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Programme of Design events for businesses and designers launches in Highlands and Islands

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  • Design experts Iain Aitchison of Plan and David Freer of O Street leading events as new Design Network in the Highlands and Islands launches. 
      
Iain Aitchison of Plan and David Freer of O Street

The Design Network has unveiled the first events in a programme to be staged across the Highlands and Islands in the coming weeks beginning with Skills for Strategic Design Consultancy in Inverness tonight, 21 August 2015.

The network is part of an exciting new partnership between The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). The Creative Futures Partnerships sees the expansion of the GSA across the region, and will make a wide range of teaching and research opportunities available to students, businesses and communities.

The Design Network will take the form of an internationally linked, entrepreneurial design and design research network. Beginning with events in Inverness, the network then goes to Oban and the Shetland Islands and will reach across the region as the programme develops.

The initiative is led by Kate Hooper, Senior Production Manager at the GSA’s Institute of Design Innovation and Iain Hamilton, Head of Creative Industries at Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

“Through the Design Network the GSA and HIE are collaborating to support a flourishing design community in the Highlands and Islands,” says Kate Hooper. “It will link communities and businesses in the region into national and international design expertise and design research.”

“We are particularly aiming to develop a nuanced understanding of design and designers in the region, and to create a greater awareness amongst non-design companies of the transformational qualities that design brings to businesses and communities,” she adds.

Iain Hamilton, Head of Creative Industries, HIE said: “We’re delighted to launch the Design Network, which will give voice to the design community across the Highlands and Islands. The idea is that the network will grow along with the businesses themselves, and by recognizing the skills and talents that already exist in the area we can all work together to grow this reputation far beyond the region.”

“I’m particularly excited to see the level of demand that there has already been for these sessions.”

In the first Design on the Road event tonight - Skills for Strategic Design Consultancy - Iain Aitchison Director of London-based design strategy consultancy, Plan will share his experience and expertise with design practitioners.

The second Design on the Road event -Bespoke, boutique and international- will take place in Oban on 10 September. It will be led by David Freer, co-founder of boutique design studio, O Street, and is aimed at small to medium sized creative businesses who are keen to reach out to national and international clients.

The third event - Exploiting creativity with software tools - will take place in Lerwick on 1 October and will see Don McIntyre from the GSA’s Institute of Design Innovation return to his roots to lead an exploration of creative approaches to using software tools to help small businesses. 

Meanwhile The Design Network is also hosting a sell out session, Preparing for Art School at the beginning of September.

Further details of the events and how to book below.

Ends

Further information:

Notes for Editors

  • The Creative Futures Partnership’s Design Network is a collaboration between The Glasgow School of Art and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. It aims to offer communities and businesses across the Highlands and Islands access to national and international design expertise through a range of formal and informal events. Its programme will also be aligned with the research and teaching work of The Glasgow School of Art.


DESIGN ON THE ROAD 1:

SKILLS FOR STRATEGIC DESIGN CONSULTANCY
Date: 21st August 2015, 6pm – 8pm
Venue: Ironworks, Academy Street, Inverness, IV1 1LX
Free to attend

An informal session aimed at designers and aspiring designers who may be interested in broadening their roles.

Research shows that there is a direct link between design and better business performance.  As a result, designers' skills are increasingly in demand in a wide range of strategic roles advising on areas such as business processes and decision making.

Iain Aitchison is Director of London-based design strategy consultancy, Plan. He often works from the Highlands and Islands, where he has a home. He’ll share his perspective on the top skills designers in the region can develop to take on more strategic roles. From being able to frame complex problems to facilitating multidisciplinary decision making or developing your own design brief, Iain will share his top tips from over a decade consulting to top global firms including Bacardi, British Gas, Lenovo, Mars, Samsung, Unilever, Wrigley’s and Yamaha Motors.



DESIGN ON THE ROAD 2:

BESPOKE, BOUTIQUE AND INTERNATIONAL.
Date: Thursday 10th Sept  6-8pm
Location: Oban, venue to be announced

Bespoke, boutique and international.
This informal session is aimed at small to medium sized creative businesses who are keen to reach out to national and international clients, and is hosted by David Freer, co-founder of boutique design studio, O Street. David will share ideas and examples on building new business leads and relationships in national and international locations, as well as looking at new ways of working remotely.

David co-founded boutique design studio, O Street in Glasgow 8 years ago. He specialised in Graphic Design at the GSA and Rhode Island School of Design. He has lived on both sides of the Atlantic and spent the start of his career at Saatchi & Saatchi in London. He is now also a research associate of the Institute of Design Innovation at the GSA


DESIGN ON THE ROAD 3:

EXPLOITING CREATIVITY WITH SOFTWARE TOOLS
Date: Thursday 1st October
Lerwick, Shetland, venue to be confirmed.

Creative Technologist and Programme Director at the Institute of Design Innovation, Don McIntyre heads to the place of his birth to host this session, which explores creative approaches to using software tools to help small businesses. 

Booking information will be released soon





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