Before commencing on this third and final unit of my PG Cert studies, I have been reflecting upon this learning journey, what I have learnt, the experience of being a student, the challenges of study and in particular managing time whilst engaging with all areas of my teaching and creative practices along with reacting to family issues, illnesses and a bereavement during the latter part of my studies on this course. This could have been an ARP research question.
I have asked myself, ‘could I have managed my time any better during this academic experience if I worked on one course rather than across multiple courses and universities’? The answer to that question, I would have to answer is ‘I don’t know.’ Or being really truthful, no matter what the level of on going working commitments, I would have struggled with time during this learning experience. A valuable learning experience for me to reflect upon about managing time and prioritising work within a given time frame.
Arriving in academia with 20 years design industry experience, early challenging exchanges with teaching colleagues have at times caused me to doubt ‘Why am I here?’. Feelings such as ‘less than’ or ‘an imposter’ have prevailed throughout my time and work at UAL (University of the Arts London). Coming to the realisation that I am already ‘doing it’ during my time on this PG cert course, has empowered me with a sense of ownership of my teaching practice. My aim now is to develop and enhance my teaching delivery with a clearer academic framework to supplement my industry experience, skills, and knowledge.
The teaching observations during unit 1 and the work I engaged with in response to and bias in unit 2 proved to be not only insightful but also extremely important in the development and growth of my teaching practice. My human and empathetic attributes have always been key in the delivery of my teaching. The teaching throughout this course and in particular during unit 2, has resonated with me not only in an academic context, but it also challenged me to consider what I have learnt and how I could apply it to all areas of my life.
As I move forward, my principles and an awareness of my strengths and weaknesses, how I respond to them and where possible improve on them, will be fundamental to the continued development of my teaching practice.
About Peter Chadwick
Peter Chadwick is an Art Director, Graphic Designer, author and educator.
Since graduating from Chelsea School of Art in 1991 with a first class honours degree in graphic design, he has gained over 28 years experience working as an art director and graphic design practitioner.
Chadwick has worked with major recording artists including Primal Scream, Beth Orton, Groove Armada, Girls Aloud, Nitin Sawhney, The Rolling Stones. Other clients have included Universal Music, Phaidon, Harvey Nichols, Sony Music, The Washington Post, Barbican and Peabody Housing.
Since 2005 he has been involved with academic teaching across all year groups on the BA Graphic Design Communication course at Chelsea College of Arts where he is currently a senior lecturer. He has previously taught at London College of Fashion, London College of Communication and Camberwell College of Arts and was a second year leader at Chelsea College of Arts from 2015 - 2020.
His teaching practice encompasses all areas of his design practices and utilises my industry experience. I am particularly interested in themes such as exploring and developing personal practices, importance of rudimentary graphic design skills, art direction, connecting with industry, mentoring, supporting graduates, internships, collaborative and live projects and the culture of the design studio.
Chadwick has also curated and organised the BA Graphic Design Communication professional talk series since 2015. He has invited practitioners, studios and writers such as Michael Bierut, Alice Rawsthorn, Stefan Sagmeister, Shona Heath, A Practice for Everyday Life, Anthony Burrill, OKRM, Nelly Ben Hayoun, Patrick Thomas, Astrid Stavro, DIA, Yuri Suzuki and Build to speak and share insights with the students.
He regularly speaks about his work at universities and arts organisations. Past talks have been given at the V&A, RIBA, Design Museum, Hay Literary Festival, Brighton University, S1 Art Space Sheffield, Falmouth University, Grafik Letterform Live, IDN Festival Singapore. He has also been interviewed on BBC Radio London and BBC World Service.
His work has been published in over 40 books and has been featured in The Guardian, New York Times, Dezeen, Creative Review, It’s Nice That, Design Week, Wired, Blueprint, The Washington Post, El Pais, Icon, Cool Hunting, Monocle, The Observer, The Guardian and been exhibited in the UK, Europe and Asia.
Chadwick’s self generated project ‘This Brutal House’ was launched on Twitter in 2014 as a platform to share my passion, interests, photography and work about Brutalism, all things concrete and modern. His Twitter and Instagram feeds have amassed over 90,000 followers since being launched in support of this ongoing project.
His first book ‘This Brutal World’ was published by Phaidon in 2016 and was voted one of the best architecture books in 2016 by Rowan Moore, architecture critic of The Guardian.
Chadwick’s latest book ‘The Town of Tomorrow’ documenting 50 years of Thamesmead, which he conceived, edited and organised funding for was published by Here Press in January 2019.
