Judges have declared Arwen Lawton, Level 3 Graphic Design student from Fareham College, the winner of the competition to design a car sticker for UDonateacar, the community charity scheme from Silverlake Automotive Recycling [Silverlake].
Arwen’s winning design was chosen from a shortlist of six announced on March 4th. Holly Southwell from Itchen College was runner up. Arwen, Holly and their families were invited to Silverlake’s head office in Shedfield to meet the Managing Director, Allen Prebble, and receive their prizes. Arwen and Holly received vouchers for £250 and £100 for art and graphic design supplies, respectively.
The judging panel, which included the Mayor of Southampton, Alex Houghton and Ben Fishwick, Editor of the Southampton Daily Echo, were impressed by how well Arwen interpreted the design brief and her attention to detail in creating an eye-catching sticker with a clear message. As the winner, Arwen has been given the opportunity to work alongside the Graphic Designer for Silverlake to finalise the design ahead of print and production. Members of the public who donate through UDonateacar will receive a copy of Arwen’s car sticker to display in their car. Later this year, a ‘spot the UDonateacar sticker’ competition will be launched on social media, making Arwen’s design the subject of ongoing local interest.
UDonateacar makes it easy for people who sell their vehicle to Silverlake to donate as little or as much as they want from the sale to support small, local charities helping to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged people. Silverlake handles all the paperwork and transfers 100% of the donation to the scheme’s national charity partner, Global’s Make Some Noise, which provides grants to small charities that may otherwise be overlooked. In the Southampton area, examples of charities benefiting from the grants include Abbey’s Heroes supporting children, young people, and their families with a cancer diagnosis, and Yellow Door established to prevent and respond to sexual abuse.
Commenting on her win, Arwen said: “Honestly, I am over the moon to hear that I was declared the winner. I feel that this is an amazing opportunity, and I am so excited to be working with Silverlake to create my design.”
Russel Squires, Arwen’s Graphics and Photography Lecturer at Fareham College, said: “When my graphics student received this commission from Silverlake, Arwen expressed the most interest; she wasted no time conducting some research, doing some initial tests and refining her design. As her tutor, I am incredibly proud of her achievements and winning this design competition. I’ll look forward to seeing how she progresses in the future.”
Allen Prebble, Managing Director at Silverlake, said the entries’ quality was fantastic and explained: “It’s been fantastic to give these young designers an opportunity to experience working to a brief for a genuine requirement. The talent has been exceptional. UDonateacar is all about making it easy to donate, from as little as £5, and make a difference by supporting small, community charities taking care of disadvantaged people. Arwen’s car sticker design will really help us to spread the message. I’d like to thank the judges for their time, the regional colleges for their support, and congratulate Arwen, Holly, and all the finalists who did such a great job.”
