Ben,
No it's OK - I have been perusing through some of the design research
stuff, and particularly this list.
When a conference is up and coming there is a flurry of academic activity.
But having been involved in a couple of design specific conferences - I am
a little concerned of the lack of attention devoted to the study of
improving the actual practice of design.
What is this discipline about?
Is design research solely intended to create some kind of research
accreditation for an Art & Design Institution - so it is better placed in
seeking government funding - or is there some real benefits to the world
of designers?
Even more scandalous is the idea that researchers, enamored by the world of
design, are able to revel in this field, whilst possessing little (or more
often) no design talent themselves.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/features/2055558.stm
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/public/docs02/subjects01/secondary/secondaryartanddesign.pdf
(please look at the section on drawing skills in the PDF file).
The end result is students with design qualifications that have little
professional proficiency - and yet are able to spend several days
researching a design brief .
If the folks in charge of a design institute cannot design - what chance
their charges? This would make for a substantial common ground - the
ability to design.
Glenn Johnson
Industrial Design Manager
Industrial Design Studio, B/E Aerospace Inc.
1455 Fairchild Rd. Winston-Salem NC 27105-4588 USA
Tel. (1) 336 744 3143 Fax. (1) 336 744 6934
http://www.beaerospace.com/
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