WEEK 11 - DESIGN IN IRELAND

During this lecture, we had two guest speakers telling us about their design careers and paths that they chose to get to where they are now. Their names were Norman Stevenson and Noel Joyce. The first thing that made this lecture was that we were using the Zoom software instead of using BigBlueButton which we were using for all our online lectures since COVID-19.

The first guest speaker that we listened to was Norman Stevenson. Norman Stevenson is a senior design consultant at Design Partners. Design Partners is a product design and innovation agency. Their mission is to improve human potential. They partner with the world’s most popular brands to create future products (1). Norman left his course in his 2nd year, took a year out to go travelling and then returned in 1994. Taking a gap year has its benefits. There are many advantages of gap years. Taking a gap year is very beneficial for one’s social, academic and personal growth. Some students enrol in structured gap year programs or they spend their time traveling or volunteering abroad. Regardless of the reason, taking a gap year will result in the five benefits below:

• Accelerated Maturity

• Improved Academic Performance

• Gain a New Perspective

• A Chance to Re-focus

• Improve Career Opportunities (2)

He studied Industrial Design in University of Limerick, then did another course in the NCAD. Norman also did an Erasmus exchange in Helsinki for 4 months in 4th year. Studies have found that students take part in the Erasmus exchange programme to improve personal and soft skills, self-confidence, intercultural understanding and maturity due to their time spent abroad. The Erasmus programme has other advantages to students. They are as follows;

• Erasmus alumni are more likely to hold managerial positions than their peers 10 years after graduation. Evidence also shows that students who have done an Erasmus placement find work more quickly after graduation

• Important language and inter-personal skills: studies have found students taking part in Erasmus have improved personal and soft skills, self-confidence, intercultural understanding and maturity due to their time spent abroad (3).

He helped design many popular products, including the G9 Logitech Gaming Mouse, the ClearChat Wireless Headset and the Trintech Smart 5000 Card Payment Pad. A question that Norman asked us was ‘What are the responsibilities of a designer and name a product that you wish that you created’. For me, I believe that the responsibilities of a designer are producing multiple ideas, selecting the best ones, selling them to other team members and customers, and producing excellent visual work. A designer also has a responsibility to work, people and future.

A product I wish that I had created would be the Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse. This is because of the wireless USB connector for the laptop, the magnet on the back to put the USB when carrying it around, and how you bend the handle to turn it on.

The second speaker that we had was Noel Joyce. His journey as a designer began when he was 2 years into his college life. He currently works at designhub in Co. Offaly. Designhub mainly specialises in web design, graphic design, and advertising interior design (4).

From listening to these two guest speakers talking about their own journeys to where they are now in their design careers, I now have a better understanding about how your career as a designer can start, whether you start off straight into your college course, whether or not you decide to take a gap year in the middle of your college course, or whether or not you decide to study abroad for a certain period of time. Overall, everyone’s design journey starts off differently, but they eventually reach their destination in the end.

References:

1. Design Partners (n.d.) ‘About’ [website] (Accessed 4th May 2020); https://www.designpartners.com/

2. Top Ten Online Colleges (n.d.) ‘5 Advantages of Gap Years’ [website] (Accessed 4th May 2020); https://www.top10onlinecolleges.org/list/5-advantages-of-gap-years/

3. Cole, J. (2018) ‘Why Erasmus is important for students’ , Russell Group [news article] (Accessed 4th May 2020); https://russellgroup.ac.uk/news/the-importance-of-student-exchange/

4. YPGO (2014) ‘Designhub Tullamore, Offaly’ [website] (Accessed 4th May 2020); http://ie.ypgo.net/Designhub+Tullamore,+Offaly-10306381892

Picture Reference:

123RF (n.d.) 'Design' [website] (Accessed 4th May 2020);

https://www.123rf.com/photo_34912002_stock-vector-design-word-abstract-sign.html