Design Bridge Portfolio Night voor D&AD New Blood Amsterdam

We sat twenty four students in a room and let loose a host of working designers to review their portfolios, and something unexpected happened.

The plan was simple: working with D&AD we invited design students to Design Bridge Amsterdam for a series of quick-fire portfolio review sessions with our designers. Each student would get eight reviews of three to four minutes, getting to hone their presentation skills whilst receiving feedback and advice.

What anticipated happened: we got to see a diverse range of work from 2nd year graphic design students through to advertising post grads. We got to see how various international schools teach and structure contemporary design. We got to experience irrepressible enthusiasm and fresh thinking.

And of course we found some students that we might want to hire.

Given some of the feedback on the night and since, the evening was rewarding for the students. For some, seeing the inside of a design studio and listening to everyone from creative director to junior designer talk about working life was something that was previously only imagined. They were suddenly immersed in the reality of a design career. For others it was a great chance to network and talk to people with a wealth of experience, branching as they were into a new field of design. For most it was also a great opportunity to get quality feedback on important folio pieces at a time when it can really make a difference.

This was what we expected and would have been more than enough to make the event worthwhile. But all of us collectively noticed something else, something that made the evening go from valuable to special. Something that left us all with a shared positive energy and sense of occasion that has lingered long after the students left.

A twenty six year old designer has a busy working life. Jumping from project to project, delivering within a set time and budget then moving on to the next thing. Work gets reviewed and things are learned, but the focus is on the designer's work. But when that designer sits and reviews a student's work they're momentarily in a very different place. They stop being the doer and they start reflecting. They see in front of them someone not so much younger than themselves, and no less talented, but separated by an entire careers-worth of experience. It's like meeting a version of themselves from five years ago. Each bit of advice, each story, each insight offered comes from something learned personally. They realize how far they've come.

Getting people together in a sharing context like this was infectious and inspiring for all involved. A group of designers relating and giving back to the next generation, the next generation being inspired by meeting who they could become. And Design Bridge's design team took a moment to step back to reflect on what we had learned and achieved on our journeys. In the mutual exchange we, unexpectedly, all got as much as we gave.

Olly Wright

Lees meer in de blogpost die voorafgaand aan de Portfolio Night geplaatst is met quotes van Frank Nas (Managing Director DB), Ella Schofield (D&AD) en Paul Silcox (Creative Director DB).