DESIGN students have produced festive designs with a modern twist in a project to test their new-found skills.

First year National Diploma art and design students at Darlington College were asked to conjure up images that took a contemporary slant on a traditional festival.

Their efforts were judged by Joanne Ransley, manager of the new Starbucks cafe in Darlington. Lee Waite, 18, of Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, won the contest with a design that used traditional pencil work which was then scanned into a computer and manipulated. Runner-up was Ross Dixon, 17, of Newton Aycliffe.