Design Education Talks Ep. 67 – Tony Edisson

Lefteris Heretakis

“If students come in, not really motivated, if they’re a bit blase, if they’re not hungry for education, maybe if they don’t see a purpose in what they’re doing. They’ll achieve mediocre results, and they may not enjoy it as much as they would. And certainly the impact upon graduation, their impact in the workplace, isn’t going to be as impactful as it could, could and shouldn’t be. So yeah, it’s all well and good teaching skills. But I think changing mindsets, in higher education, developing confidence, self esteem, is really important as well. Because without that there’ll be a fear about experimenting, a theory about failing, which is essential especially in our our domains.” 

Simon Collins – What Design Schools Get Wrong About the Real World – Design Education Talks

Simon Collins is one of the most internationally experienced figures working at the intersection of design education, creative leadership and innovation. His career spans global brands including Nike, Zegna and Polo Ralph Lauren, leadership roles at Parsons School of Design, advisory work with governments and major institutions, and his current position as Chief Creative Officer of the Design Innovation Institute Shanghai. Having lived and worked across Europe, the United States and China, Simon brings a rare perspective on how creativity, education and industry intersect across cultures.In this conversation, we explore the evolving purpose of art and design education at a time when artificial intelligence, globalisation and rapidly changing industries are forcing educators to rethink long-held assumptions. Rather than focusing on software or technology, Simon argues that the true purpose of a design school is to teach students how to learn, how to remain curious, and how to approach complex problems with confidence and imagination. Drawing on decades of experience as both practitioner and educator, he reflects on design thinking, innovation, sustainability, industry collaboration, educational philosophy and the relationship between Western and Eastern approaches to creative education.This is a conversation about far more than fashion or design. It is about the qualities that make creative people valuable in an uncertain world: curiosity over certainty, learning over knowing, and thoughtful action over fashionable rhetoric. Whether you are an educator, student, designer, researcher or creative leader, Simon Collins offers an honest and thought-provoking perspective on what art and design education can become when it refuses to separate imagination from reality, and creativity from responsibility.Since its inception in 2019, Design Education Talks podcast has served as a dynamic platform for the exchange of insights and ideas within the realm of art and design education. This initiative sprang from a culmination of nearly a decade of extensive research conducted by Lefteris Heretakis. His rich background, intertwining academia, industry, and student engagement, laid the foundation for a podcast that goes beyond the conventional boundaries of educational discourse.See all of our work on on https://linktr.ee/thenewartschoolFollow us on twitter at @newartschoolRead our latest articles at https://newartschool.education/and https://heretakis.medium.com/Equipment used to produce the podcast:Rodcaster pro IIRode NT1 5th generationElgato Low profile Microphone ArmMonster Prolink Studio Pro microphone cableThe rest of the equipment is here 👉https://kit.co/heretakis/podcasting
  1. Simon Collins – What Design Schools Get Wrong About the Real World
  2. Graham Fink – Why Process Matters More Than Finish in Creative Work
  3. Dan Vlahos – Dynamic Media, Critical Thinking, and Design Pedagogy
  4. Jan Kubasiewicz on Teaching Design as a System of Meaning
  5. Nikolaus Hafermaas – Berlin Unplugged: Design, Education, and the Courage to Disrupt

Professor Antony Eddison PFHEA. With a professional lifetime of teaching, management & leadership in Further and Higher Education in the UK and internationally, Tony is Advisor and External Examiner at several universities for innovative post-graduate programmes, as a practitioner he has worked in Architecture, Design and related Creative Industries and as an artist has most recently exhibited his work at The Royal British Society of Sculptors, London.
As a Senior Associate with QAA Tony works periodically on UK and international Further and Higher Education projects. His consultancy and research focus on developing new ways of unlocking creativity and innovation in business and education inspired by the innovative application of Design Thinking, FABLAB Maker-Spaces and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®. His research publications focus upon archaeology, cultural-heritage and the use of VR in engineering, health and well-being and hazardous situation simulation.

Tony is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy UK and from time to time is engaged as a consultant on a variety of business & international higher education related assignments and mentors those working towards levels of Fellowship recognition with AdvanceHE. 
Tony also heads up a small enterprise which designs and hosts innovative virtual and augmented reality online tours and experiences of castles, stately homes, and other buildings with a focus on communicating our cultural heritage to a global audience.

To end on something quirky, Tony is a keen cook, has been a voice-coach to a well-known celebrity chef and was fortunate enough to conduct the last recorded interview with the first chef to take cooking out of the kitchen, Keith Floyd. Tony can be contacted at ant_je10@yahoo.co.uk

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Published by Lefteris Heretakis

Navigating you through the disruption in #art, #design and #designeducation.

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