Context
British design education is often bemoaned by the creative industries for failing to properly equip graduates for the ins and outs of the business of design; whilst at the same time it has become a truism of British industry that it innovates but does not make and sell. This report reflects on the Designer in Residence Scheme developed by Northumbria University, as a case study and reveals how the development of its practitioner mentoring, facilitated by collaboration between the school of design, enterprise campus and regional development agencies has contributed to both local cultural change and the building of the design sector within the North East of England.
A modern university is not wholly or even mainly just an academy. It could rather be seen as a context for the non-academic acquisition of higher-level practical skills, especially in creative fields. This is quite a different activity from the conventional teaching and tutoring process in which most universities, even today, are educationally landlocked. The industrial workshops, studios and ateliers that used to provide the context for this practical skills development no longer exist. It could be argued that they never offered the grounding in independent, effective, self-management that a present day design sector needs. In the Designer in Residence Scheme such independence is routinely imparted and acquired by succeeding ‘breaking waves’ of designers. This is the type of independence that enables a designer to look beyond the immediate craft or technical solution of design problems and whilst it could perhaps be described as non-academic its creation should, nevertheless be an explicit and central concern in design education.
What We Did
The Designers in Residence scheme is a 2-year post-graduate initiative designed to support Northumbria alumnae wishing to develop their own professional design practice. It is run within Northumbria University’s School of Design by BA (Hons) Three Dimensional Design staff for graduates from this programme with its professional practice being centred on the activities of furniture and product design.
The signature of Designer in Residence scheme is perhaps its particular engagement with the design of products that both celebrate the value of traditional craft manufacturing qualities but which are also contemporary, rich in narrative and market ready. In short we want are our graduates to be able to innovate, make and sell great ‘British’ ideas.
The DIR scheme in its current form was formally established in 2000 and since 2003 has worked closely with Enterprise Campus to develop the provision of resources for its activities, particularly to support residents to show their work at national and international trade fairs. Residents are given enterprise start up support to encourage them to view their practice not simply as a creative activity but also as a commercial enterprise capable of generating income and employment for themselves and others.
Who will benefit
One of the key opportunities available to graduates who undertake the scheme is to exhibit work both nationally and internationally at trade shows.
Exhibiting at relevant design events:
- Gives residents a unique opportunity to develop a real understanding of the market for their products/services, an awareness of competitors, how to reach and interact with potential clients
- Raises the profile of the School, the University and its staff.
Impact
The value of the Designer in Residence scheme is evidenced in the reputation of the designers who have been through it. They demonstrate their excellence not only in the physicality of their creative outputs but more importantly in the way that they are able to recruit support from the commercial world to profitably create and widely distribute ideas and products. Whilst in pedagogic terms the residency has contributed to a culture of undergraduates understanding the opportunities that exist within the region for design that has an international reach and profile.
The initiative has evolved continually throughout its ten-year span but remains particularly focussed on the nature of the community of practice established between successive residents, academics and enterprise campus and crucially how the designers can own the process of developing directional design practice. They also, through the design enterprises they have created, demonstrate the potential to build the design sector that the North of England needs for its economic and cultural regeneration.
Example Success Story of a DIR: Deadgood
In 2004 Dan Ziglam & Elliot Brook completed two years of the Designer in Residence scheme and with the support of Northumbria’s Enterprise Campus initiatives were able to attract support from a number of regional organisations including the Arts Council and Business Link to establish ‘Deadgood’. Dan and Elliot act as exemplars of the value and potential of the scheme, not just in terms of their own successful business practice but also in their contribution to the nurturing of subsequent residents through mentoring support and commercial development of products under the Deadgood brand.
Deadgood have not only sustained healthy profitability and growth but have also built a reputable and high profile name for design innovation. This commercial side of their business is complimented by a genuinely altruistic approach whereby they will champion and develop the work of other complimentary but less well established designers. In 2005 they established the design event ‘Launch’ as a response to the lack of opportunity to promote themselves as designers within the North East. Over a three-year period ‘Launch’ positioned itself as one of the regions leading design showcases, promoting the latest products from over 50 emerging designers and creative businesses. These annual exhibitions contributed to the development of a more visible design culture within Newcastle upon Tyne and attracted over 3500 visitors helping generate new business for the local creative community and raising the profile of North East based designers to both regional and national audiences.
In September 2008 Dan & Elliot secured £150K of seed funding from the North East Finance ‘Design & Creative Fund’ and officially incorporated Deadgood Trading Limited to specialise in the design and distribution of furniture and interior products. Since then they have begun to build a portfolio of Intellectual Property from a number of leading young British designers, have established an exceptionally strong brand identity and have started to carve out a niche within the luxury domestic and high specification commercial markets. Deadgood’s commercial client list currently includes the NHS, Northumbria University, ING, Manchester Airport, Liberty of London, Lane Crawford in Hong Kong and La Rinascente in Milan.
