Loughborough University is committed to sustainability and has set ambitious targets to become a net zero campus. To support this, the University invited students to design a mural for campus. The competition brief was to create a design that raises awareness and understanding of climate issues; and encourages the University community to act to help reduce our impact on the climate.
First place was awarded to Jasia Pang, born and raised in Hong Kong and currently studying graphic design at the School of Design and Creative Arts. Jasia is an illustrator and designer who loves to create fun and playful visuals to reflect brands’ voices and identities. She is passionate about experimenting with textures and colour and expressing her own culture through her work.
Discussing her mural, Jasia said: “The concept behind my design tackles not one, but all four key areas of sustainability. I aim to use my design to visually inform those at Loughborough how they can make subtle, but highly impactful sustainable practices in their daily lives.
“My design is meant to remind people that sustainability does not need to be a grand task. It is a mindset that can be adapted and slowly incorporated into everyone’s lives, not only enhancing our livelihoods but protecting the environment that we live in.”
Second place was awarded to Candis Boateng, an architecture student at Loughborough. Outside of her studies, Candis creates and designs illustrations centred around Blackness (@candiscreates).
Candis commented: “As a society, we often engage in excessive consumption, be it in the form of clothing, food, or other goods. We must take responsibility for our waste to maintain a clean campus environment. To effectively convey this message, I plan to illustrate additional campus buildings to visually showcase the impact of waste on the environment and highlight the importance of recycling.”
Third place was awarded to Freya Neame, a Bermudian graphics student, currently in her final year at Loughborough. She has a love of branding and innovative design.
On her design, Freya said: “The artwork is a mural piece depicting various ways in which students and staff can get involved with sustainability on campus. These activities include projects and societies which bring social connection, such as Loughborough Gold, the beekeeping collective on campus, and groups such as the Gardening Society.
“Other opportunities depicted have financial incentives and rewards, such as the Cycle2Work scheme, showing it is more rewarding to go eco. I hope you enjoy perusing through all the opportunities Loughborough offers, and hopefully learn something new available to you on campus!”
Jasia and the runners-up will all receive cash prizes and their work featured on the LU Arts website as well as being showcased on University digital screens throughout Sustainability Fortnight.
The judging panel was made up of Elliot Brown and Lottie Ambridge from the Sustainability Team, Martyn Edwards, Director of Marketing and Advancement, Dr Jo Jennings, Visiting Member of the University, Nick Slater, Director of LU Arts and Claudia Eberlein, Dean of the School of Science and Professor of Theoretical Physics.
Nick Slater, Director of LU Arts commented: “We received some really strong entries to our sustainability mural competition and Jasia’s beautifully illustrated work encourages us all to commit to more sustainable behaviours.”
Lottie Ambridge, Sustainability Assistant added: “I was so impressed by the wide array of designs we received for this competition – there are some very talented and artistic students here at Loughborough. It is important to encourage people to live more sustainably by providing ideas of simple changes we can make in our everyday lives to contribute to a better future. I think the chosen design does this in a clear and fun way, appealing to staff and students alike.”