Art & Design students at Coleg Llandrillo’s Rhos-on-Sea campus are putting together the final touches on a range of poster designs which will be showcased in all branches of a multi-award-winning North Wales estate agent.

The 20 students, who are studying on the Foundation Studies in Art and Design course, are taking part in the commercial project in partnership with Williams Estates, and were commissioned to follow a brief to produce eye-catching window displays at all seven of the estate agent’s offices: Rhyl, Prestayn, Denbigh, Rhuddlan, Ruthin, Mold and Holywell.

Jason Williams, proprietor of Williams Estates, dropped into the college to outline the brief, requesting that each student creates an individual illustration. Jason will award £100 to the student with the most impressive design when he returns to college later this month to judge the posters, which will be displayed in the company’s LED light pocket window displays.

This is the third year that the estate agents have teamed up with the college’s Art & Design students to produce the window displays.

The students came up with a list of creative ideas, before utilising digital cameras and Apple iMac computers with Adobe creative digital software. As well as working individually on their own digital manipulations, the students had to work together as a group with the client, developing their team-working skills.

Jason Williams, proprietor of Williams Estates, commented: “I thought the initial illustrative designs were excellent and I look forward to judging the finished posters. Last year, they were a big talking point, with Williams Estates receiving compliments about them every day. The displays put a smile on many faces and I look forward to having the new concepts on display in all our offices.”

Tutor Dewi Owen Hughes said: “As a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers (the professional organisation for designers), I fully support such links with industry, as I believe that realistic work projects greatly enhance the experiences and future employability of our students. The students have gained so much added-value to their studies by working on a real job; it kept them focused and they looked forward to seeing their creative work being printed and used by Williams Estates in state-of-the-art LED light-pocket window displays.

“Using live projects to develop the knowledge and skills which employers want students to have when they leave college is a win-win situation for both parties. Businesses get the chance to have projects completed within budget, while students learn about producing work to the standards and in the timescales required by industry, by working with industry experts and successful companies.”