Submitted by Andrew Oechsler on the 2017 summer session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Art and Design …
Today started with something we have never been taught. The words insight & strategy are not ones that I have been exposed to during classes at the University of Delaware. at first I wasn’t sure what to expect, but as the presentation by Deborah Taffler went on I realized these words were of great importance within our creative field. She explained that “It isn’t how a business works it’s about how a business feels”. People do not care about the inner workings of a business as much as they care about how a business includes or excludes them and what environment the business creates. This session with Deborah was extremely beneficial in our presentation later that day to the agency R/GA. Presenting our briefs to an actual client for the first time was completely mind numbing, but at the same time it was exhilarating. I came out of that meeting feeling better about my future within this industry.
I have never been a fan of Pink Floyd not because I didn’t like their music, but because I had never taken the time to actually listen to it or what they were about. So when offered an opportunity to go through their history at the V & A Museum I was intrigued and I can say that it definitely opened my eyes to things I had been ignoring. The lesson I learned today was not from a Pink Floyd song or from one of their many music videos, but was instead an experience. At the end of the exhibit I was able to sit with a vast group of people as all around us film and music was being played of various Pink Floyd songs. Lights were shooting all around us as if we were actually at one of their shows and in that moment I looked around and was amazed at the way this connected everyone including myself. I then thought that in some office somewhere some designer created this experience down to the last detail and I thought to myself that experiential design is something that I see myself doing more than any kind of ad agency that we have been to thus far.
If you have never heard the name Semi Satwinder before I urge you to look him up. In a world full of digital design and fast paced communication, Semi seems to still be able to deny these forms and be employed as a calligrapher, a trade most people thought died ages ago. I have personally never been naturally skilled with a quill and our workshop today proved no different, but it did prove that there is always room for improvement. When asked how he creates such intricate and beautiful work, Semi simply states that his words and art is simply basic lines and he “takes his lines for a dance and then has sex with them”. This definitely shines a new light on calligraphy for me, as its not the most forgettable, but then that’s the idea with a good quote. A good quote is memorable and an excellent quote is unforgettable.