Today was our last talk from Mike Press, and for me it was his best one. It was really inspirational to learn about what Africa has experienced in the past and the positive attitude and hope they have about the future.

I often feel a little awkward when people ask me what I am studying as I usually get a reply, so what is graphic design? What kind of job are you going to get with that? Rarely do I get the same reaction as my sister, who does nursing, people always seem eager to learn more about what she does, and often treat it with greater relevance. However what today has shown is that design can get into all kinds of areas. Not only as Mike worked within the area of crime and anti terrorism he has taken design to Rwanda.

It was interesting to learn that art is not taught in these schools, with the focus being on Maths, English, Technology, etc. The students had never used mind maps or brain storms let alone worked in teams. Mike mentioned the importance of design within this context, if students aren't taught art how can they develop creative skills which will help them to visualise their ideas. At the time of his visit there were only 8 designers in Rwanda, which is rather surprising but moves are being made to hopefully increase these numbers in the future.

Since reading Mike's blog and discussing the lecture today I think it would be a great opportunity to visit Rwanda and bring art into communities.

Art and design has definately got its place in all fields, areas and countries across the world.