Friday 1 February 2013

Personal Development III//The Democratic Lecture.




Notes from today's Democratic Lecture, as delivered by designer, Craig Oldham of Music (Manchester).

The democratic lecture promotes audience interaction, creatively allowing the audience to vote for the subject matters discussed throughout the lecture, with an overall "majority rules" result.
All opinions and notes taken are opinions of Craig Oldham alone.

A fantastic and inspiring talk, this has certainly made me consider who I want to be as a designer, and how I'm going to set about doing it.

-

NOTES

* Craig Oldham : Graduated from Falmouth in 2006. First design job was at The Chase in Manchester, now at Music.

* Themes to discuss : | A & B : The Two Kinds of Designer | Brand Spanking | Design Is Not Your Job | Please Don't Be a Twat. Get a Placement | A Portfolio is for Life, Not Just an Interview.

* What is Graphic Design? This is becoming a redundant term... designers use so many approaches to communicate it is now rarely 'Graphic'.
* Design is LOGICAL and EMOTIONAL.
* A : Logical / Rational... FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION (Appeals to Head)
* B : Emotional... THE BIG IDEA BUNCH (Appeals to Heart)
* A's Swiss/clean approach... "Enough white space to keep a Polar Bear happy".
* Think about what appeals to you, and what kind of a designer you want to be.
* This will help define which industry / studio to work for, and have the same interests in. DO WORK YOU LOVE. It's a lifestyle, not a job.

* Branding is ubiquitous (and bullshit...).
* Branding, as a term, is now used too much by people who don't know what it means.
* Understand the context of branding... what does it mean in the specific context?
* The deeper you dig, the higher you rise.

* Portfolios are SO subjective... "The monkey that sits on your back for the rest of your life..."
* If you're not happy with photos use design / art work.
* WHAT is it that you want people to know?
* Let your portfolio do the work for you. Be minimal, be clear.
* Don't design to trends, they date easily. Design for you.

* Try your hardest. Always. The industry is competitive, and as a result, you need to be too.
* Make a placement hit list. Research EVERYTHING about the company. Talk to people who have been through the same experience.

* Be punctual. Be enthusiastic. Be yourself.
* ALWAYS be honest.

* Design is not your job, only around 20% of your day. Design is about PEOPLE. WORK HARD AND RESPECT ONE ANOTHER.... THAT is your job.

No comments:

Post a Comment