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.Net magazine interview
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Written by Adam Montandon [permalink]
This is the full text from an interview I did several years ago for .Net magazine in the UK.
It was talking about taking a university degree in order to become a web designer.
The course I studied was called Media Lab arts, it is now called b dat and has changed a lot over the years.
It wasn't strictly a web design course, but did have strong digital elements.
Here is the interview in full:
NETMAG: What did you think of the course?
MediaLab Arts was a really interesting degree course, because it seemed really unusual in its approach. It wasn’t a standard web design course at all! It combined a wide scope of digital arts and science, and pulled in outside references from biology to art to architecture to performance. It was a fusion of art and science, and it takes a really positive approach to technology. During the course you really do have the freedom to do anything, online and offline, and this freedom brings a lot of creativity and innovation to the field of web design.
One of the things that really impressed me about the course was not the use of technology by the students, but their ideas. The work generated by MediaLab Arts students was so ahead of its time that even the projects done ten years ago still look and feel fantastic. Technology ages quickly, but ideas stay with you forever, and this is really important on the course.
If you’re thinking of taking a degree, look at the projects the graduating students are working on. If that’s what you want to work on, take it, if not, walk away.
NETMAG: Would you recommend it to people who want to get into web design?
I would not recommend the course for someone who wants to get into web design exclusively. I would recommend it to people who take a wider interest in the fields of digital media. There is so much shear variety and excitement on the course that you really have to be interested in everything.
The diversity of people on the course is massive, and that really helps to make the most interesting teamwork happen. Imagine building websites with actors, musicians, mathematicians, designers, cartoonists, unicyclists, Cyborgs, robotics experts and video game fans! Working with a wide range of people broadens your skill base hugely, and helps you think about your talents in different ways. This is what keeps the innovation strong.
NETMAG: What's the best things you learned there?
That’s a good question. I learnt so much. The most essential thing to learn is just how important it is to work well with people, not just work well with computers. After graduating, not only did I make a lot of friends on the course, but we decided to stick together and create The company HMC interactive, in order to keep the strong teamwork and diversity that we had grown on the course. Many courses churn out students who can all do the exact same things, with the exact same skill base, but MediaLab Arts generates people who work in film, TV, Audio production, web design, installations, art, management, education, the list is endless.
NETMAG: Did you teach yourself as well, or did you base your web design career entirely on what you learned on the course?
Going to University is a strange experience because you really do have to take responsibility for your own learning. Lecturers on MediaLab Arts don’t spoon-feed you every mouse click. They do point you in the right direction and give you the ambition to learn and experiment with a wide variety of software and techniques. In many cases students write their own software to do what they need. So it is a very personal learning experience. However the “lab-culture” of MediaLab Arts is a fantastic learning environment. It was a massive advantage to be able to go to other students for help and advice when you get stuck. Learning from other people in the same situation as you can be one of the best ways to learn.
Also the course features a Placement Year. The 3rd year is taken in industry, working for a web-design or digital media company. As each student works for a different company that really brings a variety of skills back for the final 4th year. The placement year is a good way to learn about the inner workings of a company, how to act professionally, and how the world works outside of studentville. It also gave us at HMC interactive a strong insight into many of the mistakes these companies were making, and we made sure we overcame them before setting up a business.
In some ways, my career is based on what I learned on the course, especially with regards to teamwork, creativity and a strong ethos of creating the future of digital design, even though many of my practical skills were self taught. University gives you the time and the environment to put your independent learning to use, and to push you towards a greater understanding of all things digital.
NETMAG: What kind of job did you get after graduating? And how important was the course to your career?
During the course, I worked with Mike Cobb who specialised in design, Andy Early who was a database programmer, and Korash Sanjideh who took care of audio production. Together we created a series of online / offline webgames combining Shockwave technology, mobile phones and real world merchandise. We created a business model around the games and marketed it as a product. The team worked so well together we won First prize for Commercial Value at the Submerge 2003 graduate awards. With help from Submerge (www.submerge.org) we planned out how to transform ourselves from regular students into a leading development agency. It took a lot of planning and hard work. We spent 4 months after graduation learning new skills specifically for setting up a business. In the end, HMC Interactive was based around a 60 page business plan and a 1 page website. This turned out to be the perfect balance. – Whatever you do, don’t do it the other way around :-)
The course was important to our careers, as it was the perfect testing ground for our new and creative approach to web design. At University you can take risks with edgy projects that you just can’t normally do in the commercial world. Once we had proved ourselves as a talented team at university, our business clients were more likely to trust us to create unusual projects.
NETMAG: Do you think web design courses are really worth doing, or are a natural talent, quality work and some experience alone enough to secure a good position?
Yes. I would highly recommend it. I would recommend short courses if you want to be a web designer as a hobby, but if you’re serious, a degree can be so useful. The industry can change so much over the course of a 3 or 4 year degree, so chances are the software you learn in your first year will be out of date by the time you graduate, but the concepts always stay current. Experience is also important; it’s good to have a mix of academic and commercial work. If you are a “bedroom web-designer” then you put yourself in a bad position for the long term if you don’t have any formal training. Qualifications can help your clients believe in your ideas and abilities, and that gives you the freedom to break boundaries of web design.
Courses can also give you the confidence to take on new challenges. We approach every project from scratch and try to come up with the most unique, fitting response to the brief. Even if that means learning new languages, picking up new skills or using new technology, we can do it. Often we build custom hardwear and software to get the job done, and bring huge benefits to the people we work with, from independent artists to large corporations.
Web design is no longer something you can do alone. You need to get out there and meet people who are doing what you’re doing. Whether that networking comes from a course, or just taking along your portfolio to a local media event, it’s important to realise that the best web design happens in front of people, not in front of screens.
I believe strongly in continued education, and that anybody who wants to learn should be able to learn, not just in the classroom but out in the wider world. Because I want to keep HMC Interactive at the forefront of new technology I teach as a guest lecturer at other universities, not just passing on my knowledge but developing fresh ideas and new collaborations. One of these collaborations has been nominated for the Europrix Top Talent award in Vienna, proving that successful digital media relies on ideas as much as technology.
NETMAG: What's the best way to get into web design in your opinion?
There are so many ways to get into web design, my advice would be “Stay interested in everything.” Call up local web design companies and ask if you can visit them. Look at the designers or companies you admire and approach them, let them know what you do, and ask them what they need. You need to be constantly changing and evolving your skillset. Try to understand what is going on under the surface of the web. Any 12 year old with a demo copy of Dreamweaver can call themselves a web designer. You must show passion, integrity and vision, technical accomplishment will follow.
It was talking about taking a university degree in order to become a web designer.
The course I studied was called Media Lab arts, it is now called b dat and has changed a lot over the years.
It wasn't strictly a web design course, but did have strong digital elements.
Here is the interview in full:
NETMAG: What did you think of the course?
MediaLab Arts was a really interesting degree course, because it seemed really unusual in its approach. It wasn’t a standard web design course at all! It combined a wide scope of digital arts and science, and pulled in outside references from biology to art to architecture to performance. It was a fusion of art and science, and it takes a really positive approach to technology. During the course you really do have the freedom to do anything, online and offline, and this freedom brings a lot of creativity and innovation to the field of web design.
One of the things that really impressed me about the course was not the use of technology by the students, but their ideas. The work generated by MediaLab Arts students was so ahead of its time that even the projects done ten years ago still look and feel fantastic. Technology ages quickly, but ideas stay with you forever, and this is really important on the course.
If you’re thinking of taking a degree, look at the projects the graduating students are working on. If that’s what you want to work on, take it, if not, walk away.
NETMAG: Would you recommend it to people who want to get into web design?
I would not recommend the course for someone who wants to get into web design exclusively. I would recommend it to people who take a wider interest in the fields of digital media. There is so much shear variety and excitement on the course that you really have to be interested in everything.
The diversity of people on the course is massive, and that really helps to make the most interesting teamwork happen. Imagine building websites with actors, musicians, mathematicians, designers, cartoonists, unicyclists, Cyborgs, robotics experts and video game fans! Working with a wide range of people broadens your skill base hugely, and helps you think about your talents in different ways. This is what keeps the innovation strong.
NETMAG: What's the best things you learned there?
That’s a good question. I learnt so much. The most essential thing to learn is just how important it is to work well with people, not just work well with computers. After graduating, not only did I make a lot of friends on the course, but we decided to stick together and create The company HMC interactive, in order to keep the strong teamwork and diversity that we had grown on the course. Many courses churn out students who can all do the exact same things, with the exact same skill base, but MediaLab Arts generates people who work in film, TV, Audio production, web design, installations, art, management, education, the list is endless.
NETMAG: Did you teach yourself as well, or did you base your web design career entirely on what you learned on the course?
Going to University is a strange experience because you really do have to take responsibility for your own learning. Lecturers on MediaLab Arts don’t spoon-feed you every mouse click. They do point you in the right direction and give you the ambition to learn and experiment with a wide variety of software and techniques. In many cases students write their own software to do what they need. So it is a very personal learning experience. However the “lab-culture” of MediaLab Arts is a fantastic learning environment. It was a massive advantage to be able to go to other students for help and advice when you get stuck. Learning from other people in the same situation as you can be one of the best ways to learn.
Also the course features a Placement Year. The 3rd year is taken in industry, working for a web-design or digital media company. As each student works for a different company that really brings a variety of skills back for the final 4th year. The placement year is a good way to learn about the inner workings of a company, how to act professionally, and how the world works outside of studentville. It also gave us at HMC interactive a strong insight into many of the mistakes these companies were making, and we made sure we overcame them before setting up a business.
In some ways, my career is based on what I learned on the course, especially with regards to teamwork, creativity and a strong ethos of creating the future of digital design, even though many of my practical skills were self taught. University gives you the time and the environment to put your independent learning to use, and to push you towards a greater understanding of all things digital.
NETMAG: What kind of job did you get after graduating? And how important was the course to your career?
During the course, I worked with Mike Cobb who specialised in design, Andy Early who was a database programmer, and Korash Sanjideh who took care of audio production. Together we created a series of online / offline webgames combining Shockwave technology, mobile phones and real world merchandise. We created a business model around the games and marketed it as a product. The team worked so well together we won First prize for Commercial Value at the Submerge 2003 graduate awards. With help from Submerge (www.submerge.org) we planned out how to transform ourselves from regular students into a leading development agency. It took a lot of planning and hard work. We spent 4 months after graduation learning new skills specifically for setting up a business. In the end, HMC Interactive was based around a 60 page business plan and a 1 page website. This turned out to be the perfect balance. – Whatever you do, don’t do it the other way around :-)
The course was important to our careers, as it was the perfect testing ground for our new and creative approach to web design. At University you can take risks with edgy projects that you just can’t normally do in the commercial world. Once we had proved ourselves as a talented team at university, our business clients were more likely to trust us to create unusual projects.
NETMAG: Do you think web design courses are really worth doing, or are a natural talent, quality work and some experience alone enough to secure a good position?
Yes. I would highly recommend it. I would recommend short courses if you want to be a web designer as a hobby, but if you’re serious, a degree can be so useful. The industry can change so much over the course of a 3 or 4 year degree, so chances are the software you learn in your first year will be out of date by the time you graduate, but the concepts always stay current. Experience is also important; it’s good to have a mix of academic and commercial work. If you are a “bedroom web-designer” then you put yourself in a bad position for the long term if you don’t have any formal training. Qualifications can help your clients believe in your ideas and abilities, and that gives you the freedom to break boundaries of web design.
Courses can also give you the confidence to take on new challenges. We approach every project from scratch and try to come up with the most unique, fitting response to the brief. Even if that means learning new languages, picking up new skills or using new technology, we can do it. Often we build custom hardwear and software to get the job done, and bring huge benefits to the people we work with, from independent artists to large corporations.
Web design is no longer something you can do alone. You need to get out there and meet people who are doing what you’re doing. Whether that networking comes from a course, or just taking along your portfolio to a local media event, it’s important to realise that the best web design happens in front of people, not in front of screens.
I believe strongly in continued education, and that anybody who wants to learn should be able to learn, not just in the classroom but out in the wider world. Because I want to keep HMC Interactive at the forefront of new technology I teach as a guest lecturer at other universities, not just passing on my knowledge but developing fresh ideas and new collaborations. One of these collaborations has been nominated for the Europrix Top Talent award in Vienna, proving that successful digital media relies on ideas as much as technology.
NETMAG: What's the best way to get into web design in your opinion?
There are so many ways to get into web design, my advice would be “Stay interested in everything.” Call up local web design companies and ask if you can visit them. Look at the designers or companies you admire and approach them, let them know what you do, and ask them what they need. You need to be constantly changing and evolving your skillset. Try to understand what is going on under the surface of the web. Any 12 year old with a demo copy of Dreamweaver can call themselves a web designer. You must show passion, integrity and vision, technical accomplishment will follow.
Labels: education, europrix, interview, magazine, submerge, university
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