BA (Hons) Graphic Design student Chartlotte Reidy is this years recipient of The Sarah Cowell Design Achievement Award 2025! This award is given to the student who has produced a body of work which aims to have a positive impact. Speaking of winning the award she said “It was an honour to win the award! I think being socially conscious as a designer and trying to use those skills for good is paramount so I feel proud and extremely grateful to be recognised for a project which covered topics I am so passionate about.”

Charlotte who also studied UAL Extended Diploma inArt & Design at our Middlesbrough campus said she chose to study at the school because “growing up I was always doing arts and crafts with my mam, going to craft fairs and watching arty things on tv – I think that made me into a really creative person. Making things and experimenting has always impacted me in positive ways, and I felt at home with other creative people, too. I loved going to the degree shows and seeing the amazing things people made, and I hoped one day I would do the same and now I have!”

Speaking of her degree programme she said “I really enjoyed learning new software and techniques, which we did a lot of in graphics. It feels like the resources available to us as designers are always evolving, and being able to explore that showed me so many possibilities and left me very inspired. I also liked the studio environment as it was really helpful to able to get feedback from my peers.”

For her FMP she developed a project called “Threshold’ that introduced young people to mindfulness through creativity, hosting art based workshops with the aim of providing coping skills and reducing the effects of poor mental health. In this project, I got to fuse my passion for craft with designing for change, producing several outcomes, including: branding, workshop materials (folders, instructions), merchandise (t shirts, tote bags, stickers), social media content, and a website.”

“I began by creating the branding, which I wanted to feel zen and mindful, as well as creative. Next, I produced the workshop materials, so that I could host a mini crochet workshop and photograph it. I then used these images to create content for social media, as well as the website. By doing this, and creating the merchandise, the project felt more realised. The highlight of my FMP was seeing everything come together for the degree show. It felt like there was a lot of elements that I was working on all at once, and when it was done and ready to be displayed I realised how much work I had completed and I felt a lot of relief and pride.”

When asked what her favourite memories of the school are she responded “I would say that my favourite memories are from the studio in second year. That was when it felt like we all really clicked and began supporting each other and giving really helpful feedback. There has been a lot of laughs since then, too. I also think that the briefs in second year were my favourite, as we got to take part in competitions and mini briefs that were really fun but also great for experience.”

For her next steps she has “been looking at internships to gain some more experience to my add to my CV. After that, I hope to find more interesting creative opportunities, keep working on personal projects, and find the job that’s right for me.” Speaking of living i Hartlepool she said the her favourite things to do are “visit the arcades at Seaton or Ward Jackson park when it’s sunny. I also enjoy the pub quizzes at Blue Valentines or going to see the fairy sculpture in Burn Valley gardens.”

Her advice for future students applying to the graphics degree programme is “no question is a stupid question, Find designers who inspire you and save everything you like on Pinterest, Instagram, BeHance, etc – it will make researching for your projects so much easier if you already have a bank of inspo to choose from and Talk to your peers and listen to their feedback. Support each other or just have a chat. Those connections are important and can really make your uni experience.”

Keep up to date with Charlottes work on her Instagram: @rdylola

If you are interested in studying graphics at degree level make sure you check out our BA (Hons) Graphic Design course today!