Cover story!

"A picture tells a thousand words", or so the saying goes. Images have the power to inspire, thrill and sadden; they can convey thoughts which words alone cannot do justice to; think of iconic images of our time, such as images sent back from Lunar Missions, or of the American flag raised over the rubble of the World Trade centre by three fire fighters on September 11th. Equally, they can inspire and motivate and therefore images are vitally important in a marketing context. In light of this, students at Nelson & Colne College were pleased to be given the chance to participate in a photography competition, where their image would be used on the front cover of a marketing catalogue!

The company who proposed the photography competition, TeacherBoards, is one of the leading suppliers of writing and display boards to the educational market in the UK. The companyʼs main marketing tools is their annual Product Catalogue therefore it is vital that the cover of this catalogue is imaginative, portraying a creative image closely associated to their educational customers.

In the brief given to students, they were advised to capture an image that conveys the new face of education and the development of existing colleges with exciting new facilities. With Nelson & Colne Collegeʼs new-build nearing completion and with exciting and innovative new buildings to be used as subject matter, it was clear that students would find plenty of inspiration on campus!

The winner was Art and Design student Louise Hey. Her photograph depicted students in the design studios at the college and encapsulated the modern spirit and educational nature associated with TeacherBoards. Her prize for winning the competition was a cheque for £ 100 and of course, her photograph will appear on the cover of the next edition of the TeacherBoards Product Catalogue.

Managing Director of TeacherBoards, Scott Grant, thought that the entries were exceptional and exciting, just what they wanted to convey with their catalogue cover. Confirming that some of the other shots taken by students may be used on another catalogue which is aimed at the building trade, Mr Grant said, “TeacherBoards are delighted to continue their association with Nelson and Colne College. The students fully embraced the unique experience of working to the tight deadline of a proper commercial brief. The results have been fantastic and are a tremendous showcase of the college's talent! There can be no better evidence of this than the immediate sales impact that TeacherBoards received when the new catalogue hit the market.”