INDUSTRY

Mike Staniford

Executive Creative Director | Landor Associates

As the graphic design industry in Australia matures, greater demand will be made for graduates with world class thinking. Tougher, braver, more educated designers who are strong on ideas and bold with their imagination. Tractor aims to provide the Australian design industry with people who are match fit to meet the needs of the industry and ready to take their place in the professional practice of design.

Kevin Finn

Principal of Finn Creative | Founder and Editor of Open Manifesto | Founder of DESIGNerd

Tractor is a rather unconventional idea for a design school, but an incredibly welcome and practical idea nonetheless. In fact, it's surprising a school like this has not already been developed. What other institutions offer in design theory and academic rigor, which are important skills in their own right, they often lack (enormously) in preparing students for the practical realities of day-to-day design practice. For the majority of graduates - and potential employers - this is an untenable situation, but one that Tractor will thankfully seek to address.

Justin Smith

Creative Partner | End of Work | Ex Head of Design. Conran Design Group UK.

Eureka! A design school concept with real gravitas. As a student you get trained and inspired by a dozen of Australia's most influential designers. As a Creative Director you get to choose from the cream of the crop. As an industry we we gain the next generation of leading creative thinkers.

The best of the best. They will be. Can I be involved? Yes please.

Sam Pemberton

Designer | Generation Alliance

If you graduate from Tractor you're instantly more attractive, radically cooler, infinitely smarter, and probably employed, but not just at any old studio. Tractor literally opens the door to all the cool places where really attractive people create super sexy smart stuff.

A post degree course for post rationalisers, a college run by designers for designers, a forum for thinkers to share thoughts, an opportunity for opinionated people to form a better opinion. What a great idea - to create a college built on sharing ideas. What a great time to be a student of design. A golden opportunity, a gifted chance to learn, to teach, to sit at the table of your potential employer and just smile. Where do I sign up?

Myriam Kin-Yee

Co-founder and former Principal of EKH | Former design lecturer at Wollongong University

Having had considerable experience in both the design industry and the education of design in the last 30 years, I am thrilled that Tractor is offering (finally!) a teaching system which echoes the 'real' professional working environment. In the majority of design schools, training for the student entails an hour's lecture and some tutoring with most the remaining time a solitary activity. Tractor's emphasis on the studio environment, face to face interaction with practicing designers and working in collaborative teams will do much to bypass the graduates' usual reality shock on entering the workforce and the customary six month orientation and retraining necessary to make them a useful member of the crew.

An intense, industry based program of excellence is an idea which will attract the best of the best, usually students who see the value of going that extra mile...and you know what happens with the energy when you put very good people together, the work is 'best of the best' a hundredfold.

Jonathan Kneebone | Gary Freedman

Founders | The Glue Society

Australia's future relies on finding and developing talent in every aspect of life. And when a new school sets itself up as a place where really talented and driven individuals can accelerate both their inherent skills and ability to hit the workplace running, then it demands support - both financial and professional.

From a design perspective, Australia's place in the world puts it right up against some of the most advanced and best educated countries. If we are to be a force for future generations, then commitments are needed now to help discover and encourage raw ability.

The Glue Society has a reputation for being a world leader in the communication arts - but our continued success can only be guaranteed by being exposed to local talent capable of creating pioneering and mould-breaking work.

For all these reasons, then, we have no hesitation in giving our support to Tractor. We encourage those who are able to give what they can to turn this exciting vision into a powerful reality.

Sandy Belford

Director | Principals

I love the idea of this program and what Tractor is doing. Giving students access to people working in the industry in a practical and engaging way. We need this in Australia. The industry needs to invest in future talent, especially in the field of design and branding. I am very happy to be part of it, as is our company, Principals.

Mick Thorp

Regional Head of Design | Precinct Group

Hiring young, creative Turks is a necessary evil in keeping any design practice relevant and fresh. New blood equals new ideas and new perspectives. So why can hiring good, keen, inspiring and creative young bloods be an evil I hear you ask? A design school produces employable graduates with flair in spades, enthusiasm to burn and portfolios overflowing with creative thinking. After all that’s its job. All good, but often the one glaring omission in the junior creative’s repertoire is the healthy dose of reality. Graphic design is actually a business. What the? It wasn’t so long ago that my creative forebears were called commercial artists. Commerce = business, geddit? Time and effort needs to be invested by an employer/creative director/mentor to nurture, encourage and educate the new recruit not only in the ways of their business but that of their clients. There is a defined path from brief to creative exploration. This investment is always mutually rewarding but I have wondered why more emphasis on the commercial reality of what we do is not taught pre graduation. After all said and done, graphic design is a service industry. A client must always feel that they are getting return on investment from a creative and client service perspective. If not it’s unlikely that they will ever return. Tractor will prime their students for the reality of client expectation and the commercial aspects of the graphic design world. Hallelujah! I for one look forward to interviewing the first wave of business creatives. Well done!

Brandon Gien's

Managing Director | Good Design Australia

The 'design' of this design school is unique, creative and truly innovative. Why hasn’t anyone done this before?

We were thrilled to be the inaugural industry client and instantly fell in love with the concept. We presented the students with a very challenging brief – one we have been struggling with for many years ourselves – how to create a consumer campaign to raise the awareness of design through the Australian International Design Awards on a limited budget? The end result left us blown away and begging for more...

This approach to design education is a win-win for all. The design students are exposed to real projects and the best designers in the industry. The design educators get to share their industry experience with a captive and talented bunch of blossoming designers and the industry client gets exposure to the best of both worlds and a smorgasbord of fresh, creative and practical ideas.

We can't wait to explore the opportunities with Tractor as it opens up into other design disciplines. What an exciting time to be a designer!!