Jane Austen Poster Project
Back in November 2016 a cohort of students from the University of Sussex’s BSC Product Design course were invited to the Royal Pavilion for a unique visit. Only weeks into their chosen course and many of them new to Brighton, the students were about to receive their first live brief. To complete a module in visual communication their challenge was to design a poster for the Jane Austen By the Sea exhibition, aimed at an audience of the age range 18-25.
The students met with the exhibition’s Curator Alexandra Loske, Marketing Manager Jemma Treweek and Graphic Designer Derek Lee. This was their chance to find out more about Jane Austen, as well as gaining practical tips around design and marketing.
4 weeks later and it was time to present their posters, to a panel of museum and university staff.
Alexandra Loske curator of Jane Austen By the Sea said,
“I was impressed by the wide range of interpretation of the theme and brief. It was absolutely fascinating to see young people’s takes and visions, something I admit I don’t consider enough in my work. I particularly liked the designs that dared to go almost completely abstract, the ones that experimented with letting go of the over familiar, iconic images of Austen, such as the dramatic ink blots in black on white. However where the well-known images of Austen were included I enjoyed how they were embedded in a contemporary context and bold graphics.
Some students paid more attention to spelling and grammar than others, and this was a great opportunity for them to learn the pitfalls of copy checking with a live project. I felt that they took our comments positively and amended their work accordingly. I look forward to working with Sussex University on further collaborative projects”
Almost 30 poster designs were presented, and here are our favourites!
Tom Oates
Tom's use of the ink splatter was a clever image that reflected not only the fact that Jane wrote with ink, but also conjured up a feeling of liquid, water and the sea in that the splash could easily have been a wave or a splash from the beach. A nice use of stark black and white and an image that would make people think about the exhibition and be somewhat intrigued by the content.
Amira Sassi
We loved that this poster located the exhibition in the Royal Pavilion, as it depicts the Music Room. The illustration style is fantastic as well as the use of colour. We liked that Jane and the Prince Regent were left in just blackline, reflecting the style of a colouring book, so implying that the exhibition would have a story to tell, that visitors could see things in their own way, colour in their own experience of Jane Austen and Brighton during her lifetime.
Abigail Kelvie
Abigail has created a poster full of mystery and intrigue, with a really strong clear design. We liked the inclusion of the silhouette which alludes to a sense of mystery about Jane Austen and the Gothic aesthetic and layout remind us of a front cover of a novel. The Pavilion has been used really subtly which sets the scene for the audience.
Isabel Abrams
We enjoyed the more traditional feel of this poster, the colours, the letter illustration and the handwritten font, all give the impression that the poster could have been designed by Jane herself and has a Regency feel. This would appeal to our more traditional audiences, but yet remains a modern, modest and clean design.
Ernest Lee
Ernest's used the very familiar imagery of the beach and pier, with Jane herself sitting in a deck chair looking back over her shoulder at us, inviting us to find out more. We thought the use of all of the familiar images together was very clever, as those places are all also very familiar with our audiences, and it was a great visual representation of what the exhibition is about. There is Jane and she IS by the sea! The illustrations are of a very high standard and beautifully drawn. Also a great use of type in open space and very clear.
Ellis Leahy
A great depiction of a more up to date version of Jane (and her friends!) the use of the triangles and colours makes for an eye-catching design, and reflects again a more modern take on Jane and that there might be something different and new for visitors should they choose to come to the exhibition. We also liked the use of the text running almost indecipherably in the background, which would make viewers concentrate a little more on the poster.
Zachary Walbrin
We loved the familiar image of Jane Austen being given a new modern twist with the use of the 'glitch' effect. This reflects the content of the exhibition in that visitors will find out 'new and surprising info about Jane Austen, what Brighton was like during her lifetime, and why the town was featured in her novels. Also like the clear reflection of RPM'S current branding on Zach's poster, he had clearly thought about logo placement and the poster had a great 'balance'.














