Craig Oldham Lecture

Tuesday 24^th November 2009-11-22

Visiting Lecture Craig Oldham

 

“this presentation contains foul language, its blunt, honest, opinionated, spoken in Yorkshire, wandering & erm….”

 

Todays lecture was one of the most interesting lectures of my whole three years of uni. He was funny, interesting and didn’t just talk abut himself and the companies hes worked for he explained how he has got there and how to tackle life outside of the uni bubble. He spoke about there being TWO different types of designers

Bunch A= logical designers

Bunch B= emotional designers

And ive figured out I am in bunch B, putting my own feelings into my work and connecting with the work.

He showed a video of David Carson along side this to state why he was a bunch B. and I think every designer I will look at from now on I will be mentally labelling with A & B.

 

He also said to be honest, know your strengths, if you cant do something say…

“I fucking cant do grids”

“I cant do web design either”

 

He explained to us when he left uni the first 12 month he learned things that he couldn’t of at uni, because you have to live them.

 And these are:

The twelve things to learn after you leave university:::

Understand what graphic design means to you

Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses

A portfolio is for life, not just for an interview

Placements matter. Do them.

The design industry is small, everyone knows everybuggerer else

Participate with other people and share your ideas

Graphic design is just a job, but being a designer is different

Fall off your bike. If you don’t fall then you are not trying

Life and work exist outside of London

Designing is only, about 20% of your job

Have a life outside of design 

Work hard and be nice to people.

As well as talking to us about life and his work he connected to everyone in a different way, he made me relaxed with the way I develop my work and design process, he gave us a 5 stage plan of what he does when he gets a brief.

Stage 1 Research

Stage 2 Mull the research over

Stage 3 go and do something else, use your subconscious

Stage 4 wheyyy, Idea!

Stage 5 design away

 

And this is my process I go through with each and every project I get. He made me feel more confident with my work ethic. Which is such a relief …..

 

Oh before I forget he showed us this invitation he made for his friends wedding combining the names Dave and Claire to form both names in one but looking extremely elegant

I cant find a image of it but it was well designed and a brilliant idea…..