Coleg Glan Hafren students to pitch drink to Coca Cola

Design students at Coleg Glan Hafren have won the chance to pitch their idea for a non-alcoholic drink to beverage giant Coca Cola.

Six teams of students were tasked with designing, branding and producing a marketing plan for their product at the college’s sixth annual Business Dynamics event – called Creative Juices.

The event was set up in 2004 for Coleg Glan Hafren’s Level 2 and 3 Interactive Media and 3D Design students to showcase their skills. Under deadline, they had to produce a prototype of the bottle or container, a three-dimensional point of sale, and a flyer as well as other promotional materials.

Dan Perkins, the Coleg Glan Hafren design lecturer who co-ordinated the event, said: "The competition hosted nearly 100 students this year, including entrants from Llanedeyrn High School, which is an excellent result and a good exercise in collaboration with schools. The school pupils made a great effort to turn around their ideas in a short space of time and our design students put in tonnes of effort in producing well-thought out and innovative concepts.

"It is important that pupils get to take part in activities like this so they can sample life at Coleg Glan Hafren and the inspiring projects we take on within the design department."

Judges from the college, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, and Business Dynamics, the enterprise charity, picked Nicholas Leonard, 17, Joshua Matthews, 16, Daniel Hatch, 18, and Alexander Price, 17, for their ‘londie’ drink, and the winners will join two runners-up to pitch their idea to Coca Cola.

According to a Coleg Glan Hafren spokesman, "judges ruled that ‘Ionide’s’ concept had strong graphics with an effective corporate identity. The team’s presentation was supported with detailed computer visuals and they clinched first place through the quality of their marketing strategy, which put them a cut above the competition. The drink was aimed at young adults and appeared to have the important visual factors to satisfy those consumers".