Reading Festival experience to be told by creative Typography student
22 August 2019
A Typography student at the University of Reading will get a behind-the-scenes look at this year’s Reading Festival after being selected to be part of a unique initiative.
Robin Smith has been given a weekend ticket and brief to produce a creative response to the festival, which runs from 23-25 August.
She and the other chosen students can represent the festival in any way they choose, from artwork to a piece of creative writing. Robin plans to create a 3D lettering mural, comprising large, freestanding letters spelling out the festival name, decorated to show the evolution in music style since its formation.
Creative projects produced by the students will be submitted after the festival and exhibited a future date at the University of Reading.
"Typography at festivals has been the unconscious - but conscious to designers - way of attracting attendees to make memories for years" - Robin Smith
Robin said: “Typography at festivals has been the unconscious - but conscious to designers - way of attracting attendees to make memories for years, taking pictures with the huge lettering that often features. Encompassing this idea with the history of the music at Reading Festival, and paired with the rest of the team’s amazing work, the story of the festival will be clear to see. I’m just glad that I get to be part of the group to do it.”
The University of Reading has taken a team of students to Reading Festival every year for the last five years. In 2015 the University partnered with Kerrang magazine to allow students the chance to interview bands and write reviews, following this up with a similar initiative with NME magazine the following year.
Since 2017, a partnership with Festival Republic has allowed a team of students to work backstage and produce their own original content on all aspects of festival life, from festival fashion trends to food stall reviews.
Professor Roberta Gilchrist, Research Dean for Heritage & Creativity at the University of Reading, said: “Reading Festival is a major part of Reading’s cultural identity, so it’s a major coup to be able to offer our students a unique experience of this iconic event. Arts & Humanities degrees teach students to think critically and to articulate and communicate their thoughts creatively. This is a valuable opportunity for our students to demonstrate skills that will equip them for the rapidly changing workplace.
“We have been impressed with the range of creative ideas submitted in applications by our students, and it will be exciting to see how they apply what they have learned on their courses to their internships and projects.”