Edinburgh student’s headphone designs snapped up

Emil Bloom will see his designs stocked by retail giants such as PC World. Picture: Toby Williams

The work of an Edinburgh College student is set to take off after it was snapped up by the cutting-edge design collective which makes accessories for R&B star Tinchy Stryder, right.

Emil Bloom, 21, said he was “overwhelmed” after Goji announced it would put his range of headphone, stylus pen and tablet case designs into permanent production and sell them through some of the UK’s best-known high street names.

Thanks to a successful viral ad campaign, the sleek models are already doing brisk trade through the collective’s website, where they are promoted under the student’s own Goji Gorilla Movement sub-brand.

But sales are poised to go through the roof now that retail giants including Currys, PC World and Dixons are stocking them.

Emil – originally from Latvia and now in the second year of an HND in visual communication – first submitted his designs to Goji as part of the YCN student awards competition, which showcases the world’s best  student graphic design work. In search of a unique look for the launch of its new accessories range, Goji leaders were so impressed with Emil’s designs they decided to put them into production immediately.

The student said: “I’m really passionate about graphic design and I eventually plan to find a small creative agency to work as part of a team and put my stamp on similar creative campaigns in the future.”

His designs are not just intended to be aesthetically pleasing.

“It was about making Goji accessible and more fun – gathering people together and helping them express themselves. It’s almost like a cultural thing that people get together because of these products – it’s basically a lifestyle, a way of  living and being yourself.”

Retail bosses have been quick to hail the stand-out quality of the designs.

Sakina Kara, exclusive brands marketing manager at Dixons, said: “Emil is quite a character who truly embodies the brand he has created.

“With over 100,000 views on the viral campaign alone and sales exceeding expectation, the Goji Gorilla Movement has been an instant hit.”

Emil’s teachers at Edinburgh College said they were “incredibly proud”. Lecturer Helena Good said: “Emil competed against hundreds of students from across the globe at the YCN Student Awards, many of them in their final-year stages of design courses at university, and not only managed to win a commendation prize but also had his ideas and designs put into production by the brand.”

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Emil bloomed due to social media

Emil Bloom’s range of accessories are on sale in high street stores across the UK after proving a viral hit.

Marketing and public relations now make major use of social media, with a wide range of tools such as viral campaigns, Twitter, Facebook, apps and instant messaging all playing a vital role in promoting new ideas.

The viral campaign for Emil’s Goji Gorilla Movement range attracted over 100,000 views.

He said: “My inspiration came to me after a lot of brand research and sketching and the movement aspect of it makes it more fun, dynamic and social, so people get interested in it. My main goal was to create something that would appeal to a younger audience.”