QCA student looks to creative future after Games emblem

QCA student Janet Turner is the designer of the Commonwealth Games Village Emblem.
QCA student Janet Turner is the designer of the Commonwealth Games Village Emblem.

With her honours degree in Design Futures on the cusp of completion, Queensland College of Art student Janet Turner is also celebrating the unveiling of the Games Village emblem by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

The emblem is the brainchild of Janet, from Inverell in northern NSW, who is majoring in Visual Communication at Griffith’s South Bank campus.

It was revealed to the world when the Premier officially handed the Parklands Development over to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) for its transformation into the Commonwealth Games Village.

“A very cool experience” is how Janet summed up the journey which started with an email from a tutor asking if she’d like to be involved in the creation of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Village emblem and which ended with GOLDOC chair Peter Beattie “putting me on the spot” and asking her to explain the emblem’s creation to the Premier before a very public audience.

“Its inspiration was the natural beauty of the Gold Coast,” says Janet (22) who created six unique elements representing the six residential zones of the Commonwealth Games Village which come together as one remarkable piece of work.

“The six elements had to stand up individually but also work together as one emblem,” she explained.

And clearly they do, with GOLDOC describing the emblem as ‘strong and vibrant and capturing the spirit and essence of the brand’ in its feedback to Janet on her successful creation.

Premier Palaszczuk said it “promotes a fun and relaxed environment for athletes” while Mr Beattie said it “aptly depicts the vibrancy and welcoming environment this venue will exude during Games time”.

Janet will move immediately into employment as a designer with a Brisbane-based studio following her graduation from Griffith University before the end of the year. She says her choice of degree to study was influenced by the program’s focus on how design can influence social change.

“It’s a competitive industry to get into but the degree has a focus on implementing design into any number of fields, for example education. I think it’s exciting where design could be going right now. It’s about opportunities. There are plenty out there just waiting to be created.”

The Griffith Honours College student was able to put her work on the emblem creation towards her degree as professional practice.