A Leeds student has won a national competition to design the emblem for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
BA Graphic and Communication Design student Edward Roberts, 19, who has just completed the first year of his degree, was announced as the winner of the competition by Buckingham Palace today.
Edward created the emblem in his spare time and submitted it to the competition, which was run by Buckingham Palace and the V&A Museum in London.
Hundreds of entries
The purple and platinum design features a stylised crown that incorporates the number 70 on a circular, purple background, similar to the Royal seal. It was selected from hundreds of entries by young artists all over the country.
Edward said he was thinking of ways to recreate the continuity of the Queen’s reign and had a eureka moment.
He said: “I thought if I could create a continuous line that incorporates the key features of St Edward's crown, that would be a really good way of representing the continuing reign of the Queen.
“I wanted the design to also symbolise a royal seal and put it within a circle to give the impression of a royal wax seal. I think that's come across really effectively in the design.”
Over the moon
Edward said he was over the moon to have won – and it still hadn’t sunk in.
He said: “Art and design have always been passions of mine. From completing an A-level in art to then going on to university to study graphic design, I try to use both disciplines in my work as much as possible.
“I wasn't expecting to win the competition. When I was told I had made it into the top 100 entries, I felt that was an achievement on its own. It feels such an honour to have won it.”
Special invitation
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee will be marked with a four-day Bank Holiday weekend next June. Celebrations include a live concert outside Buckingham Palace, with some of the world’s biggest acts – and Edward will be invited to attend.
His design will feature on all the official Jubilee merchandise, including websites, posters, tea towels, mugs and more.
Paul Thompson, Vice-Chancellor of the Royal College of Art and a member of the judging panel, said: “This clean graphic design takes us on a simple line journey to create the crown and the number 70, beautifully capturing the continuous thread of Her Majesty The Queen's 70-year reign.
“Drawn on a computer, the ingenious emblem works across all scales and the flow of the line gives us a sense of a human touch behind the digital design process.”
Professor Maria Lonsdale, Head of Leeds’ School of Design, said: “We are thrilled that Edward’s beautiful, carefully designed and well thought through emblem has been chosen to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. His win is richly deserved and we are all very proud of him.”
Further information
For media enquiries email University of Leeds Press Officer Lauren Ballinger at l.ballinger@leeds.ac.uk.
Picture: Edward Roberts
Emblem design: Buckingham Palace