WestKing students compete to design hoarding for prime London location

A group of Digital Arts and Photography students from Westminster Kingsway College will soon have their designs seen by hundreds of thousands of people on one of London’s busiest streets.

15 first-year students on our UAL Level 3 Diploma in Digital Arts and Photography course are competing to have their design printed on a 10-metre stretch of hoarding at 150 Holborn, in the heart of London.

The hoarding surrounds the site where Dar Group – a leading global professional services company – are building their new London Headquarters.

Working to a detailed project brief from Dar Group, the students, who are being supported by their Lecturers Paresh Parmar and Marta Velasco, have split into 5 groups and are working on their designs.

This project is the first in a wide ranging and two-way engagement between our students and Dar Group. 

Dar Group are a leading global employer and we hope that this partnership will lead to more opportunities for students to further their knowledge and gain experience in built environment professions such as engineering, design and planning.

To get some advice and inspiration, the students recently visited the offices of architects Perkins + Will, a Dar Group company.  And on Monday 11 March, representatives from Dar Group and Perkins + Will came to the college’s Kings Cross centre to give their feedback on the students’ first draft designs.

The students’ final designs will be judged by members of Dar Group companies and the winner will be announced at an event at the beginning of April.

A ‘mood board’ of visual ideal and inspiration produced by one of the groups of students

Christopher Christophi, Senior Associate at Perkins+Will told us: “It was great to meet the students again today. We’ve been really impressed with the quality and imagination of the draft designs that we’ve seen today and we are looking forward to seeing their final designs in April.

“We are very excited about working with the Westminster Kingsway College. Our new 150 Holborn headquarters is very close to the college’s Kings Cross centre and we hope that this competition is the start of a long-term relationship with the college and those who study there.”

Lecturer in Digital Imaging Paresh Parmar said: “The students are in the first year of a two year course and this is the first time they have worked to a client brief.  I have been very impressed with the students’ hard work and creativity – especially as they are also working on other projects on their course.  The brief from Dar Group was very exciting and inspiring and it has been great working with Amir Abdul and his colleagues from Dar Group on this project.”

Students Holly Bloxham and Gursel Ozbengu present their design to the team from Dar Group