WORK by graphic design students has been featured on the front cover of the current issue of one of the world's leading print magazines for the creative industries.

Earlier this year students from the Northern School of Art worked alongside renowned graphic artist Jimmy Turrell to help create three alternative covers for the February/March 2020 issue of Creative Review.

Having met the artist last May, when they worked on a high-profile project to make a mural for the Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Middlesbrough, Selina Lapthorne, Melissa Palmer, Jemma Solley and Haydn White approached him for some work experience.

Mr Turrell, who has created large-scale collages across the world and has worked with leading brands including adidas and Apple, agreed and the students spent two weeks working as part of the team at his Tyneside studio.

The three covers feature hand-created images designed so that the cover looks as if it could be peeled back to reveal hidden meanings underneath. The process involved screenprinting onto old wallpaper, MDF, parts of an actual door and even a glass.

Selina Lapthorne, 21, from Tamworth in Staffordshire said: “Working with Jimmy on this project was a great experience, not only to see what working in industry is actually like, but also being a part of creating the cover for Creative Review, which is distributed worldwide.

“This is such a big deal being a student and will definitely help me in the future with my own work.”

Melissa Palmer, 20, from Whitehaven in Cumbria added: “We were able to see the project through from start to finish and used a lot of experimental techniques.

“Seeing our work distributed worldwide on the cover of Creative Review has given me a lot more confidence in my own abilities as a graphic designer.”

The latest issue of Creative Review focuses on how truth and lies are influencing our lives – as well as the creative work that those working in the sector make.

Covering the impact of expressions such as ‘fake news’, ‘misinformation’ and ‘deep fakes’, the edition considers how they symbolise some of the challenges being faced in the 2020s.

Mr Turrell said: “Working with the students from The Northern School of Art on the covers was a really great experience. They brought a lot of energy and vibrancy to the project, which really seemed to connect with my general aesthetic, and I hope it’s opened their minds to the possibilities of analogue work”

The Northern School of Art is the only provider of specialist creative courses in the North East with a rating of Gold in the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework which means its students receive some of the highest quality teaching in the UK.

Details of the School’s graphic design, digital design and interactive design degrees and its wide range of other creative courses at its university-level campus in Hartlepool and post 16 campus in Middlesbrough are available at www.northernart.ac.uk