Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, we have all experienced profound changes in life, education and work: the projects presented here are testament to the creativity, critical thinking and personal resilience with which the emerging designers, entrepreneurs and researchers from Graphic Design and User Experience Design have responded. The restrictions we have faced have required the development of new methods, an ability to think laterally and to transcend practical constraints – all key aspects of a creative toolkit – and I am confident that our graduates will put these skills to work in the diverse future routes they pursue. They have demonstrated they can raise issues, solve problems, tell stories and create communities and that they can design for screens – naturally enough, in these times – but also for print, for place and for imagined futures. They have been thoughtful, compassionate, innovative and ambitious and I am very proud to share their achievements on this platform.

Joanne Lee is Senior Lecturer, BA (Hons.) Graphic Design