Elmwood CEO – Visiting Prof of Innovation
Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:49:00 GMT
The University of Huddersfield welcomes brand design guru Jonathan Sands OBE
Innovation through shared cross-discipline teamwork is the key to brilliant design, and new ideas stresses the University of Huddersfield’s new Visiting Professor of Innovation, who has been holding a stimulating series of sessions with students.
Jonathan Sands OBE (pictured) is renowned for his expertise in brand design and is the CEO of the brand agency, Elmwood. Elmwood has offices in Leeds, Melbourne, Singapore and New York, and has won more ‘design effectiveness’ awards than any other agency worldwide.
His association with the University of Huddersfield began ten years ago, when he was awarded an honorary doctorate for Design. Now his link with the University is strengthened further, with the Visiting Professorship. Jonathan Sands is playing a key role a project backed by the Royal Academy of Engineering, designed to encourage collaboration between engineering and design students.
This collaborative theme was at heart of the message delivered by Jonathan Sands when he conducted workshops with several groups of students at the University’s new 3M Buckley Innovation Centre.
“Great design is by teams, not individuals, so cross-functional working – such as engineers working with graphic designers – is really important,” he said.
“At Elmwood we have people with all sorts of different backgrounds, with multi-disciplinary skills, and it is the differences that make you look at things in a different way.”
Taking the ‘world view’
During his career, Jonathan Sands has seen huge changes in the design industry. Companies that have survived in an increasingly competitive field have either catered for a small, niche markets or, like Elmwood, they have gone global. (See him talk in-depth about his career and what the future holds for Elmwood in the videos below)
The University of Huddersfield recently won the award of the Entrepreneurial University of the Year 2012 and the Elmwood boss is keen for Huddersfield students to seek out innovation by taking the ‘world view’.
“That means understanding ethnicity and keeping an ear to the ground on what is happening in far-flung places. Also, you must make sure you go and see things in real life – see how people use products, because you have got to design with the user in mind. If you always go to look at things from your own perspective you will just design things for yourself.”
Jonathan Sands had begun a career in advertising when, aged 21, he joined Elmwood, then based in Guiseley. He soon rose to become managing director and later took over the company in a management buyout. It was high-risk move at the time, but now Elmwood has a staff of well over 100 and operates around the world.
Despite his globetrotting workload, Jonathan Sands is committed to his Visiting Professorship at Huddersfield and will be working closely with the School of Art, Design and Architecture. He aims to hold regular workshop sessions, lectures and masterclasses with the students and will deliver his inaugural professorial lecture in the Spring.
And he is delighted to base his activities in the new £12 million 3M Buckley Innovation Centre.
“I think it’s fantastic and I love the idea behind it, mixing business with the University and lots of different enterprises on site, sharing their skills. It will be great for Huddersfield.”
