The design exhibition, hosted at the University of Bedfordshire's Art and Design building in Guildford Street, Luton, showcased first-year art students’ designs, where guests were invited to preview the works before the winners were announced on the night.

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender History Month takes place every year in February. It celebrates the lives and achievements of the LGBT community.

Each year a different theme and a hero is chosen along with a new badge design, intended to help raise awareness and funds for the organisation.

The chosen theme for 2015 is History, which this exhibition celebrated. The exhibition also showcased design proposals and winning badges from previous years. 

2014's winning badge was designed by Chloe Saddler, the theme was Music and the hero of her design was Benjamin Britten.

The winner of 2013's badge design was Monika Ciapala, celebrating Science with Alan Turing as its hero.

Winning the 2015 History badge project’s first prize and a £250 cheque was Bedfordshire student Maria Efremova, with a design celebrating the British Museum. Maria said: “The British Museum are big supporters and have hosted the LGBT History month event in the past.

“The Museum has also launched a same sex desire exhibition in support of telling the history of homosexuality without censorship. I was also inspired by the Greek revival architecture of the museum because ancient Greece was commonly known for its same sex relationships. I used the actual museum itself on the badge to symbolise all these things.”

Maria added: “I absolutely loved doing the LGBT live brief. It has taught me so much about designing for clients and sticking to a brief.”

Second Prize was awarded to Calum Lee Hee Shiong for a design which emulated broken Grecian pottery.

Third Prize was awarded to Emma Goodman for a proposal depicting an open book, representing knowledge, education and a rewriting of the history books to include LGBT heroes that perhaps were not given the credit they deserved in their lifetimes.

Tony Fenwick, co-chair of LGBT History Month also attended the exhibition and said: “This years’ designs were better than ever and we were blown away at the research the students did, as well as the quality of the final designs.”

Rebecca Ford, a lecturer in Advertising and Branding at Bedfordshire said: “The Art and Design Department has been working with LGBT History on this project for the past three years and it progressing really well - we’re eager for the collaboration to continue”

Rebecca added: “The badge project is a great opportunity for our first year students. It not only brings an additional element of professionalism to the curriculum, but also vital commercial experience as students have an opportunity to meet with, take a brief from then pitch their work to a client.

“As tutors we really encourage students to consider the production of their design, looking into suppliers, materials and costs which really makes them think about the reality of their proposals.”

For more information about this and other projects currently led by the Department of Art and Design at Bedfordshire visit: We Create Together With thanks to Rebecca Ford in preparing this story.