Here is a link to Brunel University’s graduate project exhibition - http://madeinbrunel.com/projects/. It’s better than any previous year’s show, and it looks like every graduate is going to get a job 
It’s a truly unique exhibition, as it’s not about “the design”, it’s about using design methodologies to solve real-world problems.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on the quality of this work.
Every year the presentation of their work is easily the best in the country, their models are always brilliant quality and they have a great brand of ‘Made in Brunel’. It actually seems quite similar to previous years interm’s as the projects seem to be again focused towards ‘universal’ type design projects, which is great. I just wish they would focus on more of the visual brand langauge\brand DNA elements of design and their 2D visualisation skills which are directly transferable and used most in the real world, in our consultancy it’s what we do most.
Looks interesting as always, it’s after all a good university.
I didn’t graduate from Brunel, but I’m also lacking those skills. I wonder, is there any way to learn these skills in a part-time course, rather than go to a grad school for these things? I don’t want to be involved in this area on a full-time basis anyway.
But don’t you think that the Brunel grads have enough skills for the workplace already? Many companies in UK are not asking for that kind of brand development skill, they actually want people who can solve technical and utilitarian problems creatively - more of an R&D skillset than commercial design skillset. Isn’t it more of a graphic designer’s or a marketer’s responsibility to develop the brand and visual merchandising aspect of the product?
Dunno, wasn’t really that impressed with what I saw on the website. One (very small) image of the final shot and a paragraph that’s too long for me to read. I wanted to see more images describing the projects, how they were done, what problems they were solving, etc… They waste 1/3 of the page with that image and search bar that’s on every single page.
Let’s take a sample project as an example:
I see a rendering of something that looks more like a concept vehicle than a consumer electronic. Besides the Adobe logo/colors, I don’t see (in this picture) how that form is Adobe. Then there’s a paragraph that tells what this notebook does. I don’t care. I want to see it. Show me with research, sketches, models, the UI, how people interact with it, etc. When a project is mostly about creating a specific device for using Adobe applications (famous for terrible UI), I don’t see why half the paragraph is blabbing about specs, and not about how this device is better than a laptop and facilitates a more pleasurable Adobe experience (and how it deals with the many Adobe applications, which have different usage flows). I don’t even see how that rendering is a notebook.
I’m not sure if this critique applies more to the website and the way it presents the projects, or the project itself. Maybe the project addressed all the things I was talking about, but I have no way of knowing because I can’t find this guy’s portfolio on the website or on Google.
Experimental, you said "It’s a truly unique exhibition, as it’s not about “the design”, it’s about using design methodologies to solve real-world problems. ", but I don’t see that (in the website). Or are you talking about the real show in the UK?
Many companies in UK are not asking for that kind of brand development skill, they actually want people who can solve technical and utilitarian problems creatively - more of an R&D skillset than commercial design skillset. Isn’t it more of a graphic designer’s or a marketer’s responsibility to develop the brand and visual merchandising aspect of the product?
It is often not listed as a specific skill imo it is a necessity. If it is listed it’s being listed in a variety of ways, often it get’s lumped in with “phenomal styling skills” which is annoying as it makes it seem as it’s an after thought
Taken from coroflot this morning:
Ability to understand and develop a brand through product designs
Collaborate closely with Lead program designer, brand, engineering,
Create packaging/branding style guides for new products/lines
This is going slightly off topic however;
I’m not going to use anybody off their website as an example, I don’t think that is fair as they haven’t asked for a critique. Brand development is not about developing the ‘brand’ per se. ‘I mentioned understanding a visual brand language or a brands DNA’ The point is it’s about understanding a brand’s values and how they are communicated through form, colour, material detailing, interaction etc. You are designing for someone else, not just the consumer but the client as well. Nike for example could bring out some new fantastic shoe that helps re-habilitates a foot after it’s been damaged… it still has to look like a NIKE product though, it’s not enough to just slap a logo on it and say its NIKE. Products give brands a tangiable element, it is after all how they communicate with their consumers, so you have to make sure their message is communicated correctly. It is a vital skill as 9\10 you are designing on behalf of a brand (10\10 if your working inhouse).
You can never have too many skills and after all when you graduate it’s just the begining. However remove the understanding of this skillset you become more of a design engineer imo, nothing wrong with that if that’s the way you want to go, plenty of job for design engineers. However add that skill and you become seriously dangerous.
I saw the MIB Petcha Kutcha last week… it was great, interesting speakers including the director from Wolf Olin
Unfortunately I didn’t get a ton of time to look at the work except for the strategy guys. The undergraduate ID work looked alright though - several brand led product families, which will probably help to get students jobs.
These are the guys that talked, including our own designer Ducan Shottan, and their PKs are going online soon:
Mark Bond Head of Design, Tesco
Philip Dodd Chairman, Made In China
Maxine Horn Founder, Creative Barcode
Sarah Liddel Research, Design and Development Manager, Dyson
Jack Mama Creative Director, Philips
Simon Manchipp Founder and Creative Director, Someone
Sanjay Patel Packaging Innovator, Coca-Cola
Harry Pearce Partner, Pentagram
Luke Pearson Pearson Lloyd
CAllum Rex Reid CEO, Digicave
Duncan Shotton Brunel Alumni, Kinneir Dufort
Stuart Watson Creative Director, Venture 3
I see a rendering of something that looks more like a concept vehicle than a consumer electronic. Besides the Adobe logo/colors, I don’t see (in this picture) how that form is Adobe. Then there’s a paragraph that tells what this notebook does. I don’t care. I want to see it. Show me with research, sketches, models, the UI, how people interact with it, etc. When a project is mostly about creating a specific device for using Adobe applications (famous for terrible UI), I don’t see why half the paragraph is blabbing about specs, and not about how this device is better than a laptop and facilitates a more pleasurable Adobe experience (and how it deals with the many Adobe applications, which have different usage flows). I don’t even see how that rendering is a notebook.
I’m not sure if this critique applies more to the website and the way it presents the projects, or the project itself. Maybe the project addressed all the things I was talking about, but I have no way of knowing because I can’t find this guy’s portfolio on the website or on Google.
Experimental, you said "It’s a truly unique exhibition, as it’s not about “the design”, it’s about using design methodologies to solve real-world problems. ", but I don’t see that (in the website). Or are you talking about the real show in the UK.
During my visit to the Made in Brunel show I believe this project that the students participated was about creating a future vision for a brand. You cant pick point individual’s whose projects where on display as they are designed to not show any of the development detail you are requiring and it is up to each individual’s decision to disclose as much information as they want. During my discovery of this particular project i was made aware that none of the brand models functioned and they were not the key areas of the task and it was more of a styling exercise and in my opinion this styling shows creativity and futurism than any of the others.