business model has already proved to be a very strong concept for both sides of the fence - both for young students looking to get their teeth into real-life work, and also for organisations looking to access the vital creativity that can help them get noticed in their respective fields of work."

Students and organisations alike can register online with no obligation at www.student-designers.com. For further information please contact alex@student-designers.com.

ENDS 1 September 2010

There will be an opportunity to photograph and interview Alex Barton at The Gatehouse Graphics and Print facility (based at the furthest entrance on the University's Garthdee campus) on Thursday 2 September at 11am.

Alex will be displaying high resolution images on one of the state of the art computer screens, such as the main peacock image which he uses as a metaphor for showing off student skills.

Members of the media should meet Communications Officer, Pauline Smith, at the main entrance to the Gatehouse just prior to the media opportunity.

Andrew Youngson
Communications Officer
Robert Gordon University
Schoolhill
Aberdeen
AB10 1FR
Tel: 01224 262389
Email: a.c.youngson@rgu.ac.uk

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