A Manifesto for the UK Creative Economy
"The UK's creative economy is one of its great national strengths, historically deeply rooted and accounting for around one-tenth of the whole economy. It provides jobs for 2.5 million people - more than in financial services, advanced manufacturing or construction - and in recent years, this creative workforce has grown four times faster than the workforce as a whole.
But behind this success lies much disruption and business uncertainty, associated with digital technologies. Previously profitable business models have been swept away, young companies from outside the UK have dominated new internet markets, and some UK creative businesses have struggled to compete.
UK policymakers too have failed to keep pace with developments in North America and parts of Asia. But it is not too late to refresh tired policies. This manifesto sets out our 10-point plan to bolster one of the UK's fastest growing sectors."
(Hasan Bakhshi, Ian Hargreaves and Juan Mateos-Garcia, April 2013, NESTA)
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Simon PerkinsSHARE
The creative industries provided twice as many UK jobs as financial services
"This Monday, [Andrew] Marr hosted a special edition of Start the Week on BBC Radio 4 to celebrate the RCA's 175th anniversary with guests including former RCA rector and Arts Council chair Sir Christopher Frayling.
In the show, Frayling pointed out that the creative industries provided twice as many UK jobs as financial services, but that this contribution went unnoticed.
'What I never understand is, there are so many column inches about financial services all the time,' Frayling told Marr. 'Financial services contributes about 1% more than the creative industries, which employ two million people whereas financial services employ one million people. So in terms of contribution to the economy generally, the creative industries actually have it over financial services in almost every way. And how many column inches about it? Very little. So there's this huge impact but people don't seem to be noticing.'
In his article, Marr argues that because the economic value of art schools is difficult to measure, politicians fail to appreciate their importance to the economy.
'And there's where I think the trouble lies,' Marr concludes. 'To invest in art and design means putting public money into areas whose value cannot be captured on a spreadsheet, where concepts like productivity, value-for-money, inputs and outputs – which so reassure the political world – simply collapse. That means faith. It means risk.
'But, without it, hard times surely stretch out rather bleakly. Other countries understand this, including China where more than a thousand art and design colleges are operating and whose students greatly benefit from colleges here too."
(Dezeen, 21 November 2012)
Fig.1 Jim Rokos "22° 36° 48°", fruit bowl [http://rokos.co.uk/].
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Simon PerkinsSHARE
Creative Contexts: work placements
"This site is part of the Higher Education Academy supported Creative Contexts: Work placements, peer learning and professional practice in the creative industries Teaching Development project.
The Creative Contexts website hosts short videos exploring work placements in the media creative industries, and foregrounds student stories and questions. Contributions from students of 3 minutes videos sit alongside employer perspectives and advice from educators.
Themes covered include: Identifying and securing work placements; insights into working with others; activities undertaken; how work placement experiences connect together; challenges encountered and response; and feelings and experiences of 'fitting in'."
(Daniel Ashton)
Fig.1 "Creative Contexts poster".
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Simon PerkinsSHARE
Business incubator: newSplash Communication Design Studio
"The newSplash studio bridges the gap between design education and the workforce by employing students and graduate designers from the Otago Polytechnic in our real-life studio. Then we connect them with you!"
(Otago Polytechnic, Aotearoa New Zealand)
Fig.1 Video showing samples of the film work created by newSplash Communication Design Studio, which is located at Otago Polytechnic.
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Simon PerkinsSHARE
Computer Arts: 20 tips for getting your dream design job
"You know the studio, you’ve followed its work, and now you’re ready to get your portfolio through the door. Industry leaders give advice on how to get your mug on that desk
It’s a simple fact that there are more designers than there are jobs in design. Every year, a new wave of hopefuls emerges from colleges around the country to ensure the situation will only become more difficult. There’s some good news, though. Anecdotal evidence from the desks of creative directors around the world suggests that only 20 per cent of the applications they see are worth considering.
This is bad news for employers, as they have a lot of sifting to do, but for any designer worth his or her salt it considerably narrows the field. You are, in effect, only competing with the rest of that 20 per cent. The trick is to ensure you don’t get lost in the creative tsunami caused by the other 80 – and that’s what the wisdom collected here is intended to ensure. Creative directors, specialist recruitment agencies, advertising giants – the people you’re trying to reach – explain how to go about reaching them."
(Computer Arts)
Fig.1 http://www.jonathanyuen.com
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Simon PerkinsSHARE
