D&AD Blog Article

Best New Blood 09: Eleanor Stewart

(Click here to view article on the D&AD Blog)

Last year Eleanor Stewart graduated from Glasgow School of Art with a degree in Visual Communication, showcasing her work at D&AD New Blood.

Best New Blood 09: Eleanor Stewart

(Click here to view article on the D&AD Blog)

Last year Eleanor Stewart graduated from Glasgow School of Art with a degree in Visual Communication, showcasing her work at D&AD New Blood.

“It was a crazy rush to get everything ready in time, a bit like my degree show take two. Upon finishing our display, people were free to come into the space and see the work. It was really interesting to see work from other colleges and art schools. Walking round the stands looking at other graduates work felt a bit like the first day of school, when everyone is stealthily checking out each others new haircuts and pencil cases.”Stewart admits there is pressure to land a dream job straight from university, but believes this is an unrealistic expectation.

“It is sold to you as the ultimate achievement. Not just at art school but in every design magazine you read and every blog you peruse. I used to think the most important thing was landing the dream job straight out of art school and if I had been offered a job, I, like most people, would have grabbed it and skipped off into the sunset,” says Stewart.

“Needless to say I wasn’t deluged with job offers. However, I was lucky enough to get some work experience and some opportunities to show my work which have been great and have led to paid work.”

Upon graduating, Stewart’s first placement was at creative, advertising agency, Wieden + Kennedy.

“Going to London was daunting as I didn’t really know anyone and I’d never lived away from home before. I arrived at Wieden + Kennedy wide-eyed and somewhat terrified. The first morning I just sat at my desk thinking ‘What the hell am I doing here?,’ says Stewart.

“I soon plucked up the courage to start talking to people and realised my fears were laughable. The people there were great and many went out of their way to make me feel welcome, offering help and advice. I gained valuable experience, was put on live briefs, sat in on client meetings and worked side by side with other creatives. It was challenging but also a lot of fun.”

Following her placement at Wieden + Kennedy, Stewart interned at tigerprint, a design studio within Hallmark, which designs exclusively for Marks & Spencers.

“They saw my work at New Blood and invited me along to their studio in Bradford for an interview and then for a two week placement. They have a pretty unique set up where they provide free accommodation to all their placements in the form of a cottage. While I was there I created a short stop motion animation to be used as an e-card.”

As a result of New Blood, Stewart was asked to appear in the New Graduates Exhibition at the Affordable Art Fair in London. This afforded Stewart a chance to display her sculptural and animation work alongside other fine artists.

In addition, Stewart’s work featured on numerous design blogs including FormFiftyFive, Drawn!, CR Blog, The Herald, The Atlantic Daily Dish and The Shanghai Morning Post.

“There is still so much I have to learn, most of it will only come with experience. For example, I’ve just completed my first paid animation commission. Boy, have I learned a lot. Pitching ideas, working with clients, working with client feedback, contracts, the list goes on,” says Stewart.

“I have been fortunate to have worked on a number of great projects. The most recent and most enjoyable being some animations I created for the Calgary Stampede, a rodeo in Canada. For this I created three short animations (pictured) to be sent as animated invites to people who had booked premium seating for the rodeo and evening shows.”

Stewart admits that a small part of her remains anxious about her future but insists that it is this very anxiety that keeps graduates on their toes and pushing on.

“I’m about to start another animation and some fellow graduates and myself have just formed an art collective called I Am Together. I’m excited about the future, learning new things, seeing new places. Whatever comes around the corner.”