Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) welcomed industry professionals to meet second-year BA (Hons) Graphic Design students for its 10th annual networking event on campus.
The event, which took place on Wednesday 11 March, brought together 48 professionals, including AUB alumni, from 24 companies both in person and online, offering students a valuable opportunity for the students to share their work and build their professional networks.
This year, participating professionals spanned a broad spectrum of roles and experience levels, from junior designers to creative directors, and represented companies and agencies based both locally and further afield, such as London and Bristol.
The companies represented a wide range of areas, including branding, UX/UI, motion, digital, strategy, packaging, art direction, advertising and experience design.
This breadth of experience meant students could engage with both established creative directors and AUB alumni who've recently graduated. As a result, they gained perspectives from across the industry – from those beginning their careers to those leading creative teams and shaping studio direction – while receiving guidance on developing their work and building a strong portfolio.
With several companies offering summer internships, including 20ten, Salo Creative and Wise Design, there was an added sense of excitement. Students were also encouraged to take initiative in conversations, and it was encouraging to hear that many connections were made, with invitations to follow up, stay in touch and share further work with a view to future opportunities.
Alice Stevens, Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design at AUB, says, “This is one of the most important evenings of the year for our second-year Graphic Design students. They showcased recent work and shared their newly hand-coded portfolio websites with an amazing range of industry professionals.
“The event is designed to build students’ confidence while giving them valuable insight to help refine and improve their work, portfolios and networks. It’s a very valuable evening for them all. Over the years, many of our students have gained opportunities through conversations at the event that have led to internships and, in some cases, junior design roles after graduation – some of whom have since returned on the other side of the table to offer feedback to the next generation of students.”
Salo Creative, a Bournemouth-based design studio specialising in digital and brand design, has continued to support the course and its students. In 2025, the studio hosted a third-year student for an extended internship, while in 2024 a second-year student joined the team for a summer placement.
At the networking event, AUB alumnus Toby Felton, now Brand Design Lead at Salo, met with students alongside Design Director Josh Trim, and Digital Designer Sophie Pongpiriyaporn, to review portfolios, offer feedback and discuss upcoming placement opportunities.
Toby comments, “The standard of work at AUB is always outstanding, and we’re proud to support the course by offering students real-world experience. Placements and internships are highly competitive and limited, so we feel very fortunate to offer them each year as a local studio.
“It’s a privilege to welcome a student into the team, giving them the chance to contribute meaningfully while building relationships with our clients and the wider creative community.”
Another returning graduate was Gergana Sarieva, now a junior graphic designer at Battenhall in London, a communications agency for the social media age. Gergana graduated from AUB in 2024 and this was her first time returning to the University since graduating.
She comments, “This was the very event where, three years ago, I was introduced to Battenhall as a student, and now, thanks to that, I find myself on the other side of the table as an industry professional, offering insight and advice to students.”
