Billy Blue College of Design students' major projects

Under the guidance of our industry practicing academics who share the same love for design as the students they teach, these emerging designers produced final projects that we can’t help but share.

As students come to the pointy end of their degrees, the major project subject represents an opportunity to hone their skills and apply their learnings, as they prepare to leapfrog into their dream careers.

It’s safe to say that the design industry is in good stead as we move into the future.

Guided by industry practicing academics

Tim Jetis lectures the major project subject and shares the Billy Blue College of Design vision of guiding students into a career they’ll love. With him, he brings over 30 years of experience in the creative industry.

Outside of the classroom, Tim runs his own creative studio, ‘Cabinet of Wonder’. The studio specialises in a variety of areas including film, art, design and traditional brand and identity work. The best bit – having this studio allows Tim to bring on Billy Blue alumni and students.

In reflecting on his love for teaching, Tim pinpointed it to “the opportunity to nurture young designers to have a positive creative foundation at the beginning of their careers.”

The appreciation for Tim and all our Billy Blue lecturers certainly doesn’t go unnoticed. Just ask Bachelor of Communication Design and major project student, Jordan Lee.

“My favourite part of my course has been my teachers. They’re so knowledgeable and really prepare you for the real world,” said Jordan.

Another Bachelor of Communication Design student, Liam Forcadilla, reiterated this, “My favourite part of my course has been the lecturers. They are down to earth people, whose design knowledge and experience is so invaluable and helps us to grow so much as designers.”

Bridging design education with their future career

In the Major Project subject students dive into the dynamic world of design and technology. It's an area of endless possibilities, where they get to explore what makes them creatively excited, explore different practices, and techniques. They have the exciting task of pinpointing their own area of interest for personal growth and creative exploration.

The process begins with students choosing their own destination, their major project brief. It's like setting off on an exploration to uncover new creative areas that motivate them.

“One of the key things in the major project is to step back and see the value and passion in each designer,” said Tim. “It’s vital that the students are allowed to imagine, explore and create their own work.”

Bringing together students from a variety of backgrounds including graphic design, animation and UX and web design, it is an all-encompassing application of students’ knowledge and creates a bridge between their education and design career.

In reflecting on her creation, Bachelor of Communication Design student Amber Fehey said, “This subject really helped me make an idea come to life. I’ve always wanted to create an illustration book and this subject pushed me outside of my comfort zone to do so. I couldn’t be prouder of my work, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Tim and the friends I’ve made in the class.”

The major project mindset doesn’t stop when students graduate either. Chrisanti studied design back in 2015, and on her return to Indonesia, found she couldn’t find online the beauty products or range she was spoiled with in Australia. Using the design, branding and UX skills she learned she is now the co-founder of Sociolla, one of the largest e-commerce platforms for beauty and wellness products in Indonesia.

When we asked Tim to describe the work his students recently produced as part of their major project, all he needed was one word - “exceptional.” Year after year we see these projects nominated as finalists or winners in the AGDA or GOTYA Awards.

But, we’ll let you judge for yourselves.

Our final-year students’ major projects

Communication Design students

Alana Brbot – FU3L

Alana’s record label FU3L was driven by her other love (outside of design) - music. As a music and gig connoisseur, she created an overarching brand identity for a label she one day hopes to bring to fruition.

“Picking 5 of my favourite songs became the starting point. I then found elements that represent each song individually, as well as forming similarities so each record sleeve can create unity for the brand,” said Alana.

Amber Fehey – The History of Fashion

Amber created the ultimate coffee table book for any fashionista. With the illustrations all done by Amber herself, she created a book comprising of fashion through the decades and it’s evolution over the years.

Ebony Pye – Family Stories

For her project, Ebony produced a book which compiled a series of short stories from throughout the course of her life. Accompanying these stories are illustrations tailored to each storyline, showcasing Ebony’s phenomenal illustrative skills.

“My idea was to create a book that encompasses my family dynamic through storytelling. These stories radiate who I am as a person,” said Ebony.

Jordan Lee – Family Kitchens

Jordan tapped into his family’s love for cooking with his project. Creating a cookbook titled, ‘Family Kitchens’, Jordan collated recipes from family and friends. To build upon this, she drew an illustration of each kitchen to feature alongside each recipe, with each taking approximately 12 hours. In doing so, she intends for the reader to feel as though they're stepping through the page into each home, to experience their favourite meal.

“It was great to have such creative freedom. I got to combine my favourite areas of design to create something I am really proud of,” said Jordan.

Liam Forcadilla – Other Folk

Completing his Communication Design degree whilst also being a member of the Men’s National Australian Netball team, Liam created a coffee table book which was designed to “curate an intimate experience for the reader, in a bid to forge a relationship between them and the subjects.”

The book is focused around the LGBTQ community, featuring the stories of nine individuals which Liam portrayed through photography, text and access to video interviews.

Marcus Cheong – This Book of Posters Will Never Be Finished

When Marcus got the brief asking him to create a piece of work that best encapsulates him as a designer, he went away and created a poster a day for 50 days. No easy feat. He missed some along the way, however decided to progress and ended up with an imperfect book.

“Even if I fall short, I can till create a piece of work I can be proud of,” said Marcus.

This ‘imperfect’ book was a 2022 AGDA Award Finalist for Student Publication, receiving the merit award.

3D Design and Animation students

Chloe Donohoe – Distopian Illustrations

For Chloe, she chose to tell a story on a topic that she holds close to her. In creating the work, she designed them in a way that left them open-ended, allowing viewers to live their own experience through them.

Her aim was to “create something meaningful that would help people feel understood through their own experience.”

Kiralee Smith – Floormates

Kiralee created an animated storyboard piece. The synopsis?

“In neighbouring unit blocks, two auto-floor vacuum cleaners, Rush and Arcade, find themselves living right opposite to one another. Scheming how to be able to meet up together, their owners Honey and Pepper could not be any more different.”

In creating the project and the skills learnt from her 3D Design and Animation degree, Kiralee drew over 300 drawings, in addition to ideating the storyline, character designs, environment designs and more.

UX and Web Design students

Ralph Coloma – Robot History

Ralph’s project fused his hobby of building model kits with his passion for design. Inspired by documentaries like ‘The Toys That Made Us’ and movies like ‘The Matrix’, Ralph created an aesthetic book showcasing how the Japanese Mecha genre came to be, along with how it has influenced his creativity.

“I studied UX and Web Design, so many would think I would make a website. However, I love books and was able to apply my knowledge to form layouts in the books that would engage the audience, but equally, be understandable,” said Ralph.

Inspired? Great, we can’t wait to see what you create in your class.