“Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It is courage that counts.”
Winston Churchill
The theme of the poster for this show is ‘Pick of the Crop’ and I believe that the students graduating
this year are the best that the visual communication industry will find.
BCU / BIAD has always provided the bulk of new designers to the region, but over the years we have
also made a major and consistent contribution to the health and primacy of national art and design
and indeed its place in the world market. Today we are increasingly part of a global family and of
international talent, with links to Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, India and many parts of Europe and America.
For many in the industry this is not a surprise. BIAD is one of the largest centres for art, design and
media education in Europe. It is one of the oldest of such institutions in Britain, dating back to the
year 1843, a full twenty-five years before the Slade School was formed in London. It reached maturity in the 1890’s, as the Birmingham Municipal School of Art at Margaret Street, under the leadership of Edward R. Taylor. BIAD archives hold extensive records on the history of art and design in Birmingham, including typographic fonts (Baskerville was a city industrialist), and materials that chart the Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain. Ours is an enviable pedigree that continues to develop.
BIAD has always offered students the opportunity to study and develop as artists and designers
irrespective of their gender, race or class background, whilst ability has been rewarded and supported.
The strong link to industry and role of the arts in society has influenced all aspects of social, economic
and cultural life in the region. BIAD is now located on five campuses across the city.
The content of this catalogue allows you, the reader, to make up your own mind as to the veracity of
these claims. For those who have worked with these energetic and highly talented people we know
that the title is well founded.
Each one of them is a potential asset to employer, project and to society as a whole. They are gifted
and talented, hard working professionals and a joy to work with. But above all they are courageous.
They have made a courageous decision to follow an unconventional path when they decided to pursue
a career art and design. They ‘put their money firmly where their mouths are’ when they decided
to follow it at degree level with all the expenditure nowadays associated with a university education.
There are much easier forms of study and subjects that do not require you to stand in the glare of
such a searching and public spotlight. There are easier career paths to follow. None of this has fazed
them; they have the courage of their convictions and of their education.
All my staff team and I are extremely proud of each student and their work. They have been on a
journey with us for three years; they have had their individual ups and downs, their good and bad days.
They have faced up to the standards of the outside world and those we require of them and they
have triumphed.
They will now venture into a rapidly changing world.
Because of their talent and courage - ultimately the future is bright and the future is theirs.
Mario Minichiello, Head of Department, Department of Visual Communication.
