Warning: Graphic Content - Students Push Creative Boundaries at Middlesex University Dubai
- Sunday, 11 May 2025
Middlesex University (MDX) Dubai proudly celebrated the outstanding achievements of its third-year BA Hons Graphic Design students at their end of year show, ‘Warning: Graphic Content’.
The exhibition, held from 5-7 May 2025, welcomed friends, family and industry professionals to explore the innovative and captivating work created, marking the culmination of three years of creativity, dedication, and growth.
With 13 talented designers showcasing their final projects, each work brought something personal and meaningful, drawing inspiration from family, culture, and identity.
Among the works was ‘Rybex’, a 2D design advertising a travelling rock festival concept, created by Anastasia Gavrilova. Anastasia said: “This project explored the immigrant experience, with a focus on the idea of borders and home. The concept is about the journey of finding belonging and creating unity in a foreign land, going across the threshold of cultural divides.
“The faculty at MDX have been so helpful, giving lots of ideas, cohesive visuals and helping me find my direction”.
Anastasia recently won first place in the Dubai Lynx Student Creative Competition with her project ‘Leftover Makeover’, a campaign focusing on tackling food waste in the UAE.
Another project came from Ava Saberi, who presented ‘Nooshéjan’, an interactive, food-themed design. Ava’s work explored how food can connect people to their culture and history, especially when words fail to capture those emotions. The fully functioning prototype featured a series of nested boxes, each containing different food types, with a QR code that took visitors through a journey of memories and stories.
Ava said: “In my family, food holds everything, from love and comfort to grief and celebration. I'm Iranian and grew up between cultures, and this project became a way for me to hold onto parts of my history that were never written down, from stories lost in war, in migration or never been preserved. Somehow. food kept their stories and history alive.
“Everything is meant to be touched, opened, smelled, experienced. I used experimental typography with nostalgic Iranian aesthetics, it's designed not just to be seen but felt, emotionally and physically”.
Dimo Valev, Graphic Design Lecturer, MDX Dubai, praised the exceptional standard of work: "The group this year are incredibly united, working through intense pressure to deliver their best. They worked together as both friends and colleagues, and the event identity was created entirely by the students, showcasing their bold ideas and creative confidence.
“The diversity of visual styles and techniques on display demonstrates the breadth of creativity within the programme. Every detail was thoughtfully considered, and the exhibition is a great opportunity for the graduates to build their portfolios and set the stage for their professional careers.”
The BA Honours Graphic Design programme gives students the freedom to develop their own distinctive creative voice, the scope of work produced by current and previous students can be seen on Instagram.
Applications are now open to join the programme in September.
