Art & Design students at Selby College have teamed up with The Escapologist to help promote the reopening of its escape rooms and venues, following lockdown.

Year 1 Higher National Diploma (HND) Art & Design students have been given a project by The Escapologist UK to create graphics, photography and fine art to promote its escape rooms in Selby, Castleford, Leeds and its brand-new venue in Manchester.

As part of the brief, the students have been presenting their ideas through formal presentations to the owner of The Escapologist at the College. This includes potential new themes and games for its range of escape rooms, as well as graphic designs and photography to advertise its bars and restaurants.

“We were really eager to create a big campaign and buzz surrounding the reopening of our escape rooms once Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. To do this, we wanted to bring the themes and visual elements of both our escape rooms and bars and restaurants to life through high-quality graphic designs and photography,” said Oliver McClaren, Director and Owner of The Escapologist. “This was a great way to get the local College and young and aspiring artists involved in the process. I’ve been really impressed by their ideas and presentation skills so far and look forward to seeing their final work.”

For its brand-new escape rooms at the Arndale Shopping Centre in Manchester, one student has pitched the idea of a comic themed booked room and another is creating designs based on the Netflix series Stranger Things. A Fine Art student is also producing print pieces linked to ideas of themed rooms for its venue at the White Rose Shopping Centre in Leeds, which will be exhibited there.

HND Art & Design student, Jared Robinson: “From hearing about the background of the business to working with them on designing their extraordinary escape rooms, it has been really fascinating to work alongside a creative business like The Escapologist. Being able to work with clients on projects this early on in my degree has been really insightful and has provided me with invaluable experience.”

As part of the project, the students are exploring a range of Art & Design practices including photography, graphic design and fine art, as well as enhancing imagery through the use of Photoshop.

Elaine Whitehead, Art & Design Lecturer at Selby College, said: “The students were given a brief by The Escapologist to create visual materials to help elevate the reopening of its escape rooms. This is a fantastic opportunity for them as it gives them the chance to not only explore different ideas and exercise their creativity, but how to present their ideas professionally to a client and to meet a client brief – which is invaluable experience for any emerging artist.”

The Higher National Certificate (HNC)/ Higher National Diploma (HND) in Art & Design programme at Selby College has a strong emphasis on the development of both individual creative practice and an understanding of professional and employment-focused skills, while providing students with a higher level of contextual awareness of art and design practices.

The Escapologist will reopen its venues on Monday, 17^th May, 2021.

To find out more about the course, please visit: https://www.selby.ac.uk/subjects/art-design

To find out more about The Escapologist, please visit: https://the-escapologist.com/