School of Design senior lecturer and projects and internships co-ordinator Denise Narciso said the "Debrief" showcase involved all graduating students, including those studying communications design, games design, product design and fashion design, along with postgraduate students.
"Some of our students do client projects and others take on internships, so the ‘Debrief’ exhibition is a very good way to see what they have come up with through those projects," Ms Narciso said.
While third-year students Evie Noad and Daniel van Lith are both studying communications design, their approach and resulting designs have been very different.
Ms Noad worked with the Living Campus Seed Library for three months, focusing on her graphic design and illustration skills to create colourful and sustainable packaging for a seed library to be placed in the polytechnic hub.
"The seed library includes a range of plants, from natives to herbs and vegetables, and the design aims to encourage students to engage with horticulture," she said.
She also made a stand for the seed library out of medium-density fibreboard (MDF), and redesigned the Living Campus logo as a refresh of their brand.
In keeping with the Living Campus philosophy of sustainability, Ms Noad made the seed library out of recyclable materials, using one-colour printing, and with the inside of packages able to be re-used as postcards. She also used MDF offcuts to make seed markers for the garden.
"It was really good to put my graphics knowledge to good use on a product design — I enjoyed doing the project," she said.
Mr van Lith did a three-month internship with the Te Whatu Ora design team for the new Dunedin hospital, working with them on a variety of design briefs for the hospital.
"I was able to attend some meetings and learn about the different areas and innovations that needed to be communicated to the public, as well as addressing community concerns," Mr van Lith said.
"I also helped out with some of the publicity materials and internal communications work, along with some rebranding from the old Southern DHB to the new Te Whatu Ora."
The internship gave Mr van Lith an interesting real-life experience, working with the Te Whatu Ora designer Gala Hesson and her hard working team, under the supervision of Emily Gill.
"I learned a lot about the work place and have gained confidence and evolved my illustration skills — it was an inspiring experience," he said.
The Te Pūkenga Otago Polytechnic design programme was a good way for students to develop marketable skills in the design field, Mr van Lith said.
- "Debrief" opens this evening with a ticketed fashion design showcase, and the exhibition will be open to the public from tomorrow until Tuesday at H, O and P blocks of the polytechnic campus.
