D&AD Graduate Academy {Bootcamp 2011}

Here's finally my slightly late (very late) blog about last weeks ventures to the big smoke, and most importantly, to the D&AD bootcamp! The week was a really fantastic experience; the organisers had really thought about what us newborn design graduates needed, as they had 75 excited and missioned graduates from courses varying graphic design, advertising, product, illustration and so on, they did a bloody good job! 


DAY 1:   DIFFERENT
I suppose I was expecting to be thrown into the deep end and challenged with ultimately brain cracking briefs from the minute we walked through the door; but what would that teach us from what we were already practising? Once all 75 of us entered and the doors were closed behind us, I think each one of us was caught quite unaware of what the week would really entail.


Day 1 was an intense and very unusual day of what I can only imagine an AA therapy session to be like. Confessions, self questioning, guilt tripping, blank reactions, 'neutral poses', generosity, brilliance and a hell of a lot of smiling. A very strange day which left me feeling a little reluctant (I've been lucky enough to have had a great upbringing enabling me to naturally be truthful, generous and positive, feel free to disagree?) therefore I maybe got less of of today than others, but for some I appreciated it was priceless experience. 


Finished off with an entertaining screening from one dot zero.


DAY 2: INTERESTING:
Lesson of today; be truthful to your beliefs. Be a linear kinda person! Therapy over, today we met Kevin Palmer from Kin and Derek Yates who both gave inspiring and exciting presentations based upon identity and communicating a group message which would then fuel our ideas for a following brief which we would be tackling for the remainder of the week. Cascade 2011, form groups and sell an idea that links us all as a group. 


Day 3 & 4: Ideas, Ideas & Discussion!
After lots of discussion about OCD, limbs, and other strange commonalities; our group decided the only way to crack this brief was to get NAKED (mentally)and forget our former inhibitions, forming a solid and focused group. Today was all about inspiration, so where else better to head but Brick Lane?

DAY 5: FINALE!
The day starts at the home of Iris Nation, and after a nerve wracking morning of presentation rehearsals, we finally got to share our ideas with the pros. 20 minutes and a good discussion later, it was time to stuff our faces with buffet lunch and relax!  Next up for a few fun little exercises and then a sit down with the guys from Mother to learn about their green box idea for Becks (I'll save for the next blog).....


After a fantastically exhausting week, before the big sleep, it was time for a well earned few beers with my 75 new friends!! :D