How did ‘Just Us’ come about? ‘Just Us’ came about after much discussion of how we (Mark Grant, Simon Zinn and William Hibberd) could get something more from our university experience and expose ourselves alongside other creatives in the same way as big universities like UCL and Brighton. Whilst studying at Plymouth College of Art we saw the talents of previous years’ students go to waste due to small graduate shows and its location away from the big cities. We also saw a gap in communication between students at different institutions and decided to do something about it.
graphic designers and illustrators has made it difficult for individuals to shine through. The lack of jobs is also a big hurdle. Most of all, we believe to be successful you have to be confident in yourself, work hard, network and get known. How does ‘Just Us’ help its members’ work evolve?
for young graphic designers/illustrators to overcome on their way to become professionals?
There are different levels to answer this question: The first is the opportunity for members to showcase their work as part of a group, boosting recognition and allowing them to collaborate and network with other students. Last year we held an exhibition at London’s KK Outlet and had a whole month of desktop wallpapers with L.A.-based blog Kitsune Noir, which features in bloh such as It’s Nice That, Creative Review and Boooooom! The second is being able to see what students from other universities are doing and the standards set by different arts institutes across the UK. The third is about talking to other people about the collective and showing them what it’s all about; 40 members each telling 10 people means 400 more people get to see your work!
Firstly, the rise in the amount of graduate
From your own experience, in what way
Why (the name) ‘Just Us’? The name came up when we were first talking about the project; we kept saying, ‘It’s not just us in this situation’, and when we thought about it more, the name seemed ironic and plays on our feelings at the time.
22 What do you think is the biggest obstacle
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