A unique creative partnership between The Glasgow School of Art (the GSA) and Shelter Scotland was officially launched yesterday to mark the charity’s 50th anniversary in Scotland.

Young designers from the GSA have designed a logo for the housing and homelessness charity’s 50th year, which will be used to brand a 12-month series of events and activities starting next month.

As the anniversary year is not something that Shelter Scotland is treating as any cause for celebration, the students were given the challenging brief to think boldly and help the charity to reconnect the Scottish public with its campaigning heritage and driving mission of a home for everyone, thinking about the past, present and future of Shelter’s work in Scotland.

The logo was chosen after 60 third-year Communication Design students submitted concepts for an internal competition which was judged by their tutors and members of Shelter Scotland. The winning logo design was created by Sophie Rowan (21, from Motherwell) and Emily Wang (21, from Hong Kong). The project was directed by Communication Design alumna, Maeve Redmond.

The students also took part in competitions to design striking art installations for two of the charity’s shop windows in Glasgow and Edinburgh plus a display to be used in the windows of the rest of its 37 shops across Scotland. Seven Communication Design Photography students are also working on new photography based on Nick Hedge’s landmark work for Shelter in 1969-72 (which depicted slum housing conditions in Scotland’s cities). The new photography project will be launched at an exhibition later in the anniversary year.

Along with the winning designers, the logo was unveiled by Professor Tom Inns, director of The Glasgow School of Art and Shelter Scotland’s head of communications and policy, Adam Lang.

Professor Tom Inns said: “The Glasgow School of Art is delighted to have had the opportunity to partner with Shelter Scotland on this project for their 50th anniversary.

“Working on the project has been an important opportunity for our students. Not only did it offer the chance to learn more about how to apply their creativity to a live brief, but it was for an organisation whose work they particularly admire. We look forward to seeing all the different outcomes of the collaboration.”

Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “We are delighted that The Glasgow School of Art has partnered with us for our 50th anniversary. The level of creative thinking and realisation shown by the young designers has been outstanding and the logo is a strong and bold image which we will be proud to carry for the next 12 months of activities.

“I thank all the young designers who have taken part along with the staff at Glasgow School of Art and wish them all the best for the future.”