Northern Ireland Design Alliance - Latest Comments

Re: Beer, branding and design

Professional Advice — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 23:29:07 -0000

It is my favorite article because It article is representing most important topic about professional advice.

Re: NIDA Student Design Awards 2012

Bencaughers — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:05:02 -0000

Good times. Well done to everyone who took part. Especially Tanya and the winning team.

Re: In support of the middle

Julie Oakley — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:57:08 -0000

This is so well written and expresses something I've felt for many years.

Re: Interested in a career in design – where do you start?

net curtains — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 01:13:23 -0000

Interior design and decorating careers conjure up beautiful colors, funky design stylings and reality based TV shows featuring perky hosts.

Re: In support of the middle

Andrea Austoni — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:15:19 -0000

Walter Gropius said of traditional art schools that they only concentrated on the top students. The Bauhaus concentrated on the average ones, making everybody better instead of only fostering the few chosen ones who happend to have a smite of advantage over their mates.

Re: In support of the middle

Darragh — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:41:20 -0000

What Mike said Richard, except, I've seen your work and - dammit - I look up to you. You are that talented. Completely agree with pretty much everything here but could never put it quite so succinctly.

Re: In support of the middle

Mike — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 12:01:09 -0000

Awesome post Richard. Eloquently written and beautifully argued. Love it.

Re: Seminar: Sandra Scott, Digital Executive Producer/Head of Production at Walt Disney’s ImageMovers Digital (IMD)

Tony Woods — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:58:35 -0000

Another fantastic speaker and interesting debate.

Re: Martin Lambie-Nairn

Tony Woods — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:55:50 -0000

This was a fantastic event. I have admired this man's work from afar for many years. His simplicity of approach and intelligence of thought should be an inspiration to us all.

Re: What will improve design in Northern Ireland?

Mark — Thu, 05 May 2011 09:36:22 -0000

To me there are a range of factors that will ultimately improve design in this Country. I chose graphic design as a career path when I left school in 1995 because I thought it sounded like a cool job. Way Hey! Sounds stupid now but I had no idea what I was getting into. Career advisors and teachers alike had no idea what the job really entailed. I thought, what da hell and gave it a go! I didn't go to university. Instead I chose to work my way up through studios and agencies. I was ahead of a lot of my peers at the time who were on the same career path, this was due to real hands on experience. I was given a chance by certain people who seen potential in me. But I worked for it. I put in long hours, with a thirst to be the best, different and all of that. All I know is that no-one is going to hand you a design placement necessarily because you have a degree. I'm self taught. Lots of hours reading books and teaching myself. I'm still learning - new techniques, programs and skills. Relevant experience is crucial. However, In order to get the jobs I wanted I tried to show how creative I could be with CV's. Every major position that I got was through a well crafted CV. The Portfolio is another. My motto when I was training was… if you don't have the work - make it up! Show what you can do. Take a major brand and and re-invent it, If it's good enough, why not even send it to the brand and be pro-active. Self belief is a very powerful thing. I got every job I ever went for by showing my thirst for design.

Education is also very important but I think there is too much emphasis on theory and not enough practicality. One way around this might be for universities to set up some sort of incubator for designers to get real hands on experience. Maybe by starting on their own advertising in house. Invest in attracting experienced designers to play a role as creative directors to train the kids. If the price is going up for education, maybe their is an argument for pupils to be able to earn it back through university ran studios/agencies that allow the kids the chance to pay back their loans and earn real money in the process. Just a thought.

Northern Ireland to me, feels like the small enterprise capital of the world. Everyone is out for a bargain. This has a role in that it is inevitable that designers will lower costs to react to the market and demand of customers. This cheapens and de-values design. I should know I've been guilty of it myself.

Investment of large companies might help, but only if they buy their services here.
What might also help design would be to try and encourage more large international agencies back to this country who will attract the big spenders in advertising and so on. This will allow local talent to show what it's really made of. If you're good… you're good and that's it.

Somebody once told me that you're only limited by your own imagination - I think that's bang on.

Re: How can design in NI flourish in difficult economic times?

Chris Black — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:25:12 -0000

I agree with Stephen McCreight's comment, "NIDA I think should as it's number one priority, be focusing on educating not so much designers themselves but the wider industry and business community and the public at large on the value of design."

From experience, designers in Northern Ireland suffer both in pocket and portfolio. Clients want exactly what they ask for, "because they're paying for it" instead of realising that they are really paying for the valuable input of an experienced designer. More business owners need to learn (or be taught) to have respect for the design industry.

How this educational process is carried out is a difficult one and could potentially take generations. A step in the right direction would be an initiative from the design "authorities and organisations” to directly target and educate business owners on the topic of clear communication, added value and the inevitable increase in profit.

I use the word target as requesting their attendance to an event focused on design, would be an instant turn off - but reaching into their office promoting good design could prove very successful for them, us and the design industry.

Re: What will improve design in Northern Ireland?

Sfeeney — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:51:52 -0000

Having studied design here in Ireland at the University of Ulster and in England at Northumbria University I would say the quality of education provided here is superior, our weak point is industrial connections. We are lacking innovative companies with too many promising designers forced to leave the country or constrain there creativity in an unsuitable role here in Ireland. Our designers seem to be going straight from college into factories rather than the more nurturing consultancies available to graduates across the sea. The problem doesnt lie with the universities but the professionals in this country unwilling/unable to provide graduates with RELEVANT experience.

Re: How can design in NI flourish in difficult economic times?

Darragh Neely — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 08:46:45 -0000

This is tough one. Design can flourish if we use the 'current climate' as an opportunity to re-enforce the strength of good design and show direct correlation with competitive advantage in business terms. In other words, NOW is the time to jump ahead a few steps using design and take our clients with us. This will mean a leap of faith - we need to act, not react.

Re: How can design in NI flourish in difficult economic times?

Stephen McCreight — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 08:47:16 -0000

I think the answer to this question was tailor made for the Northern Ireland Design Alliance to address. While being a forum for designers to share knowledge and experience definitely has it's place, NIDA I think should as it's number one priority, be focusing on educating not so much designers themselves but the wider industry and business community and the public at large on the value of design i.e. potential clients, customers, consumers. NIDA could, and perhaps should, be a conduit between designers and customers by bringing both together. Better understanding by those outside the somewhat insular world of designers will see our industry flourish.

Re: How can design in NI flourish in difficult economic times?

Tierna Magee (Vis Com Y3) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 08:58:06 -0000

Businesses are looking for practical ways to get them through this difficult time. Carefully considered design can help them stand out in the marketplace and as designers we can assist in brand development in order to achieve this. I think it's an exciting time for the design industry here as we'll need to go that extra mile with our creativity.

Re: How can design in NI flourish in difficult economic times?

Paul Wilsdon — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:04:03 -0000

Maintaining respect for yourself and the industry by not undercutting competition by ludicrous amounts, whereby you force the creativity and eventual production of the piece to suffer due to financial constraints.

Re: Another question?

nidesignalliance — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 13:34:13 -0000

test

Re: This is a question

Someone Else — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:55:01 -0000

Another comment here.

Re: This is a question

Stuart Johnston — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:53:37 -0000

hello.

Re: What will improve design in Northern Ireland?

Natalie Johnston, Owner & — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 16:55:14 -0000

I agree that students need more realistic and practical training for the real world. And also I think that businesses need to be made alot more aware of the potential value 'good design' can make to the success of their business and image.

Re: What will improve design in Northern Ireland?

Mark Case, Owner/Director, Whi — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:42:10 -0000

We all need to get behind the Design Alliance (including both designers AND
bosses) and speak with one voice to our various existing and potential clients,
government (especially procurement), business and industry, arts, education and
culture...

Re: What will improve design in Northern Ireland?

Niall Mckenna, Designer, Freel — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 05:54:00 -0000

I ave always been a fan of the work of the D&AD in England. The quality of the lectures and workshops and the incentive of the awards were fantastic when I was coming up through University. But even then we felt it a too 'London centric' organisation. Th

Re: What will improve design in Northern Ireland?

Rob Durston, photographer, Rob — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 05:27:31 -0000

Expanding on my post, coming from the North American market, I find it amazing
at how much is "given away" here. From meetings to revisions, almost anything is
done just to keep the client happy and loyal, meanwhile the industry as a whole
suffers.

Re: What will improve design in Northern Ireland?

Rob Durston, photographer, Rob — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 05:22:23 -0000

Thanks to all the presenters last night at Beer, Branding and Responsible Design,
it was very informative and interesting; Ralph had me glued to his every word and
thought. Reading through most of the comments here, I have to agree with the
majority.

Re: What will improve design in Northern Ireland?

Craig Hunter, StudioStereo, Be — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:25:03 -0000

If our public services, government departments, councils and publicly funded
organisations exhibit no attention to either properly functioning communication
or aesthetics, what hope is there? We need a more 'european' climate of
design.