THE mayor of Tenbury Wells has praised the ‘great ideas’ of University of Worcester graphic design students after they were tasked with designing new way-finding signage for the town.

The students used their design skills in a ‘live brief’ which challenged them to help Tenbury Town Council evolve a new set of way-finding signage and interpretation boards to be displayed around the town.

The designs were narrowed down by the town’s councillors, before being put on public display at the Pump Rooms, where feedback from residents was invited.

The anonymous feedback process produced a number of positive responses, and the town’s mayor Councillor Mark Willis was delighted with the standard of the work produced.

“The work done by the all of the students from Worcester has really given the council a head start with some great ideas,” said Cllr Willis.

“The council has decided to award a small prize to the design most favoured in the public consultations, and this goes to Jess Matthews. We hope it will be the first of many successes in her design career.”

Of her experiences with the project and her prize-winning designs graphic design student Jess said: “Over the course of the module I’ve learned a great deal about way-finding and information graphics.

“The live brief was great experience and, living close to Tenbury myself, it was very enjoyable. I’m delighted and very honoured that my designs were liked.”

Some of the student designs are already being used to create new roadside banners to highlight the town’s appeal to drivers passing by on the nearby A456, a major tourist route.

Tutor Andy Stevenson, senior lecturer in design, helped to initiate the brief with the town council.

“The design students work on a similar way-finding design challenge each year," he said.

“It’s so important for them to work for real clients with real-life design needs and this sort of project can give them invaluable experiences over and above their existing academic learning.”

The student designs will now go through a process of further refinement and the town council are looking at possible funding streams in the hope of being able to move ahead further with the project.

The University of Worcester will be staging its next open events on October 31 and November 1. For more information, visit www.worcester.ac.uk.