This interesting article on the BBC discusses love and attraction from point of view of a vision impaired person. Really interesting considering the obsession we tend to have as a society for good looks and physical beauty.
Read on: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8069993.stm
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
We launch our YouTube Channel...
Today's top story is the launch of our own YouTube channel for art, design and interactive media work. At the moment we have just a few examples of student work online, but as you finish your 3D animation, Stop-motion or video work we will see more and more.
Take a look:
http://www.youtube.com/user/stephensoncollegeart
And in honour of the occasion, I choose to embed "A Snotty Situation" into this blog page, directly from YouTube.
Take a look:
http://www.youtube.com/user/stephensoncollegeart
And in honour of the occasion, I choose to embed "A Snotty Situation" into this blog page, directly from YouTube.
Monday, 4 May 2009
Beating Creative Block!
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
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
