Monday, October 26, 2009
After a presentation about Hyper Island's methodology at the International Programme Office for Education and Training's "Yrkesutbildningsdagarna" last year, Hyper Island Director of Research & Development, Roger Sjögren, talked to the Programme about how Hyper Island puts slogans into practice.
Says Roger when asked if only persons with a certain type of personality can change during the education;
"That's not my experience. We are multidimensional people. It is not about transforming a human being. It is about getting someone to review a specific situation and embrace the behaviors that are constructive. I myself am terrified of conflict but I have learned to be in conflict because I know there is a positive way to find solutions. If I go and hide myself in my room, nothing will change."
Read the interview here:
- In Swedish
- Google translated into English
Monday, February 9, 2009
Hyper Island staff member Roger Sjögren and a Hyper Island student completed Hyper Island's Recruitment Tour stop in Kraków last week. Besides meeting potential students, Roger held a lecture at Jagiellonian University for both students and the Polish digital industry.
We caught up with Art Director Michal Ozorowski and New Media Designer Maciej Mlynek, both at Grupa PTR, who helped set up the lecture to find out what's going on in Poland.
What's going on digitally in Poland?
Michal:
Polish agencies are using more and more rich media. It looks like clients at least trusted in the power of motion design, video and unconventional methods of comunication. Now they see how important is buzz in nowadays mass-media.
Corporate blogs are still alive. Many of companies uses them to keep in touch with customers. Our digital world at least understood that new media is not just about nice pictures but it needs to be very comprehensive while working with clients.
Many digital agencies takes over tasks of classic creative agencies. It's because customers can see that they know that enviroment much better and they know how to use their tools more effectively.
Also many people noticed how strong a non-intrusive marketing can be and that internet is the best platorm to use it. 2008 was a good year for TV stations, few of them started their internet broadcasts. Even public television provides many programs over internet.
Most people who works in new media are young, so it's their first working experience. That means that they - we - have to learn a lot about life outside digital world. We've got here cult of working in small creative studios.
How does Hyper Island's type of education match the interests of digital creatives in Poland?
Maciek:
I think many creatives - if they still study - look for an up-to-date school where they can develop their skills and learn something new. Digital media industry is very specific because - as Michal mentioned - people start their work while they're pretty young, often before they start to study. So many times they don't study to find job - because they already have it - they study to get a "paper". I know that it can make people frustrated.
I think that Hyper Island is the right answer for this kind of demand. This is the place where you can learn beside people from top agencies around the world, and more - education is not aimed at teaching you computer programmes but more at teaching you how to communicate with other people. I think it teaches you this business in a very creative way. For me, good thing is that is only one or 2 years ;)
Michal:
As a head of digital agency I can tell that we haven't got enough of creatives who understands all aspects of that work. That's why HI experience would be very valuable for them.
Why did you arrange a lecture at Jagiellonian University?
Maciek:
I wanted to make the most of your coming to Kraków. I am an initiator, organizer and host of the meetings called "Witajcie w realu" ("Welcome to reality") that actually are inspired by your school. Almost once a month (from May 2007) during academic year we invite people from the industry to give a lecture about chosen subject. From the beginning it was my dream to invite you and arrange such meeting, also for professors to come and be inspired. Actually, I have only sent the invitation to my faculty's secretariat but thanks to my friend, one professor from Kraków's Academy of Arts attended the lecture. I don't know about this professor but I know other people were inspired by the meeting.
I can say that my dream came true. I personally hope that it will be one of the factors for making our digital media education better.
What do you think the lecture attendees learned about Hyper Island that they may not have known before?
Michal:
That it's not so easy experience as it seems. That being there is hard and sometimes frustrating work. And that Hyper Island is not about design (i think that many of attendees before lecture thought that HI is some kind of design school).
Maciek:
Similar to Michal, I think the attendees (including me) learned that Hyper Island is - as I wrote before - not only a design school but it lets you know more about yourself, teaches you character and how to communicate within the group.
Why do you personally like Hyper Island so much that you decided to get involved with our visit in Poland?
Maciek:
I can say that me and Hyper Island met each other somewhere in 2003 ;) I found the Crew 7 site first and from it I found your website. I was 19-years-old that time, I have started my design career as a 15-years-old rookie. Hyper Island looked as a perfect place to study. Excluding the fact that the studies were only in Swedish, there were few other reasons that I haven't decided to apply. That time it was more like a dream than a real decision: "yes, let's do it".
The passion have endured and Hyper Island is still my ideal educational institution. That's why I didn't hesitate a while to write to you and actually in some way persuade you to come to Krakow rather than to Warsaw (forgive me, friends from the capital!).
What do you hope to see in the future for digital work in Poland?
Michal:
More confidence from clients and bigger budgets. Rest is in our hands :)
Fulfilling of those conditions will allow us even to send our people for training in Hyper Island!
Maciek:
I hope that we will have more and more creative and high quality works and that clients will trust the agencies more which will be a benefit for both sides.
We really have many creative talents over here, so if some of them study at Hyper Island, be sure they come back ;) It would be also great to have some Hyper Island students doing internships in Poland. You're all invited!
Thank you Michal and Maciek!
One of the attendees has written about the lecture on his blog.
Read it here! (In Polish)
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Hyper Island staff legend (yes, he is) Roger Sjögren is back after having been elsewhere since 2004. We wanted to catch up and introduce him to those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting him yet.
Roger, after having been away for 3 years you're back. Where have you been?
After I finished working at Hyper Island early 2004 I moved directly to the Middle East to project manage a United Nation conference about Palestinian refugee children. Since I really found it interesting and great living in the Middle East region I decided to stay there for a while working with different cooperation development projects and international aid projects!
What experiences from your time away do you bring with you back to Hyper Island?
I have been working in multicultural environments which I think has taught me a lot more about how to gain constructive dynamics bringing people together from different parts of the world. I have also gained much more knowledge and experiences of working with large scale projects. Since Hyper Island is in its really first kind of phase of expanding outside Karlskrona and to open up one of the programs for english speaking people I know my knowledge and experiences from the last three years will be useful! :)
How long have you been involved with Hyper Island?
I was kind of volunteering in the planning phase of Hyper Island during 1995 even before it became a limited company. So I would say from the very very beginning!
Do you have a favorite success story from Hyper Island?
Wow, this one is really difficult to answer I think, since there are so many stories I found being great successes! Of course a favorite is that more than the majority of graduated students have got work postions they are really satisfied and happy with and that more than 80% of the students already have jobs when they graduate! I would also put forward the unique pedagogical model, that has several times been internationally recognized, as probably the greatest success of Hyper Island!
What do you think Hyper Island students bring to the industry that it otherwise would be lacking?
I think Hyper Island students in general hold a broad understanding of the industry that they are suppose to work in and having this holistic view is quite a unique and valuable quality when it comes to visionary and strategical work. I would also put forward that the industry needs to get a greater understanding of group dynamics and working with the self insight of staff and its relation to creating a more effective, healthy and more profitable working environment! All students at Hyper Island are well trained and experienced in such issues!
If you were a student at Hyper Island, what part of the education would you look forward to most?
I would look forward to all the problem solving moments and to use my creativity and practise in being creative in all moments of the education! I also would love the different challenges there are to try out myself and my capacity and experiences by taking on different roles and tasks, especially the ones I am less skillful in, in order to get a strong learning experience!
If you could say one thing to potential applicants out there, what would it be?
Believe in your own ability and capacity!
Any life lessons you want to share?
Once upon a time I was quite a shy person and I am introvert by nature, but even so I did put myself in many different situations that were quite frustrating for me and also very challenging. But I decided that in order for me to learn I had do things, try out things and allow myself to potentially fail. This has created a learning part of me that I am so happy and satisfied with, and it is difficult to see myself today not acting according to it!
Thank you Roger!