Students on North Hertfordshire College’s Art & Design pathway have enjoyed working with Harriet Kelsall Designs and Moss UK on a unique work experience project, following the product creation process from initial idea exploration right through to marketing and advertising!
The project started with our learners being challenged by Rebecca Howarth of Harriet Kelsall designs to create winter-themed jewellery using sustainable materials. The learners needed to create a supporting portfolio which demonstrated their sources of inspiration, the research they’d undertaken, and the reasoning behind any decisions made.
To help bring their ideas to life, our learners also created prototypes of their jewellery designs. Behind all the decisions they made, our learners also needed to consider the budget they were working in – would this be a unique investment piece, or an item from an affordable collector’s range?
Understanding this target audience and the budget played a key role in the second stage of the project – working with Moss UK to design a window display for a high street retailer where their design would be sold.
This was a unique chance for students to learn from experts about the industry specifications and standards that must be followed when creating displays and advertising, all whilst staying on-brand and selling their product. Our learners researched retail competitors’ shop displays, advertising campaigns, and branding partnerships to better understand what the existing market looks like. They also needed to consider Moss UK’s own style of advertising and key business elements, like their commitment to sustainability.
Each student created a portfolio and marketing proposal which detailed their final plan for how their product would be advertised, demonstrating how they would attract the target customer to enter the store to make a purchase. They also created designs for digital advertising, too!
Throughout the whole project, our learners received support and feedback from both Harriet Kelsall Designs and Moss UK about the designs they had created. This helped our students to refine their plans ahead of the final pitch to both employers at the end of the project.
Reflecting on the project as a whole, Moss UK Operations Director Mark Rose commented: “The project was a great success; I was very impressed with the quality of thought the students had put into meeting both elements of the brief. They also presented their work in a professional way, too.”
This project has given our learners some excellent experience to add to their CVs and talk about in future job or university interviews. We’re truly grateful for the time that Harriet Kelsall Designs and Moss UK have spent with our students to help them develop their skills!
Could your organisation help to give a future to the next generation of workers? Find out how you can get involved by visiting North Hertfordshire College’s Give a Future campaign page.