BA (Hons) Visual Communication student Jessica Downing has competed at the ACA UK Championship Finals for a place to represent the UK in the Global Final of the popular Adobe Creative Cloud based competition.
Taking part in the Adobe InDesign category of the UK Final, Jessica competed against 20 other finalists in a design challenge where entrants are given instructions, project requirements, and assets to complete a real–world design challenge using Adobe Creative Cloud software.
Jess says, “I am really proud of getting to the championships, it was completely unexpected, and it was great fun to take part. Since graduating, I’ve now been offered a job at the company I did my internship with last year in consumer and lifestyle public relations. I’m over the moon!”
The ACA Championship attracts thousands of creative design students from across the UK and Ireland each year. Aged 13 to 22, the top 20 finalists were then tasked with working on a brief for the Naval Families Federation (NFF). The completed works were then reviewed and assessed by a panel of judges including the NFF and Adobe design industry experts, who praised entries based on visual appeal, the client’s requirements and brand aesthetics, and the finalists professional use of Creative Cloud applications.
Rachel Gray, Director of Education Sales at Adobe UK, says: “I’m delighted to be part of the Adobe ACA UK & Ireland Championship virtual final today, not only do we get to see the wonderful projects created, but also to meet ambitious, creative students who are kick-starting their careers with globally, industry-recognised certifications.”
She adds, “These young people beating thousands of peers from across the UK and Ireland are designers and creators of the future. The designs these students have created today for Naval Families Federation virtually, and in less than a day, give us a small sample of their talent. I cannot wait to see what these students achieve in their futures.”
In 2018, the UK’s creative industries contributed more than £111 billion to the UK economy, and in this year’s Future of Jobs report by The World Economic Forum, Creative Skills were seen as key to employment, skills and workforce strategy for the future, rising from tenth in 2005, to third in 2020.
