Monday, 11 March 2013

The Democratic Lecture - Craig Oldham



Who the hell am I?
Worked at Chase in Manchester
Now at Music 

What the hell is this?
Not your usual lecture
Not ego masterbating

·      A and B: the two kinds of designer
·      Brand spanking
·      A portfolio is for life, not just an interview
·      Please don't be a twat, get a placement
·      Design is not a job

A AND B

What is graphic design?
Term graphic is now redundant
What we see it as
LOGICAL & EMOTIONAL

LOGICAL - A
Form follows function
Swiss
Modernist
Rational
Precise 
Clear
Appeals to the brain

EMOTIONAL - B
The big idea
Use anything
Stems from advertising 
Appeals to the heart

Just different approaches 

One will appeal more than the other to you as a designer
Some overlap
Decide which one to be?
What you want to do
What you think you're good at
'Not a job it's a lifestyle'

BRAND SPANKING

It's ubiquitous
And bullshit
Corporation is different to branding
Branding is a catch-all term used by people who don't understand it
Not just logotype stuck on everything
'Brand expression' 
Context:
Have to understand before you can do anything
The deeper you dig he higher you rise
Have to be more open, ignore style, trends and fashions
Solve problem
Find unique angle

PORTFOLIO

most subjective piece of work you will ever design
'Credentials'
Opinions vary
Design it so you are happy with it
Simple 
Don't over work it
Visuals are the most important
Visual prompts for yourself
Showing off
Be (really) objective
Edit it rationally
-What is it
-What do I want people to know
-How do you show it to them
Let it answer itself
Talk about the cherries on the top
Anticipate questions
Don't hold posters in front of you
Don't stationary stack/build
Styles and fashions will hurt
Regurgitation doesn't help, be true to the work

Design graduates are...ill-equipped
Placement are becoming ever more important as a bridge between college and consultancy

15,500+ will be going for the same job you are
Creative review 2005

Placements, why?
Agency insight
New expectations
Real work
Hone all of your skills
Build bridges and meet some interesting folk
Put you head of the competition
Improve your tea making
Reassure you of your ability
Make you more confident

Placements, why not?
Make a loss money-wise
Away for a period of time, more often than not, alone
Taken advantage of - don't let people take the piss

(don't put irrelevant shit on your CV)
All about the EXPERIENCE
TEA is a way in
GET A PLACEMENT - exploit that time - do EVERYTHING
ALL THE TIME, SUMMER, EASTER, CHRISTMAS

Getting one:
Have a hit-list - aim for the one you really want, worst that can happen is they say no
Research everything - website, Internet, be interested
Talk to people who have been through the experience - the shit that no one tells you

What to do when you're there?
Be punctual
A little enthusiasm goes a long way
BE YOURSELF
Spell their fucking name right
Visuals before a call - send them something - print and/or email
You'll end up doing anything and everything

DESIGN IS NOT A JOB

20% of entire day is spent designing
DESIGN IS ABOUT PEOPLE
People work for people who talk to fucking loads of people
Contacts

Your personality and the ability to make relationships work is a massive factor in your employability
Portfolio is only a way in

DESIGN IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

Have to be comfortable with what you're doing
If not, there isn't much point
Can do anything if you want to
Don't put pubes in your portfolio
Be enthusiastic 
Be on it
Photo quality needs to be high
Don't present huge portfolios 
If you're producing work you don't like produce an alternative option and present with logical argument


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