Imagining anew: Visual storytelling for ethical branding and youth literacy. 

An exhibition of work by NWU Graphic Design students

This exhibition presents a selection of works by third year Graphic Design students from the North-West University, created in response to two distinct briefs: ‘Narrative Label Design: Honest Chocolate’ and ‘Narrative Children’s Picture Book Illustration’.

The final designs and process work exhibited here explore narratology, brand storytelling, and narrative illustration across a range of digital designs, hand-drawn illustrations, and augmented reality components.

Across the exhibition, students have explored different modes of storytelling, presenting existing narratives in a new, reframed and recontextualised manner. The age-old part of human nature that connects to stories is kept alive by the creative minds and contributions of these students. Exhibited works respectively reflect individual storytelling for an ethical brand, and the reimagination of global children’s stories for learning, to stimulate creativity and imagination. At the same time, the presented works form a synthesised whole through a common theme of the reimagination of cherished, fundamental narratives and values.

In this manner, the exhibition represents the humanisation of a fractured world and the intersections of identity, digital humanities, and geopolitics by representing creativity, innovation and human connection through the narration of local, ethical brand identity, and stimulating children’s education and imagination.  Rather than presenting a single interpretation of storytelling or branding, the exhibition offers a glimpse into the diverse interpretations of visual storytelling, transforming educational briefs into personal, carefully considered works of art.