Spare an hour of your incredibly valuable, important time

The nice people above are all from Bournemouth Uni. They popped in to the studio yesterday to have a quick look around and ask us a few questions.

I asked them who they were going to see after us and they said no-one. They'd contacted loads of studios but no one else had said they could come and have a look around. Some people (no names mentioned) didn't even reply. That's not very nice is it?

I've heard this before (can't find where I wrote about it) and it really fucks me off. It's just so rude.

Students are always saying to us that agencies never get back to them. Whether it's a short list of questions or a request to come and have a look around, no one bothers to reply.

I know we're not the biggest or the busiest studio in town, but surely everyone (or at least someone in the agency) can spare one hour? Just one little hour.

Let's be realistic. When these guys turned up it was a bit of a surprise as didn't realise it was one o'clock. Consequently I think my first words to them were, "Fuck". I was very busy on Thursday and could have done with having that hour to myself. But you could say that about any day, in any week, in any year. There's always something to do and there's never enough time.

But we enjoyed showing them round and we enjoyed answering their questions. But most of all I enjoyed their appreciation. You could tell it meant a lot to them that someone had bothered to show them round.

And I know the big well known studios get hundreds of requests like this and I know you can't say yes to every one. But you could say yes to one a week, couldn't you?

And you could actually take the time to reply and say no to the others.

Comments

[lauren]

lovely! actually, i see the link here between this and the previous post: being a good host is good business strategy.

[Tom]

Good on you Ben. I like the look of the one on the left.

[playout]

It's the same in Portugal.
Designer's have too much ego.

"Give away everything you know, and more will come back to you"
Paul Arden

Let's share more.

[Ben]

Tom - what's wrong with the other four?

[george]

I applaud your sentiments, although I did email you a while back with some questions about learning graphic design and never received a reply. But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, as I was having some email troubles at the time!

[Ben]

Haha thanks George. Check the FAQ's for my advice on this. And then send it again.

[Lebowski]

Did you offer them any tea?

[Ben]

We did offer, but students don't drink hot drinks anymore. Sad but true.

[Cas]

Jeans and designer jeans and designer's jeans and designer's genes. But I digress.
A while back, while job hunting for senior positions I was amazed at the lack of two way communication, post interview, there was across the board. There was only one company who took the time to write, a personal letter, you know the sort, pen, paper and stamps. It was a brilliant thing. As someone once told me it is not just about being great, it is also about being nice with it. So I applaud your commitment to being a ‘decent‘ chap and leading by example. Hopefully those student don't get discouraged by the lack of such hospitality that is more common in this town. Good luck to you!

[Vicki Brown]

I remember doing that at uni and being really dis-heartened by it. We did a module where 4 or 5 of us decided to put together magazines, and we got together and contacted loads of magazine designers and art editors. Loads. Then we dug out Jeremy Leslie's email address, and having just pored over his book thought, nah, he'll never reply if the art editor of Heat didn't. But he was (I think) the only one who did, and he was great. Maybe that's why he's where he is, writing books about other people's editorial design?

[Tom]

I can't get past the one on the left....I can't even see the other 4.

Anyway - enough of that nonsense.

In the usual fashion Ben - here is my announcement to you that I have just sent an e.mail to you with some feedback from my meeting the other day.

Not even an e.mail from my WORK address worked last time - so I hope you get it...let me know....