This great article from .net magazine really sums it up well. Most designers do not have a tap which they can turn on to get the ideas flowing. More realistic is the notion that it simply takes time, work and an effective approach.
That's what we are currently teaching you, an effective approach (research, development etc.).
Read the article here:
http://www.netmag.co.uk/zine/discover-culture/beat-the-creative-block
Monday, 4 May 2009
Why should I do Key Skills?
Why does it matter whether I can spell? It won't matter in my road painting job...
Spelling, grammar, addition, subtraction... you'll be amazed at which jobs it's important for.
Spelling, grammar, addition, subtraction... you'll be amazed at which jobs it's important for.
Friday, 1 May 2009
What future employers will want from you...
I have just got back from a meeting with the Director of a Leicestershire based design studio. I was discussing what they look for in a graduate/potential employee. In a nutshell the priorities are:
1. Speed – must work quickly (e.g. 12 highly finished logo options for a client in 1 working day).
2. Know the software (really know it, so they can work quickly)
3. Creativity
I asked how closely these ranked. The answer was very close. They are ALL important.
To paraphrase the Director’s own words: if you don’t eat, drink and breathe design, then the job isn’t for you.
How do we know you eat, drink and breathe design? Because you dedicate most of your time to it. It is more important to you than TV, video games, and generally hanging around. You get home from college and boot-up the computer to carry on working with Photoshop and Illustrator and those other programs, until you are an expert at using them.
From the Director’s point of view new recruits need to hit the ground running and be generating a profit within their first few weeks.
And that’s reality.
This is pertinent to all students. To HND students because they will be next into industry. To Intro, First and National students because now is the time to be learning the software in your own time so you are an expert (that's what I did).
Do you have what it takes?
Failure won't be because you lack talent, but because you won't pay the price to be good enough.
What is the price?
The price is your own time. Lots and lots of your own time.
One more lesson to learn from Ivan Chermayeff, the secret to success as a designer is to find your work more fun than fun.
If design is in your blood, you will be doing it constantly, you will eat it, drink it and breathe it, you will enjoy doing it, and won't ever have to be told or reminded to do it.
1. Speed – must work quickly (e.g. 12 highly finished logo options for a client in 1 working day).
2. Know the software (really know it, so they can work quickly)
3. Creativity
I asked how closely these ranked. The answer was very close. They are ALL important.
To paraphrase the Director’s own words: if you don’t eat, drink and breathe design, then the job isn’t for you.
How do we know you eat, drink and breathe design? Because you dedicate most of your time to it. It is more important to you than TV, video games, and generally hanging around. You get home from college and boot-up the computer to carry on working with Photoshop and Illustrator and those other programs, until you are an expert at using them.
From the Director’s point of view new recruits need to hit the ground running and be generating a profit within their first few weeks.
And that’s reality.
This is pertinent to all students. To HND students because they will be next into industry. To Intro, First and National students because now is the time to be learning the software in your own time so you are an expert (that's what I did).
Do you have what it takes?
Failure won't be because you lack talent, but because you won't pay the price to be good enough.
What is the price?
The price is your own time. Lots and lots of your own time.
One more lesson to learn from Ivan Chermayeff, the secret to success as a designer is to find your work more fun than fun.
If design is in your blood, you will be doing it constantly, you will eat it, drink it and breathe it, you will enjoy doing it, and won't ever have to be told or reminded to do it.
Saturday, 4 April 2009
Learning from the Game, Film and Media experts
I decided to take some extra time to just browse around the BAFTA website and stumbled across this beauty of a web page.
The BAFTA site has learning materials online, in both video and audio.
Video: http://www.bafta.org/learning/webcasts/
Audio: http://www.bafta.org/learning/bafta-archive-audio,676,BA.html
This is a great opportunity to hear it from the pros and maybe get your head round some of the debates.
The BAFTA site has learning materials online, in both video and audio.
Video: http://www.bafta.org/learning/webcasts/
Audio: http://www.bafta.org/learning/bafta-archive-audio,676,BA.html
This is a great opportunity to hear it from the pros and maybe get your head round some of the debates.
Friday, 13 March 2009
Advertising Inspiration - Public Service Messages
The world of commerce and sales has for a long time grasped hold of the benefits of advertising. Even as far back as the 1800's when Barratt of Pear's Soap used very pioneering techniques to promote their product (including stamping "Pear's" onto a load of French coins that were often accepted as currency in the UK). Nowadays innovation comes in how we use the technology available to us and our ability to make the viewer want to "pass it on" with viral ads.
In spite of all that however, some of the best advertising I have ever seen is not about making sales at all, but simply communicating information - in my opinion visual communication in its prime - getting an audience to understand a concept quickly. Enter the public service advert.
Two great sources of public service advertising that you can use for inspiration are:
The Ad Council (http://www.adcouncil.org/)
And
The Foundation for a Better Life (http://www.values.com/)
And for my Y1 Nat Dips...
The current home page of the The Foundation for a Better Life (http://www.values.com/) features an ad that draws influence from the style of Saul Bass (view), you might want to add that to your 20th Century research. Here is an example of modern advertising drawing from his style.
More information about Saul Bass here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Bass
http://www.designmuseum.org/design/saul-bass
http://saulbass.tv/
http://www.google.com/search?q=Saul+Bass
In spite of all that however, some of the best advertising I have ever seen is not about making sales at all, but simply communicating information - in my opinion visual communication in its prime - getting an audience to understand a concept quickly. Enter the public service advert.
Two great sources of public service advertising that you can use for inspiration are:
The Ad Council (http://www.adcouncil.org/)
And
The Foundation for a Better Life (http://www.values.com/)
And for my Y1 Nat Dips...
The current home page of the The Foundation for a Better Life (http://www.values.com/) features an ad that draws influence from the style of Saul Bass (view), you might want to add that to your 20th Century research. Here is an example of modern advertising drawing from his style.
More information about Saul Bass here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Bass
http://www.designmuseum.org/design/saul-bass
http://saulbass.tv/
http://www.google.com/search?q=Saul+Bass
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Video Games Baftas (the Bavgas actually)... And the winner is...
You have probably heard of the Baftas, you know, the UK equivalent to the Oscars. Well you might not know that there is also one for the video game industry.
It all happened on Tuesday just gone. No suprises that COD4 was the big winner with 3 of the prizes, but it was Mario Galaxy that won Game of the Year.
With so many of you into gaming and wanting to study it in the future, you should take an interest.
More info here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_7936000/7936614.stm
Visit the official site here:
http://www.bafta.org/awards/video-games/
It all happened on Tuesday just gone. No suprises that COD4 was the big winner with 3 of the prizes, but it was Mario Galaxy that won Game of the Year.
With so many of you into gaming and wanting to study it in the future, you should take an interest.
More info here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_7936000/7936614.stm
Visit the official site here:
http://www.bafta.org/awards/video-games/
Friday, 6 March 2009
Carrara 6 Pro - Free with DigitalArts Magazine
For those of you interested in 3D modelling and animation I have to recommend that you buy the April 2009 edition of DigitalArts magazine (came by mail today - expect in WHSmiths very soon I expect).
The free software in this edition is none other than Carrara 6 Pro, an extrememly powerful and versatile 3D modeller and animator. Other people have written far more detailed reviews than I ever will, but to sum up the changes:
Apart from the non-linear animating and the hair, the icing on the cake was that it can export in DirectX (.X) format, and converts procedural shaders into raster images on export. Finally, I can use a program I am extremely familiar with to make models for 3D games and export them directly without having to convert them using other programs (at least that is the implication with .X export - I will of course try it out with my copy of The 3D Game Maker, and FPS Creator (also available free for learning purposes).Carrara 6 allows users to choose from an unprecedented array of tools while exploring new dimensions in 3D creation. Carrara 6 provides 3D figure posing and
animation, modelling, environment-creation and rendering tools within a single
application.
Carrara 6 features include non-linear animation, giving users the ability to create clips of animation that can be reused and combined on multiple tracks. Also includeds is dynamic hair that allows artists to style, cut, brush and drape the hair, and displacement modeling where the user can paint detail on a model using free-form brush tools.
Ever since version 1 I have found Carrara to be one of the most easily learned 3D animation and modelling programs. Even so beginners may be glad of a little help in which case they will find Mark Bremmer's video tutorials helpful to get started.
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