Design Trip To Dublin

This week we all got a day out to the capital as we headed towards Dublin, With the struggle there was to get up so early I was wondering if it was going to be worth it. After trying to get some sleep on the bus during the two and a half hour bus journey we arrived at our first port of call; IBM studios. When I first heard we would be going here I was rather excited as I was eager to see what a real world design studio looked like, I went on the trip in the hope I would come away with a better understanding of where I would end up in the design world after college.

On first impressions of IBM I was quite impressed, after being given a name tag I had a look around the main reception area and I was instantly amazed by the sleek sophisticated look of the place and even more so by the attitude of the people who worked there. There seemed to be a very good vibe around the building as we climbed the stairs to enter into the design studio, my first impression of this? I couldn't believe it was a place people worked and earned a living from. It was open, bright, colourful yet had a very professional vibe to it. Everybody knew what there job was and there was no more about it. Walls made of white boards, covered in sticky notes where people could write their ideas down and brainstorm, massive TV's at the end of every table so that people could share there ideas instantly with people who weren't nearby, the sense of connectivity was great, it was amazing to think that ideas can be shared so quickly, it speeds up the process an awful lot. We were given a tour of the studios and a lot of information about the company and about a new employees experience, I came away from this tour with a lot more knowledge than when I went in, it was invaluable to here from people in industry what exactly they looked for in a designer and what would get you hired. The tour inspired me to work hard also it was a glimpse of what hard work and dedication can get you.

After this tour it was into Dublin city centre, where we walked around and visited various places including the science gallery in trinity which had some very interesting things. One of the exhibitions was a pair of gloves that you could put on which were there to mimic arthritis, once the gloves were on you had to try open/close various jars and lids, it was a tough task and gave a very interesting view on what it must be like to suffer from this disease. Another part which was interesting was a series of pictures from a man who suffered from alzheimer's disease, he produced a self portrait at the beginning and at different stages through his struggle with the illness. This was a frightening and saddening insight into this disease.

All in all I think this trip to Dublin was an invaluable experience for all involved and I can say I learned a lot which will certainly help me on my road to becoming a successful designer.