Friday 1 May 2015

No Bullsh*t: The Design Industry, Warts & All

“Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
Samuel Beckett

It was great to welcome Cheshire-based consultants, Brandon, to the studio this week. Managing Director, Richard Taylor, and Creative Director, Abi Taylor gave a superb talk entitled: No Bullsh*t: The Design Industry, Warts & All.

Not only did Richard and Abi deliver some sterling advice to our students, they did so in an honest, approachable way. It’s often a challenge to find a way through the mire of advice, tips, tricks and tasks but Brandon’s open approach really helped our students to see that the design industry is simply made up of… humans. 

Brandon perfectly echoed the nature of our educational space, supporting ideas of international travel, and seeking challenge; “It’s important that you explore the unknown: find your comfort zone, and leave it. If you get the opportunity to work abroad, you should grab it with both hands.” They encouraged students to collaborate, and build a network of people to work with, saying, “When you meet someone who’s good at what they do - make a note of how to contact them in the future.” And, naturally, we discussed the nature of the design process, and the challenges of pushing your work forwards whilst studying design. Abi added, “Design is a process of internal failure. Keep trying out ideas very quickly and if it’s not working, move on. Don’t give-up, just have the determination to keep trying.” 

Our thanks go out to Richard & Abi for their time, and valuable insight.

Learn more about Brandon here: