Ruth Bartley - Asbestos

"Asbestos" is the name of the 2020 BA Art Degree Show at the University of Reading, which was a live-streamed exhibition event due to the restrictions of Covid-19. As a team, we designed their visual identity, website, show catalogue and social media presence, which became increasingly important as promotion moved to purely online. Posters and physical invitations were also designed, but were no longer required as the event moved online.

The name "Asbestos" was chosen by the art students as a way of paying homage to their department building, due to be demolished next year due to the high levels of asbestos found in the walls. As their last exhibition in the building, and after living and working there for four years, they wanted to remember and pay tribute to their last times within the department. The bold combination of black and yellow was chosen to link to representations of danger, which especially works well on screen.

As part of the "Real Jobs" scheme at the University of Reading, I was a second year working on this project with two third year students, from whom I learnt a lot, not just in design but in their approach to the brief and how to professionally interact with clients. This project was also one of my first instances where real budgets had to be carefully considered, with the outcomes mostly being funded by a university art fund.

The online show can still be viewed on Youtube. Read the blog post for this project here.

Branding // The final logo, with chosen colours and typeface.

Website // example screens from the website showcasing the students work with their own images and statements, and including links to their own personal websites.

Social media // examples of the Instagram feed created to promote the event and give a glimpse of student work.

Social media // also included student takeovers, where individuals would host a mini-showcase of their work on the Instagram Stories feature.

Youtube animations // some of the short animations created to be played before the student 'playlists' of live videos of their work on their Youtube channel "asbestos streams", on the day of the event.

Social media // profile picture used across platforms to emphasise the brand.

Publication // mock-up of the printed catalogue created as a memento of the exhibition, showcasing the students work.

Logo // development of the logo in the form of a GIF.

Publication // development of the inside spreads of the catalogue.