C.A.N.A.C.A.

I had absolutely no idea who's Dulce Sarahi Villareal or "el hijo del papá", ... but now, I've been enlightened about the irony of life. That's one of the few things I've learned through Facebook. I just signed up last week, and I already have 104 contacts among family, friends and former students. It's nice to hear how well they're doing, some of them already parents, or getting married, or doing incredible jobs around the world.

Speaking of Design students, this week was the exhibition of projects by last year Massey University students graduating in Transport Design, Industrial Design and Visual Communication Design, Design exposure '08. One of the girls contacted me to ask for some advice on her project, and I must say that hers is in deed a very clever idea: "One significant area that is problematic for autistic children is Sensory Dysfunction, which is linked to development delays in communication, behavioural and social issues. The proposed design provides input to the tactile, vestibular and proprioceptive systems using calming therapeutic methods for both home and school environments."

This year, the exhibition was at the old shed of the Allinghy team, which is much better than the Britomart shed (at least you get the view of the wharfs on the way there). As usual, the exhibition was presented in a very professional way. Most of the students left printed booklets and business cards on their space... and what can I say? The exhibition was impecable. Of course there are better projects than others, some were missing some details, or are still a bit raw, but all of them were carried out with the quality expected for a final year project. The projects I liked the most: the ones that are "neutral" because they have to explore the whole set of issues necessary on a project. The projects I liked the least: the ones that are inspired or based on "kiwi ingenuity" because they hide behind a sense of national sympathy, so they are not judged objectively as a pure design exercise. Congratulations to all the graduating students and good luck at the final evaluations!

ciao