Students studying on our BA (Hons) Illustration for Commercial Application degree have teamed up with Middlesbrough FC to create original cover artwork for each programme home-match publication this season to celebrate the club’s 150th anniversary. The collaboration kicked off with covers designed by students Ace Edwards and Amelie Smith.
This collaboration between the two Teesside institutions is aimed at giving aspiring artists and designers the opportunity to showcase their talents as well as celebrate the club, the fans and our area.
“The opportunity to create the club’s cover artwork came from the success of Play Among the Stars, an illustrated fanzine that was produced by various students within our Illustration course last year, depicting members of both the Boro men’s and women’s teams at the close of last season,” explains cover artist Amelie.
“From this, the club became interested in working with artists again to further celebrate its 150th anniversary. We were given the brief by Matthew Barber, the Marketing Manager over at MFC. The brief was to focus on the history of the club, exploring historical players and games, as well as Middlesbrough as a town by looking at iconic landmarks and moments in history. It was very open, giving us a lot of variety in what we wanted to explore and achieve, which I think really benefits the overall project, as everyone’s unique illustrative voices are allowed to shine.”
Middlesbrough FC Marketing Manager Matt Barber said: “It has been a pleasure to work with the students from The Northern School of Art on this project, and to showcase the talent and creativity we have here on Teesside. We’re looking forward to seeing more artwork take pride of place in our matchday programme throughout the season.”
Fellow artist and student Ace Edwards, who chose the iconic local landmark Roseberry Topping as the focus for his design, said: “It’s been an honour working with my local club and I’ve loved seeing fans’ reactions to the programme covers. I’m especially grateful for the chance to illustrate a beautiful landmark so close to home for such a large audience.”
Amelie’s design “was inspired by the crests of the two teams, depicting their token animals, a red lion and a red Welsh dragon, in a duel.”
She said, “I was inspired by 18th- and 19th-century illustration styles, wanting to create a historical and aged atmosphere for the overall design. I also wanted to incorporate elements of Wrexham into the programme to make the design more memorable to fans and to commemorate the Carabao Cup tournament entirely. I worked in pencil to create the lion and the dragon, then digitally to finalise the background and patterns and tidy up the overall pencil work.”
Reflecting on seeing her work on the cover, she said, “I feel incredibly proud seeing my work on the cover. Seeing the final programme in professional imagery promoting MFC’s game against Wrexham was a bit of a ‘pinch me’ moment too. I am extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to create work like this. I also feel incredibly hopeful. It is deeply inspiring seeing a club like Middlesbrough FC proudly representing and supporting artists and their unique creativity in an age that feels like art isn’t appreciated enough.”
Matthew Burton, Senior Lecturer on our Illustration degree programme, said “We’re very proud to have been offered the opportunity for our degree-level illustration and design students to provide the official matchday artwork for the 150th anniversary season. Following the success of the Play Among the Stars illustrated zine produced for both Boro men’s and women’s teams at the close of last season, we are excited to have been given the chance to work officially with the club.
“Following the successful launch of the official artwork campaign with a small group of students over the summer, the project will be rolled out to the wider cohort starting in September. We feel that this project will expose the quality of The Northern School of Art students’ wok and hopefully allow fans to see the club through a new lens.”
Keep an eye out for more of our students’ eye-catching designs throughout Middlesbrough FC’s home matches this season!
See more of Amelie’s work on her Instagram: @applesandstars and Website.
If you are interested in studying illustration at degree-level make sure you check out BA (Hons) Illustration for Commercial Application course, through skill development, live briefs and partnerships student on this course are able to build dynamic portfolio’s that allow them to enter a number of visual arts industries. Find out more here.