Advertising and Brand Design students launch HOMEMADE experience

Graduating Ravensbourne BA (Hons) Advertising & Brand Design students have launched ‘HOMEMADE’, an online platform that celebrates their hard work. They are also displaying their exceptional designs on a billboard in east London from Sunday 18 July – Sunday 1 August 2021.

Government-mandated restrictions have impacted their final academic year in addition to changes to the usual end-of-year degree show. But far from letting this hold them back, our students have drawn on their entrepreneurial spirit to launch an innovative digital platform, showcasing their hard work. Although the work they have produced this year has been, by necessity, homemade, this does not mean the students’ creativity has been limited by the four walls that surrounded them.

To celebrate ‘HOMEMADE’ our students have collaborated with Build Hollywood to launch an augmented billboard in London on Hassard Street, Hackney Road, E2 7RD. Passers-by will be able to connect to a specially designed augmented reality experience via their smartphones. The billboard will display our students’ work for two weeks from Sunday 18 July 2021. The audience can also connect to this platform via beautifully printed QR invitations, which will be sent out to exclusive industry contacts.

“We are HOMEMADE,” the students write on the platform’s host site. “A medley of makers, creators, designers, and writers. Learning and living, we adapted and worked through every challenge within the four walls we call home; solving each and every problem in our own unique way.”

Student Ester Wikström designed the homemade website and explained, “The brand and website we have developed over the last couple of months sets out to prove that while the class of 21 is homemade, our work is anything but. It's been absolutely fantastic for the rest of the team and myself to see the positive reactions to our website and I'm thrilled to be able to see our brand come to life physically through our billboard & AR activation – it will be wicked! A huge thanks to Art Director and ABd tutor Steve Stacey and Creative Director and ABd tutor Roberto D'Andria who helped me design the billboard and Build Hollywood who have enabled this opportunity.”

Daily engagement with online and blended learning has created richer and more dynamic relationships between our students and the broader community within their discipline. Whilst the class of 2021 have experienced a unique academic year, they are resilient and perfectly positioned to take advantage of new opportunities that are beginning to emerge.

Their final year at Ravensbourne has enabled them to engage beyond their course and connect directly with our extensive professional network. They have worked with the immersive entertainment venue, the Outernet, and been mentored by the founder of AKQA, James Hilton.

Students have also been advised by the likes of BBC Creative, Moving Brands, Off White, ITV Creative, Studio Moross, Studio Blup, Squint Opera, Conran Design, Bulletproof and Faber Books.

You can find out more about our BA (Hons) Advertising and Brand Design students on their Instagram profile @dad_rave

You can view posts on their end of year showcase via the hashtag #homemadegrads