Manchester School of Art student wins industry challenge

A student from the MA Graphic Design and Art Direction course at Manchester School of Art was part of the winning team at this year’s Two+Two creative industry event, which brought together 150 students from universities across the North to respond to a live brief.

Organised by Creative Resource, the event mixed students from creative and marketing courses into teams of four, giving them the chance to work with people from different disciplines and universities in a fast-paced agency style environment.

Our students joined others from Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Salford, Sheffield Hallam, Chester and Staffordshire, alongside a network of more than 50 industry mentors from agencies and brands across the region.

This year’s brief was set by Beyond Equality, an organisation that works with schools, universities and workplaces to engage men and boys in conversations around gender equality. Teams were asked to develop an idea that could help young men find connection, care and purpose beyond “the manosphere”.

At the end of the day, five shortlisted teams pitched their ideas to an audience of more than 200 people and a judging panel chaired by Tom Richards, Chief Creative Officer at 21Grams.

The winning team included Manchester School of Art student Wania Suhail alongside students from the University of Lincoln, University of Liverpool and University of Salford.

As part of the prize, the team has secured an internship with Zeal Creative, ongoing mentorship from Fresh, and the opportunity to continue developing their idea at APS Group’s Innovation Lab after also winning the Beyond Equality prize.

Phil Cookson, Director at Creative Resource, said:

“Two+Two is a unique opportunity for students to learn from and network with the creative and marketing industry. Students work in mixed teams with people from different backgrounds and skillsets, often for the first time, just as they would in industry.”

Winning student Wania Suhail said:  

“Two+Two was such a valuable experience because it pushed me to collaborate with people from different creative backgrounds in a fast-paced environment. Winning felt incredibly rewarding, especially after seeing how much effort every team put into their ideas. One of the biggest things I’ll take away from the day is the kindness and encouragement from the mentors and industry professionals, which made the experience even more inspiring.”

Darren Raven, Senior Lecturer at Manchester School of Art, said:

“I’m so glad my students can take part in co-curricular experiences like Two+Two. Events like this give students the chance to collaborate across disciplines, respond to live briefs, and gain insight through direct engagement with creative professionals. All the MA Graphic Design and Art Direction students who attended spoke positively about the experience and what they gained from it. A huge thank you to Two+Two, Creative Resource, the mentors, and everyone involved in making the event possible. I’m so happy for Wania!”

Now in its ninth year, Two+Two has become a well known industry event for emerging creative talent, with many former participants going on to work across agencies and brands in the North and beyond. 

Photo caption: The winning team (Sam Blackham, Amber Williams, Andrea Molina, Wania Suhail) with their industry mentors Karl Sanderson of Vivid and Jen Jones of DS Emotion