Griffith UniversityalumnusHannah Bryce has been named Queensland Visual Communication Graduate of the Year by the Design Institute of Australia(DIA).
The Queensland College of Art (QCA) design graduate won the visual communications category. Fellow QCA design graduate Cory Lo was named runner-up. This marks the second year in a row thatQCA graduates have beenrecognisedas the bestdesign talentin the state.
Industry recognition
Hannah’s innovative final year projects were applauded by the industry judging panel and included a journaling app for empty nesters, an AR-enabled animated book exploring fake news and a typography book celebrating talented First Nations teens. 
Shesaid she wasdelighted to behonouredby the DIA.
“It feels amazing to be the Queensland visual communication design graduate of the year,” she said.
“As a designer,this isthe first time I’ve beenrecognisedby the industryand it was great to get that validation.
“All oftheworkI submittedwas from my final year at QCAanddrew on my own experiences.
“The beauty of studying design at QCA was that we had the freedom to make some pretty awesome personal projects.”
Pushing the boundaries of design
Hannah, who was snapped up by a local creative agency after graduating from the QCA, said emerging designers were pushing the boundaries with augmented reality, 3D and user experience design.
“Iseea lot ofyoung designers expanding into new spaces, which is really exciting,” she said.
“Creativity is a way of life for me and it’sgreat to explore the different ways you canbring togetherdesignand technology.”
Both Hannah and Coryparticipated in theQCA’s work integrateddesign studio,Liveworm.
HannahsaidLivewormprovidedastepping-stone between university andlife in the design industry.
“It gave us real-time feedback from designersand we got experience at pitching our concepts to clientsand then seeing them out in the world, which is really similar to a creative studio,” Hannah said.
“Atuni, Ijust tried to do absolutely everything I could.I got amazingopportunities- I did the Hackathon, Adobe jams andgot the opportunity to designthe Griffith diary one year.”
Creating design leaders
Creative Director of Liveworm Dr David Sargent said Hannah and Cory were standout students and future design leaders.
“Theyare smart and switched onwith a great work ethic,” he said.
“Both Hannah and Cory are passionate about the possibilities of design and producing really interesting work.
“These awards are about findingthe people who are going to be the future leaders in the design field.
“A lot of our graduates are now working in industries that didn’t exist when they started their degree.
“To berecognisedas one of the best emerging designers in Australia is pretty exciting.”
World-class design destination
QCADirector ProfessorElisabeth Findlaysaid theDIAhonoursreflected the highcalibreof teaching and learning in the Bachelor of Design program.
“We are thrilled that our graduates have beenrecognisedas among the best in Australia,”she said.
“Our Design students are mentored by faculty members who are academic scholars and industry leaders. They also enjoy outstanding opportunities at our world-class studios at South Bank and the Gold Coast.”
The DIA Graduate of the Year Awards (GOTYA) is a portfolio-based program that rewards the highest standards of excellence in final year or recent design graduates.
The Queensland finalists will be in the running for the national awards, held in late October.
Find out more about Design at the Queensland College of Art.