A final-year graphic design student has been awarded membership of a prestigious international body in recognition of the outstanding quality of her work.
Francesca Isabella Martin, 20, recently became a member of the International Society of Typographic Designers in the 2018 awards.
Born in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Francesca came to Teesside University to pursue her passion for design, joining some of her relatives who already lived in Middlesbrough.
The International Society of Typographic Designers is considered a benchmark for the best in typographic design around the world. Each year the awards are judged by some of the leading figures in the field of typography and graphic design, with only a small number of students achieving the required standard.
Francesca’s project was a dual-language publication celebrating the remarkable life and accomplishments of Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), who was considered one of Oxford University’s most brilliant students. Gertrude was the greatest woman mountaineer of her age, archaeologist, spy, Arabist, linguist, author, poet, photographer and the driving force behind the creation of modern-day Iraq.
For her publication, Francesca combined a number of processes and finishes, including Riso printing, Coptic binding, laser cutting, laser etching and a range of papers. She was thrilled to be recognised for her work by the Society and she is looking forward to starting her career.
“Ever since I started my course, I have been hooked on typography. The International Society of Typographic Designers is a society that I have always greatly admired, so I was very happy to be able to respond to their brief and gain feedback from them,” Francesca explained.
“After I graduate, I want to find my footing in the industry and I hope to work in the print sector of design. I will look back on my time at Teesside with great fondness. Nothing can replace the experience I have had here.”
Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design and Illustration, Michael O’Malley, said: ‘We are incredibly proud of Francesca and what she has achieved throughout her time on her course.
“We encourage all of our design students to develop their own distinctive body of work throughout their time at Teesside University and grasp every opportunity that comes their way. It has been wonderful to see how Francesca’s work has evolved over the past three years. To be recognised by the International Society of Typographic Designers is a tremendous accomplishment and I am sure that it will set Francesca up well for the future.”
