A big fat wedding. A significantly round-numbered birthday. A much-loved colleague leaving a long-held job. All of these special occasions call for a few well-chosen words to mark the moment. In short, they all need a speech.
I’d say that 300 issues of your favourite monthly design magazine is a similarly significant milestone, wouldn’t you? So who’s going to stand up on stage and say something? You? Me? No?
Because here’s the thing: most designers hate speaking in public. In fact, some of us hate it so much we’d rather eat a D&AD annual (even a really fancy one from the late 90s) than speak in front of an audience. It’s against our very nature. Think about it: many designers enter the profession because they’re naturally predisposed to the sorts of behaviours that make us good designers (and bad public orators) in the first place: we’re quiet, introverted, diligent and obsessed with detail and minutiae. We love nothing more than quietly losing ourselves in a creative challenge. Ideally alone, with a posh pen and a swanky sketchbook. Not on stage under swivelling spotlights, with a head-mic and some booming intro music. Yoinks!
The requirement to present publicly in front of audiences becomes increasingly pressing as our careers progress. And I’m not talking here about presenting to a design team or a small audience of clients or stakeholders. Both of these things are vitally important for the success of your projects, but they’re also both things that we eventually do with enough regularity for them to become a natural part of the job.
This story is from the January 2020 edition of Computer Arts - UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2020 edition of Computer Arts - UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Creative Space
Without’s creative director roly grant on the studio’s hand-crafted ethos
studio profile
A leading light in the branding industry, Wolff Olins wants to harness its scale to help change the world
network
THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY HAS COME TOGETHER LIKE NEVER BEFORE, TO HELP EACH OTHER GET THROUGH THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
project
ethos for 305 Fitness - Learn how the Montreal identity design studio rebranded one of America’s hottest fitness clubs
rebrand
WHAT’S THE EXPERT OPINION ON PENTAGRAM’S BRAND IDENTITY REFRESH OF THE GLOBAL TOY COMPANY FISHER-PRICE?
opinion
CRAIG BLACK HAS SOME ADVICE FOR SURVIVING THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS AS AN INDEPENDENT CREATIVE
fresh eyes
DUNCAN BRAZZIL ON HOW THE UK INSPIRED HIS CAREER
artist insight
Cindy Kang on how photography informs her illustration work
ANIMATION NOW
LEADING PRODUCERS AND FILMMAKERS REFLECT ON EMERGING TRENDS AND SHARE THEIR PREDICTIONS FOR THE YEAR AHEAD
Project: Atoll by Studio Myerscough
Morag Myerscough reveals how she and Luke Morgan designed a vibrant biophilic installation in a central London office tower studiomyerscough.com