The big news in the Design world is that John Maeda, author of the "Laws of Simplicity" has left the MIT media lab to become president of RISD (video) (Rhode Island School of Design). What a great move. RISD, which is a excellent school will be lucky to have him. In an Interview at BusinessWeek's NEXT blog, John says:
"I know that a great deal of my start up phase will be spent learning and listening about RISD’s unique strengths and using that base knowledge to figure where it could possibly go. Where can it go? Really the sky is the limit because it RISD is perfectly grounded in the perfect traditions of the past."
Right on. John, if you're listening—I have a thought:
Would you ever consider opening up the RISD blog to the outside world? How cool would it be to have academic discussions that transcend the halls of RISD and include perspectives from all over the place? I dunno. I could be wrong. Maybe it's a dumb idea. As a Pratt graduate, one of the things I loved about that school was that it's location in Brooklyn was the best of both worlds. It felt like a private Oasis in the middle of an urban jungle—but on the other hand, you could get to NYC in minutes and expose yourself to a universe of experiences. It provided an interesting mix of seclusion and exposure.
Design school was one of my favorite times in life. But I often reflect back upon it, and realize how many new skills I needed to learn once I joined the business world. I hope that 2008 promises more interaction between the worlds of academia, business and even design. What a great year it will be!
Tip 'O the hat: Bruce Nussbaum
