Boutique Design - March 2018 - 80

TALENT GUIDE
Lookinglass Architecture & Design partner Emil Mertzel
shares real-world insights with the next generation of
interior creatives in his role as a professor at Southern
California's Art Center College of Design.
INTERVIEW BY CHRISTINA GREEN

THE SCOPE OF DESIGN WORK IS EXPANDING, AND SO ARE THE NUMBER
OF SKILLS JOB SEEKERS NEED TO HONE. HOW ARE PROFESSORS
PREPARING FUTURE DESIGNERS FOR PROJECTS THAT COULD INCLUDE
ANYTHING FROM 3D MODELING TO BRANDING?

One thing we've found effective is to integrate skillsets across courses-so a
design studio will have several classes as co-requisites, and the students are
working on the same project in all the classes as much as possible. This way
the subject matter in each class has immediate application to a problem at
hand, and the students can see in real time how all the skills and subject
mastery enhance the design solution.
MANY DESIGN STUDENTS SEEM TO HAVE THE TECH TOOLS AND FRESH
OUTLOOK TO CREATE BLUE-SKY CONCEPTS. DO THEY UNDERSTAND

boutiquedesign.com march 2018

BUDGETING-OR IS THAT SOMETHING THEY HAVE TO LEARN ON THE JOB?

Budget is discussed in broad terms in the classroom, often as part of making
sure that a project suits a particular hypothetical client. So if the project
involves a luxury brand, maybe blue-sky could be appropriate. But if the
project is smaller scale or for a non-profit or NGO, the designer might be
expected to do more with less. Our students also have to specify fixtures,
furnishings and materials as part of their coursework, so they get to see firsthand what these things cost, and it can be eye-opening.
Precise budget analysis is a bit too fine-grained for the classroom, and to
do it properly in the professional world designers will engage a cost estimator
or work directly with a contractor for feedback.
ARE TODAY'S DESIGN STUDENTS FINDING JOBS WHEN THEY GRADUATE?
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR THOSE STARTING OUT IN THE FIELD?

The design market in Southern California is pretty strong right now; our graduates are finding work. We also have a strong study-abroad and exchange
program, and we exhibit student projects internationally, so our graduates
often find work outside the region.
It's never easy to take risks with your career, but it only gets more difficult
as time goes on-so be open to taking advantage of opportunities. Also, it's
really helpful to figure out how to talk about what you do in a way that potential clients can understand. Make sure you know who your audience is.
WHAT DO YOU WISH PRINCIPALS UNDERSTOOD ABOUT THE CHALLENGES
AND FEARS NEW DESIGNERS FACE AFTER GRADUATION?

I think empathy is the main thing. It's easy to forget after you've been in the
industry for a while that the cost of living and student loans aren't what
they were back when we were in college (they've increased much faster
than inflation and faster than wages) and that we didn't graduate knowing
everything about professional practice that we do now. The design fields
were founded on an apprenticeship model, from which we've all benefitted.
It takes time to learn.
For more from Mertzel, visit BoutiqueDesign.com. 

S A S I PAT L E E L AC H A R T

EmIL mERTzEL HASN'T foRGoTTEN what it's like to learn. Having
launched Lookinglass Architecture & Design with business partner Nick
Gillock in Los Angeles during the dot-com era, Mertzel has a clear affinity for
independent ingenuity, a skill he now helps his students fine-tune as a
professor in the environmental design department at the Art Center College
of Design (ACCD) in Pasadena, California.
"I've always loved making things-and still do," says Mertzel. "There's something magical and fulfilling about bringing things to life. I'm also a bit of a geek,
so design attracted me because it was something I thought would let me be
creative, but also learn a lot of new things all the time. It hasn't disappointed."
Exploring new strategies has become more relevant than ever, especially
in the classroom, where students are readying themselves for a growing
scope of work and new economic challenges. Read on for Mertzel's thoughts
on what skills future designers will need to master to make their mark in this
rapidly evolving industry. And to see the fine dining and boutique hotel
concepts his pupils have been creating this year, stop by the ACCD exhibit at
Boutique Design West (BDwest), April 4-5 at the Los Angeles Convention
Center. (The school's environmental design students are also building the
backdrop for the BD Black Carpet Live! lounge.)

http://www.BoutiqueDesign.com http://www.boutiquedesign.com

Boutique Design - March 2018

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