10 graduate design shows to look out for this summer

Read our pick of art and design degree shows at colleges and universities all over the UK this summer, which will showcase graduate work spanning disciplines from product and textile to graphic and furniture design.

Read our full list of upcoming art and design degree shows here.

University of the Arts London (UAL)

What: London’s biggest arts university will reveal graduate work across subjects including art, design and communication in its UAL Summer Shows series, with 60,000 visitors expected this year. The free exhibitions will take place at colleges and universities across London, including the London College of Communication, Central Saint Martins and Camberwell College of Arts, and will focus on issues ranging from displacement and the refugee crisis to fake news.

When: 24 May – 14 September.

Where: Various locations, London (see website for full details).

Info: arts.ac.uk


Royal College of Art (RCA)

What: Show 2017 takes over both the RCA’s Battersea and Kensington campuses this summer, with displays, shows and performances from this year’s cohort of emerging designers, makers and artists presenting their projects to the public for the first time. The show encompasses the college’s School of Architecture; Communication; Design; Fine Art; Humanities and Material. It is deemed one of the country’s most popular degree shows, regularly attracting crowds of up to 40,000.

When: 25 June – 2 July.

Where: Across the RCA’s Battersea and Kensington, London campuses.

Info: rca.ac.uk


University of Brighton

What: The university’s city centre Grand Parade campus will be transformed into an enormous gallery space for the duration of the College of Arts and Humanities graduate show. Art and design objects will be on show, alongside performances, events and architectural and scholarly displays. Graduating students from the 3D Design & Craft course will also be showing the processes used to create their work, with live demonstrations including wood, ceramics, metal, polymers and composites.

When: 3–11 June.

Where: Various locations across Brighton.

Info: arts.brighton.ac.uk


Plymouth College of Art

What: Opening the doors to all of its working studios, a range of graduate work encompassing game arts, illustration, glassworks, ceramics, animation, 3D printing and more is set to go on display in the college’s Breaking Through exhibition. This year’s visual identity for the degree show has also been designed by two third year graphic design students at the college, Sam Cross and Josh Fathers.

When: 10–22 June.

Where: Plymouth College of Art, Tavistock Place Campus, Plymouth PL4 8AT.

Info: plymouthart.ac.uk


University of West England

What: More than 500 graduates studying everything from animation to printmaking will have their work displayed at Imprint this year. Highlights include Illustration graduate Katie Cottle, who specialises in creating whimsical works for children’s books, and graphic design student Ruth Harris’ University of the Diverse project, which addresses the lack of diversity within educational institutions.

When: 2-8 June.

Where: Various locations across the University of the West of England, Bristol.

Info: uwe.ac.uk


Norwich University of the Arts

What: Displays of graduating work from almost 600 students of the arts, design, architecture and media will be brought together for the university’s degree show this summer. Graphics, paintings and illustrations, textiles, drawings and models, photographs, films, animations, games demos and sculpture will all be exhibited from the university’s undergraduate courses.

When: 27 June – 5 July.

Where: Various locations across Norwich University of the Arts, Norwich.

Info: nua.ac.uk


Leeds College of Art

What: This year’s end of year show Extra-ordinary will see college buildings transformed into large scale exhibition spaces, displaying work by graduates who have specialised in areas including printed textiles and surface pattern design. The Art Market will be open for visitors to purchase prints and artwork from students throughout the exhibition, and can be found at the college’s Blenheim Walk site.

When: 10–15 June.

Where: Various locations across Leeds College of Art, Leeds.

Info: leeds-art.ac.uk


Manchester School of Art

What: The second oldest art and design college in the country (after the RCA) has been nurturing big-name artists and designers since 1838. These include alumni Ryan Doyle and Mark Edwards of design studio DR.ME, who have returned to the school to create the identity for this year’s degree show. More than 1,000 graduates’ work will be on display, covering specialisms across ceramics, textiles and typography, to name but a few.

When: 10–21 June.

Where: Manchester School of Art, All Saints Campus, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6BH.

Info: mmu.ac.uk


Glasgow School of Art

What: Home products created out of recycled cabling, foam and wool, and an open-source, portable kitchen are just some of the projects included in the school’s degree show this year. Following its partnership with the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2016, which involved co-designing approaches to banking for Generation Y, the two organisations have got together again to explore the future of banking and financial services, looking ahead to 2030.

When: 10–17 June.

Where: Various locations across Glasgow, Scotland.

Info: gsa.ac.uk


D&AD New Blood Festival

What: Some of the best creative work by students from courses all over the country will go on display to the public when D&AD New Blood returns to the Old Truman Brewery in London this July. Alongside the graduate exhibition, a series of fringe events will take place at consultancies and studios nearby, including Design Bridge and Human After All. For the first time this year, there will also be a series of talks on stage at nearby Hanbury Hall, with speakers confirmed so far including Naresh Ramchandani of Pentagram and AKQA’s Ajaz Ahmed.

When: 5–6 July.

Where: The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QR.

Info: dandad.org

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