I'm no Luddite, but I did read with a degree of interest Lynda Relph-Knight's article in last weeks Design Week where she commented on the focus on craft skills being central to both the pleasure and prosperity of design. Yes, I must confess it was music to my ears as one who has always championed what I believe to be that fundamental skill set which so often gets pushed aside by Universities and colleges of higher education in preference to establishing 'specialist courses' delivering little more than tutorials on how to use the latest software.
I am, and always have been, absolutely passionate about design education and I couldn't agree more with the view that the proliferation of specialist courses set up to boost student numbers was definitely not a good move. It was the primary reason that I became so disillusioned with, and eventually gave up all involvement with, educational institutions.
I just became frustrated that the Universities I was involved with became increasingly focused on the 'bums on seats' strategy, and establishing new courses with the sole aim of increasing student numbers and thereby financial income. Yes I fully understand the economic rationale behind this approach, but it goes against everything I believe design education to be about.
I confess it's some time since I last 'taught', instead, I decided some years back that we would take students on here in the studio, on work placements. It means that we can focus on imparting what we believe to be the fundamental skill set.
Yes, we regularly get students at interview who wax lyrical about their proficiency with the latest software, but try to engage them in conversation on visual subtleties relating line, form, colour texture, balance, space and typographic subtleties, or ask how well they can communicate with a pencil and a piece of paper, the conversation so often falters.
My only hope is that the current economic climate will restore the focus on what I believe to be those, dare I say, 'basic', 'craft' skills that we feel are so fundamental to our profession.
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