This year once again, a large number of talented designers are graduating from courses in graphic design, interior design and architecture, jewellery design, ceramics, product design and textile design. Over 600 students are obtaining either their bachelor’s or their master’s degree certificates. What does the new generation of designers have up its sleeves? We take a look at the top 25 graduation projects!

Graphic design

Figuurlijk [Figuratively] by Edouard Schneider is an artistic interpretation of the sounds of the alphabet. The alphabet is seen as a collection of sounds that are interpreted figuratively using images. Each sound is a black and white design silkscreened onto a specific raw material. Each sound is a graphical interpretation based on the theoretical and personal description of a letter’s sound. View his video here.

Pushing a Korean Revolution by Maxime Van Parys is a series of pamphlets that map out the abuses in North Korea in a humorous manner. These leaflets are sent into North Korea using balloons. This process resulted in a publication in which the technical aspects of the campaign are discussed in more depth.

The Stopping Stencil Struggles examination by Sam Vermeylen counters the loss of relevance and popularity of stencil fonts. The innovation of the font lies in the use of a three-dimensional environment during the design process. The shapes of the letters are directly influenced by the angle from which they are viewed. This short film makes it clear.

Sabotage Rani Janssens’ graduation project which tackles failures and miscommunication within graphic design. Based on a series of publications with work by master’s students, Rani sought out ways to sabotage herself in the design process. She got started by forcing herself to adopt a different approach and way of thinking, with unexpected design outcomes as a result.

The work by Sofie Gagelmans, De eeuwige zoektocht naar een verstaanbare taal, individueel en collectief [The eternal quest for an understandable language, individually and collectively], shows what a dyslexic has to go through on a daily basis. She designed an online tool in which anyone can take a closer look at his or her own individual issue of the “limitation”. In addition, she also created a “word game” in which you can come up with new words from all the difficulties that arise when reading a text.

Taking her fascination with politics as a starting point, Katrien Doms carried out a study in conceptual poetry with Sensible and far worse. She adopted a critical and satirical attitude towards the style of language used in politics and developed her own writing methodology in which graphic design was given its own role.

Human beings compel themselves to “map things out” and create order around themselves. When you look around you, you will see that everything is changing. In State Changes, Ophélie Decantere examines how frameworks, grid systems and rotas can play a role in holding back change in our society. The study and analysis of structures, materials, use of colour or attention to detail can show how something will evolve.

Interior design and architecture

Experibending is the graduation project by Wout Willems in which he embarked on a wood bending experiment, using wood steamers he made himself. The result is two chairs that pay more than a little tribute to Thonet. (© Isabel Rottiers)

With Design voor Natuurbeleving in Rivierenland [Design for Nature Experience in Rivierenland] by Lore Blockx, visitors to the Scheyvaertshof in Blaasveld Broek can get to know the wealth that nature in the region has on offer. The platform provides digital and tangible information on-site, a blog for visitors and professionals and an online test which the visitor can use to create a personal nature profile for tailor-made walks and experiences.

The 15th-century Gruuthuse palace in Bruges, where manuscripts played the leading role, is given an unexpected destination as a neighbourhood centre in Plus est en Vous [There’s More to You] by Linde Van Den Bosch. In order to examine the spatial qualities, a model was created in book form, with each page showing a slightly different cross section through the asymmetric building.

With a single hammer blow, you can assemble or dismantle this round oak table, Vagary, a design by Anton Proost. The conical wedge forcefully clamps three dovetail joints against the legs from the centre. This mechanism creates tension between legs and tabletop that results in a stable and solid table. (© Isabel Rottiers)

Michiel Hutsebaut studied domestic rituals and the scenographic potential of light in interior architecture using research into the book La Sposa giovane [The Young Bride] by Alessandro Baricco. This resulted in an interior design for “the family” from this book. The everyday actions of the family members, which are extremely personal and often absurd, are expanded and dramatized in the interior design. For example, the mother’s bathroom blends into a garden of plants on the roof patio to satisfy her craving for informality.

With the imposed theme of Shaping relations between people and objects, Liesa Dewulf designed a collection of functional objects. Fine structures, the use of leather and the idea of creating order characterise the designs.

With OUTsiteIN, Alina Rusenko has created an open environment for refugees where personal development is stimulated by means of co-housing, the organisation of various activities and a free circulation plan on the entire grounds of the site. In this way, not only the integration and development of the crisis group, but also an open-minded attitude of every individual, is promoted.

For the Ravenstein Gallery in Brussels, Elisa Van Hauwermeiren designed Makers market, a food market as a dynamic place where different makers process their products from raw material to final product. This gives passers-by and visitors the opportunity to follow the process. The market is divided into four zones: the raw materials storage zone, the processing zone, the sales zone and the consumption zone.

Jewellery design

In The Cabinet of Love for a bit of Fluff, Kristy Bujanic examines the possibilities of communicating memories and feelings from her childhood in Croatia through jewellery and objects. For this purpose, she uses materials that conjure up feelings of love and disgust and evoke recognition. Her work can be situated in different rooms of an imaginary house - in this case the bathroom, as the most intimate place. (© Moira Tuand)

The graduation project A fraction of abundance by Shahrzad Motallebi is a collection of wearable jewellery inspired by geometric elements from Iranian architecture. With her own algorithms and 3D programs and a structure that creates movement and flexibility, she creates an abundance of forms with endless possibilities. (© Charis Boel)

Ceramics

In her graduation project 1d11h, Diede Coppens examines the tension between crockery and artistic-artisanal ceramics. In this way she creates a classic form and then processes it down to the smallest detail. The work demands attention, screams to be looked at and requests a certain expertise to see what Diede wants to show.

Play by Merel Cremers is a kind of narrative “play mat” of figures. Inspiration for the shapes stems above all from a fascination with human-animal relationships. The interaction between these two worlds is translated into an interaction between the objects and the viewer. The viewer is encouraged to touch the object. Through interaction, the arrangement constantly changes and new stories arise in which figures and spectators become characters.

Product design

Actual P by Janwit Changsura is a universal myoelectric training prosthesis for people with a forearm amputation. The prosthesis has a robust look and feel, is very lightweight and is largely (80%) 3D printed. The innovative design consisting of modular arm segments and an adjustable connector makes it suitable for a large range of users.

Thomas Vervisch designed a composite folding bicycle to improve the user experience of commuters. The bicycle has an intuitive and rapid folding mechanism: an upward lever movement folds up the bicycle which can then be rolled along like a trolley. In addition, the necessary attention was also paid to comfort and ease of use.

Iris by Ben Goovaerts is a device that serves as a central home assistant in co-living communities. The device encourages mutual communication and interaction and makes it more accessible to talk about energy and costs. In this way, cooperation and a sense of community are promoted. Iris has a digital interface.

App.Oe is the graduation project of Beatrijs Van Hoof. It is a “smart” shirt for children with asthma, which uses sEMG technology to record laboured breathing at night. The accompanying app translates the measurement results, helps interventions take place in time and teaches children to make the link between asthma triggers and their symptoms. In addition, App.Oe clarifies the effect of the applied treatment for children, parents and doctors.

Textile design

With Here, not here, Charlotte Stuby covers familiar objects such as bicycles and plants with protective materials. The sleeves are very simple and embroidered with images from our daily lives. Charlotte wants them to work very naturally and be seen as functional objects. While they inhabit the landscape as a sort of embellishment, in fact they end up disturbing it.

Double Face is an investigation by Delphine Cobbaert into the synergy between material, texture, colour and technique. Layered textile surfaces with a front, inside and back in warm, heavy, woolly natural threads are constructed into one dynamic whole.


Congratulations to all graduates and thanks to all the teachers of the above courses for their collaboration to this selection of projects.