llustration student wins prestigious early creative career award
Date: Monday, September 15, 2025
A Wrexham University School of Art student has been awarded a prestigious early creative career award for her striking vinyl artwork sleeve, created as part of War Child presents Secret 7”.
Ruth Toner, who completed her Illustration degree back in May, won a D&AD New Blood Award, which recognises advertising, design, digital and marketing students, recent graduates and emerging creatives from across the globe.
The 22-year-old from Chester was awarded for her design for ‘Warsong’ by The Cure, which captures the haunting themes of the song, which explores the notion of endless, doomed conflict.
Translating the idea into a powerful visual, Ruth drew her inspiration from the natural phenomenon known as an ant mill or death spiral, where ants get trapped because the same pheromones they rely on to navigate sometimes trap them into running in a circle, often until they die of exhaustion.
Ruth's vinyl sleeve design
Ruth designed the vinyl sleeve artwork through the War Child presents Secret 7” initiative, which brings together seven iconic tracks from seven of the world’s top musicians, each pressed just 100 times onto a 7” vinyl.
Artists and creatives from around the world are invited to reinterpret these tracks, producing 700 one-of-a-kind sleeve designs. All 700 sleeves are showcased at a free exhibition before being auctioned off in support of War Child.
Speaking about her award-winning design, Ruth said: “It’s a real honour to have won a prestigious D&AD New Blood Award and have my work recognised and deemed to be worthy by some of the industry’s most esteemed creatives.
“This piece of art is about the cycles of conflict that feel inescapable, which I felt the ant mill became a perfect metaphor for – something visually striking but also connected to the themes of futility and mortality that run through ‘Warsong’.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my incredible lecturers for their fantastic support and for pushing me to enter the D&AD Awards, something that felt terrifying when first mentioned but now I’m a winner, feels completely amazing.”
Adele Harker, Lecturer in Illustration at Wrexham University School of Art, added: “A huge congratulations to Ruth on winning a highly prestigious D&AD Award – this level of recognition is a truly fantastic achievement.
"At Wrexham University School of Art, we’re fortunate each year to support and encourage talented artists as they grow in their creative journeys. Ruth has shown great creativity and dedication on her journey, and we look forward to seeing what she goes on to achieve next.”
- There is still time to apply for our Art and Design degrees – starting later this month – at Wrexham University. More information about our degrees here.
- You can keep up-to-date on Ruth’s works via her Instagram account: @ruthtonerart.
