Collins Debden and Communication Design at The Glasgow School of Art are proud to unveil a new collaboration - the launch of The Collins Debden Graduate Award - a prestigious design award that will see a Communication Design student’s designs featured in Collins’ diary and stationery collection.

The winner, Katie Smith, was be presented with the first annual Collins Debden Graduate Award at the School’s Degree Show in June and will go on to work with the Collins’ design team to apply their designs to diaries, notebooks and other stationery products.

In a show of appreciation for the rich history and prestigious legacy of both institutions, the winning design will highlight the unique cultural significance of Glasgow, where both Collins and GSA were founded in the early 19th Century. The inaugural winner of this award is Communication Design student Katie Smith, whose work was inspired by the iconic Glasgow Art Deco restaurant Rogano and her family tradition of Christmas Eve visits there for lobster and champagne. In the work she imagines her sister and herself through the ages, each decade beautifully depicted in a separate course. 

“Just as William Collins was given an opportunity in Glasgow 200 years ago, Collins is now giving opportunities to young people in the city to make their mark by having their designs featured in Collins’ famous collection” explains Richard Sloan, Collins’ Marketing Manager

“For several years, Collins has been championing young designers in Glasgow, but this feels like the culmination of that. To formally work with such an historic and prestigious institution as The Glasgow School of Art really feels like a great fit for Collins, and it will be so exciting to see Katie’s designs come to life in our 2025 Collection next year.”

Undergraduate Programme Leader of Communication Design at The Glasgow School of Art, Steve Rigley said “We are absolutely thrilled for Katie. Her winning submission is informed by extensive research into the history of the Rogano, a Glasgow institution, and by the elegance of 1930’s era fashions. Her final book has been bound by another Communication Design graduate, Glasgow Bookbinder Gillian Stewart, and so the whole award-winning project offers a testament to the excellence and innovative spirit of our students and graduates.”

Collins products are sold globally from the UK to the USA, Middle East, Singapore, and Australia, offering exciting opportunities for exposure and invaluable real-life experience for the winning artists.