Back in Autumn 2025, the Arts SU ran a notebook cover design competition with UAL’s not just a shop. To ensure an equal number of opportunities for both home and international students at UAL, the competition was opened exclusively to international students from across all UAL courses.
Once selected by an Arts SU appointed panel, not just a shop assisted in developing the notebooks into fully fledged, commercial products. These notebooks are now available in-store and online, exclusively to UAL.
The two winning students were Keerthana Ambat and Petra Gana. Here we catch up with them and find out more about their process and thoughts on the experience
Congratulations on your winning designs! What prompted you to apply for the competition?
KA: I wanted to create something that captures UAL’s creativity, diversity, and spirit, and, admittedly, the idea of seeing my design in the wild on campus was too tempting to pass up.
PG: I was excited to see an opportunity specifically open to international students. Around that time, I had just completed a body of work that hadn’t been published yet, and I felt it deserved a platform. The competition felt like a meaningful chance to share and showcase something very personal and experimental in my practice.
Arts SU Notebook by Keerthana Ambat
Arts SU Notebook by Petra Gana
How would you describe your artistic style?
PG: I would describe my style as soft and warm, with a dream-like quality. I’m drawn to visuals that feel gentle, immersive, and emotionally evocative. I often explore organic forms and fluid compositions that create a sense of calm while still maintaining depth and visual interest.
KA: Structured with a twist. I love grids, repetition, and modularity, but I always sneak in quirks, surprises, and little moments of play. My work often balances sincerity with satire, inviting viewers to pause and notice hidden details rather than having everything shouted at them. I enjoy bending systems just enough to reveal individuality, layering textures, gradients, typography, and subtle motion cues to create pieces that feel alive, dynamic, and thoughtfully human.
Is this your first time designing for a specific product?
PG: Not entirely. I’ve previously designed scarves back home, which introduced me to designing for physical applications. Through this project, I realised how much potential there is in working with paper products and covers, and how design can transform everyday objects into something expressive and tactile.
How did you go about the design process for your design?
PG: My process started with photographing flowers. I then brought the images into Photoshop, where I manipulated them digitally. I explored layering, distortion, and repetition to discover patterns and abstract compositions that felt visually engaging and emotionally resonant.
KA: I built a foundation with grids and repetition, then added silhouettes, gradients, and transparency to give the piece personality. It was like designing a little UAL town and then sneaking in little characters and stories.
What did you find most exciting about the project?
PG: What excited me most was the creative freedom. The theme allowed for multiple interpretations, which made the process feel open and exploratory. It gave me the space to experiment without feeling restricted by a fixed direction, which is something I really value in creative work.
KA: Translating abstract ideas like community and individuality into something visually playful yet meaningful. It’s like giving a concept a wardrobe and watching it strut.
What did you find most challenging?
KA: Finding the sweet spot between depth and instant appeal. I wanted the design to have hidden layers, but still charm a busy student glancing at a notebook.
What was the most surprising element of the process?
PG: The most surprising part was the unpredictability of the outcome. Whenever I manipulate images digitally, I never fully know what the final result will look like. There’s a free-flowing, almost improvisational quality to the process, which keeps it exciting and allows unexpected discoveries to emerge.
KA: How tiny tweaks, a shift in opacity, a slightly larger silhouette, could change the whole feel. Sometimes design is less about big ideas and more about whispering details.
Are there any other products you would like to apply your designs to?
PG: I would love to expand my designs into gift wrapping and wallpaper. Both formats allow patterns to be experienced at different scales and contexts, transforming everyday environments and objects into something more immersive, expressive, and personal
What is your one key take away?
KA: Design can be smart and playful at the same time. If you do it right, it makes people think without giving them an instruction manual.
