OPINION: Paul Brown says young design students need big ideas

Don't get me wrong, I'm not berating the methods employed by the teaching establishments - on the contrary, given the amount of subjects students have to cover in a relatively short period of time, they do an excellent job.
But here lies the problem. Students these days are expected to know so much about all the latest software packages and trendy techniques, on top of all the other basic skills like composition, colour theory, design theory, photography, etc, there's often little or no time left to teach them about the importance of ideas - let alone the processes available to have an idea in the first place.
I recently came across the expression "Think first, design later". This is a great reminder to all of us "creative types" to make sure that we invest enough time to thoroughly understand the brief before we put pen to paper.
The benefit in marketing terms is that good ideas can go way beyond the boundaries of the media they appear in.
Take Tesco's "Every Little Helps" campaign, an excellent example of how an idea can affect not only the customer experience but also staff behaviour. It also inspires creativity on behalf of the client to constantly come up with new ideas.
It's a campaign that travels well across all media, and I also love the fact that it's a big idea based on a little promise that just gets better over time.
It also proves that you don't always have to shout to be heard if you communicate well, people will listen, even when times are tough.
If there are any students who would like to show me their work, just get in touch - I'm definitely open to ideas.

PAUL BROWN is creative director at Liverpool-based Finch - The Ideas Agency