I'm slightly surprised no one has brought this up yet, but have any UK contributors seen the above show (BBC2, Mondays, c. 9pm)? It's a sort of "Apprentice" for designers, but with Starck playing the Alan Sugar/Donald Trump role.
I ask because so far, IMHO, it's been a total mess. Even if Starck weren't speaking in a second language, which certainly complicates matters (all the candidates are British), his briefs to the designers are so wide-ranging that the candidates have really struggled to come up with useful ideas. For example, in the last two weeks, he's asked the candidates to design anything (literally anything) that was "ecological" and "democratic", both terms left vague and undefined by Starck. Predictably, the contestants have floundered, confused and demoralised.
Critics of The Apprentice complained that it bore little resemblance to the world of business, despite its purported claims to be partially educational. I think the same criticism could be levelled at Design For Life. Does the show do design any favours, making it relevant to a mass audience? Or does it simply reduce the design process to something akin to a game show? If so, is this due to the choice of the (showy, charismatic, maverick) designer, i.e. Starck? Could a show like this work with a different, quiter and more considered designer? Curious to know anyone else's thoughts.
I Hate It
I started watching it, but can hardly bear to look at it now.
He's a pompous clown, and it has so little to do with design- it's all about gimmick (not really surprisingly)
The programme itself is also very poorly edited- half of it seems to be spent revisiting what has gone before..
I was going to bring it up when it first started- but it has dropped so low in my estimations I decided against it.
Wrong person for the programme in my opinion
I can't help but feel someone like Terence Conran would have made a much better job of it!
Hi UK-ers!
The link works but just after opening it is covered with a banner that says that the program is not available in my area (Canada). This being said, I did see the first part. Some of his statements are the usual proliferation of prejudice and nonsense. That Paris would be a good place for design for young British designers is highly questionable considering that Britain has about twenty times the amount of designers that France has and the same can be said for larger design offices. The most successful designer in terms of earned income is Dyson...not Monsieur Philippe. I liked the idea that the first assignment was not to design something but to select something in a department store. I also liked the fact that he rejected the "easy" solutions and I was quite surprised that he liked the idea of one of the contestants that linking a famous name to a product was encouraging irresponsible consumption...or did he not understand what she was saying?.
What I disliked deeply was that he pretended that they would learn something. To teach requires knowledge, the ability to communicate it and lots and lots of generosity. He did not show any of it...Philippe You are fired!
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