Hi everyone,I'm Graham Burton and I am the programme manager here at ncn, but possibly more importantly to you, I'm the course leader for the all things design. That said, you will probably see a lot more of the other staff as I am constantly being called away to meetings etc. Lucky me!
Anyway, here is a taste of what you might expect from me when I do take a class. It is never my intention to offend or upset anyone, and the work that I do is intended to foster debate.
The work that we [the course team]do is intended to challenge you, not only at a practical level, but also on an academic level. On that note, I look forward to meeting you all so that we can engage in a lively debate.
Everything I know about design I learned from the Sopranos
On client relationships: "When you’re bleeding a guy, you don’t squeeze him dry right away. Contrarily, you let him do his bidding, suavely. So you can bleed him next week and the week after, at minimum.”
We’re not guilty of bleeding our students dry, but I think we’re guilty of squeezing them. (stay with me here) Our projects, tutorial system, open office door policy, offers the students a chance to build on and improve their skills, and us as staff will keep offering greater challenges as they progress. You need to squeeze for 64 weeks minimum.
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Everything I know about design I learned from the Sopranos.
On client relationships:
“When you’re bleeding a guy, you don’t squeeze him dry right away. Contrarily, you let him do his bidding, suavely.
So you can bleed him next week and the week after, at minimum.”
We’re not guilty of bleeding our students dry, but I think we’re guilty of squeezing them. (stay with me here)
Our projects, tutorial system, open office door policy, offers the students a chance to build on and improve their skills, and us as staff will keep offering greater challenges as they progress. You need to squeeze for 64 weeks minimum.
On creative blocks:
“My advice? Put that thing down a while, we get our joints copped, and tomorrow the words’ll come blowing out your ass.”
Our projects are designed to help the student learn, but not everything about being a student should be concerned with academia. We, I believe, offer an environment that is conducive with work and play. We have excellent support systems in place to help the students with everyday troubles, we have excellent LRC’s, and supportive staff. In other words, we can allow the students to ‘put the thing down a while.’
On creative planning:
“Event planning? It’s gay, isn’t it?”
Despite some folk not fully understanding what we do, what we do do, we do rather well.
There is a belief that people with creative degrees are very employable. We don’t panic when we are shown shapes and colours.
On Professional behaviour:
“You don’t think. You disrespect this place.
That’s the reason why you were passed the f**k over.”
We may at times ask for forgiveness rather than permission, do everything last minute, but the end of year show is testament to the professional behaviour of the staff and students.
We offer a flexible, differentiated approach to each student, and the methods of assessment and grading offer the chance not to be ‘passed over.’
On appropriation:
“F**kin espresso, cappuccino. We invented this s**t. And all of these other c**ksuckers are getting’ rich off us.”
“Oh, again with the rape of the culture.”
Imitation, influence, and iteration are crucial to design development. The only requirement is that the goal is transformation, not replication.
I believe our students fully understand the difference between primary and secondary research, and are comfortable with all things multi cultural, even latte.
On the unintended consequences of technology:
“It sounds to me like Anthony Jr. may have stumbled into existentialism.”
“F**king internet.”
There is never a time when IT isn’t mentioned, either by an EV, a member of staff or a student. Not always favourably I might add, but we’d be a lot worse off without it. Designers believe that advanced technology is our best proof that God exists.
On commitment:
“I came home one day, shot her four times. Twice in the head. Killed her aunt too. I didn’t know she was there. And the mailman. At that point, I had to fully commit.”
If you’re serious about doing this, don’t bother unless you’re willing to fully commit.
Our interview process helps us check for commitment. Okay, so we have targets and as a consequence get it wrong sometimes, but we’re not able to take the guy out and have him ‘whacked’, so we’d better get him committed.
On aesthetics:
“Not in the face, okay? You give me that? Keep my eyes?”
Designers like to think that it’s not about how it looks. It’s about how it communicates, or how it changes the world. All true, except it’s also about how it looks.
Making things look beautiful – or engaging, or funny, or provocative- is anything but a superficial exercise. We all get ‘whacked’ now and then. Just make sure you get to keep your eyes.
This is something I adapted from an article I found on the Web. It was delivered to the college Principal, who, it has to be said, left the presentation without a smile on his face. Go figure!
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