Lecture: Tweeting, blogging, and getting yourself known!

Lauren Currie (@Redjotter), a former MDes student here at DJCAD gave us an inspiring lecture today with regards to service design.

Although she came from a Product Design bachelors background, I can see that every aspect of design is related. It's like one big pot of design, swirling in a vortex with all of our different disciplines competing in an olympic fashion - although I don't fancy the image of me in a swimming cap, sporting the I&ED team colours.

Service design is something that's been simmering in the back of my noggin since last years lecture on the same topic. I have since opened up a folder that I store all my ideas for fourth year, masters or future projects - wherever the wind takes me, with a hind of service design cropping up regularly. Something I'm very interested in developing is flat-packed care. Not just for the elderly, but for people suffering disability (short and long term), and those suffering injury. The environmental aspect of I&ED is getting to me quite a bit too, and have become very aware of my footprint. This is something I would also like to incorporate. Green DIY care. Flat-packed eco hugs. Making people feel better, and making the environment feel better at the same time - it's a nice thought anyway.

It was so good to see such a positive outcome from the simple things such as tweeting and blogging. I am quite an avid fan of both of these routes, as well as LinkedIn and Skype. I was astounded to find that when I started following the likes of The Guardian, BREEAM, and various magazines, people from the same industry began following me. Although I am somewhat of a small presence online, I can only imagine what I will be able to gain from persevering over the next few years as an undergraduate. I'd love to get even one of the many opportunities Lauren has got through these means. I've already taken on her advice about having a consistent image - although I change the hue for each network.

...and be controversial! (GFDA)

My only gripe is not with the lecture today (it was very good after all), but with the lectures in general. Us in Interiors get forgotten! Every time an example is given it's "if you are in jewellery", or "as a textile student", or "for example, if you graduate in graphics", and so on. We feel a little invisible. Will there be any future talks given from MDes students who are post grad I&ED? Or perhaps post grads in industry? Even a small specifically relevant part? Please!

But apart from that - another good week for Design Studies. All these people who moan and groan about having to do all these "chores" don't seem to get that it's all to aid their future.

They don't hire average joe, after all.

...And just to finish off, I thought I'd leave you all with a website I have been on recently: Good F*cking Design Advice. It's motivational yet light hearted - but perhaps NSFW. None the less it gets you back down to earth. Get fucking inspired!