BA (Hons) Textiles & Surface Design student Will Marshall has been selected for a live brief to create printed altar banners for All Saints Church in Hartlepool ahead of this years 2026 graduation ceremony. The banners will be in place for the Class of 2026 ceremony and will continue to be used during certain periods of the church calendar for years to come.

Student Engagement and Events Manager Dan Tierney and Employability & Creative Industry Liaison Manager Jess Tones launched the live brief with BA (Hons) Textiles students and All Saints Church in Hartlepool to to show appreciation for their help with graduation and to celebrate their 900-year anniversary this year.

“It was suggested by the church wardens and the reverend that a creative project would be a good link between the school and the church and as such we decided to explore the idea of a banner project,” said Dan. “To facilitate this Jess and I met with the Textiles department and they were really supportive of the idea and set a brief with their second-year students who could choose it as an option for their last module. Thankfully Will Marshall came for a church visit, did research on the church and the community and spoke with church wardens before designing and making two 3m-long banners, focusing on the history and architecture of the church as well as its legacy as the first free school in the town.”

Speaking of getting involved in the brief, Will said, “The main reason I decided to do this project was because I had never considered having a church as a topic or doing a brief for them before, so when I got told about the opportunity, I thought it would not only be interesting, but it would be nice to do something for their community. In the end I’m glad I did it, everything worked really well and they looked amazing hanging in the church, with everyone loving the designs, which I was most nervous about.”

To create his designs he used Photoshop and heat transfer techniques, he explains: “The skills I used in the development of my banners were primarily Photoshop. I heavily experimented with different sizes, angles and shades of colour, created first in black and white to experiment and then different shades of green for my final piece. The other processes I used in order to create my banners were heat transfer, as I felt this would get the most detail out of my designs. I finalised the shades of green and then got them sublimated onto synthetic fabric (linen polyester), which I chose because I needed something that was thick and wouldn’t fray too easily and had a decent bit of weight to it.”

Speaking about his work being in place for graduation, he said, “I think it’s great that my work will be up for graduation and that the other members of the school will get to see it as well as the people of the church during such a special event. It’s also really cool that when looking back at photos from the event in the future my banners will be up there.”

Reflecting on studying at the school, Will said, “I have found my time at the school and on my course really good. I think my tutors and the technicians have been really helpful. I have also really liked all of the facilities and techniques I have gotten to use and learn, as well as the opportunities for live briefs we have gotten to do. I’ve just overall enjoyed my time at the school.”

Interested in studying textiles at degree level? Make sure you check out our exciting and innovative degree BA (Hons) Textiles & Surface Design degree which offers students exceptional studios, workshops, industry links and resources. Find out more HERE