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Sharp design skills lead Jonatan to prestigious pencil accolade

Posted: 17th July 2018

An Edinburgh College Interactive Design student has used his sharp design skills to pick up a coveted Pencil trophy from the D&AD New Blood Awards, which honour the rising starts of design, digital and advertising.

Jonatan Moreno, who is studying HND Visual Communication: Interactive Design at the college, was presented with a Wooden Pencil Award at a ceremony in London last night.

Barcelona-born Jonatan was given the award for his work developed from a brief set by Beano studios. The brief was to reimagine and evolve an existing female Beano character, then bring the designs to life through a short animation.

Jonatan’s animation – The Girl who cried Wolf – gives a modern makeover to the comic brand’s Beryl the Peril character and features a 90-second clip which sees Beryl defeat a toilet monster.

Taking inspiration from the fable The Boy Who Cried Wolf and B-movies such as The Blob, Jonatan drafted a storyboard and script before bringing his concept to life. The animation shows the rebellious character’s relationship with her long-suffering father and sees her getting her comeuppance after crying wolf too many times.

Jonatan said: “I’m so happy to be the recipient of a Pencil Award. It was really unexpected. I have admired the creativity and high quality of the winners’ work in previous years so to be one of the winners this year is amazing. When I received the news I was ecstatic. I really enjoyed working on my project and with the support of my lecturers and fellow students feel I produced a great animation.”

The D&AD New Blood Awards celebrate the best young talent across the design, digital and advertising industries.

Edinburgh College’ curriculum manager for Art and Design, Neil Manning, said: “To be commended in a worldwide design competition is a fantastic achievement for Jonatan. He is a very talented designer who thoroughly deserves the accolade. The Pencil Awards are like the Oscars of the design world and he is amongst some of the best young designers from across the world on the list of winners. I have no doubt he will go on to be a bright star in the industry.”

See Jonatan’s work here.

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Business Comment is the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce’s bi-monthly magazine. It provides insight on Edinburgh’s vibrant business community, with features on the city’s key sectors, interviews with leading figures and news on new business developments in the capital.
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