Great Idea but No Powerpoint Please
An article on academic entrepreneurship appears in a recent edition of the Irish Times Innovation supplement. Written by Dr Rory O’Shea, a lecturer in the UCD school of business, the article looks at the difficulties facing academic entrepreneurs trying to establish themselves in the commercial marketplace. Dr O’Shea calls for entrepreneur centers to be established in each Irish university. The centers could offer mentoring services, create links with investors and encourage a culture of entrepreneurship. Dr O’Shea points out that ‘these centers could quickly affect research institutions and dramatically improve the prospects of would-be academic entrepreneurs looking to bring their ideas out of the laboratory and into the commercial marketplace’.
I believe a move to establish such centers could create a lasting boost to the Irish economy. Nevertheless, for them to be a real success they need to avail of the many skills used in the design industry. Having lectured both on undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the past, one area I feel is in real need of assistance is presentation. You may have a world changing concept but it is worthless if you can’t sell the idea to a potential investor or partner. Prior to establishing Red&Grey we observed many different methods of presenting while working in studios in Dublin, Amsterdam and New York. We are huge fans of the TED (technology, entertainment, design) talks as well as the Walker Arts Center and D&AD lecture series. In short we understand the power of good presentation skills. Unfortunately the majority of presentations I’ve seen outside the design arena use powerpoint. Tyler Brulé is the editor-in-chief of Monocle magazine and a weekly columnist for FT Weekend. In a recent article for FT Weekend on better conferences he calls for the presenters to either stop using powerpoint or ‘at least refrain from using silly fades, dissolves and lurid colours such as bright purple’. As nasty as powerpoint is, I don’t see it as being the main problem. A better designed application wouldn’t necessarily make you a better presenter. You need to learn and understand the specific skills involved, which to get back to my original point is why you need to avail of a designer’s expertise.
Bob Gray
Design Director
May 2009
