GRAPHIC design students from Tavistock College have been adapting their classroom skills to fulfil a design brief set by UK surf magazine Wavelength.

The year ten students analysed existing trends within back issues of the magazine and took note of the key signature styles and formats. The group then developed their skills using Photoshop and Illustrator to create their own version of the magazine's next front cover. These were then sent to the chief editor of Wavelength Greg Martin, who with the help of his team, judged the students' efforts.

Mr Martin gave brilliant feedback for all the entries and chose Tara Twine as the winner. Mr Martin said: 'I just really like the simplicity of this one. The cover lines are straightforward, yet informative, so I think people would actually want to pick this cover up. The shot is a great one and what I like most is that Tara has resisted putting the surfer right in the middle, which would have ruined this cover. Instead, we have good composition and the side of the wave that the surfer has travelled from, so we have a story in the shot. The two cover lines then balance this perfectly.'

Tara's teacher and head of design and technology Pete Keegan said: 'Tara did a great job here, she really applied her graphic design skills and her interest in surfing seemed to give her a great awareness of the cover's composition. '

Tara, who won a year's subscription to Wavelength Magazine, said: 'It's really cool. It was a really fun task to do and it's a bonus to get a year's subscription to one of my favourite mags from it.'