VCU Brandcenter launches Experience Design Track


Whenever I go to the VCU Brandcenter's recruiter session, I get so inspired when I talk to the Creative Technologists. They make some crazy-cool stuff. Tangible, with real-world applications. To be honest, the thought has crossed my mind... "Dang, I should go back to school and learn to do what these cats are learning."

So it's exciting to hear the news that the CT track is evolving. It will now be called Experience Design. The curriculum concentrates on the conception, design, prototyping and building of brand experiences  - pushing the envelope on what is technologically possible.

From the Brandcenter:

"We are experience designers.  We dream things.  We make things.  We break things.  And then, we do it again.  We don't define ourselves by the things that we make.  We do define ourselves by how those things make others think and feel and act. That is why, on any given day you might find us making any number of things:  ads, interfaces, apps, wearables, robots, flying machines, ... whatever it takes."

Last year's students were in high demand. They will continue to be so as agencies and brands see their increased value. Students interned and were hired by companies like Coca-Cola, The Barbarian Group, BBH, The Martin Agency, AKQA, Deutsch LA, and R/GA, to name a few.

 The track is run by Andrew Levasseur. Here's what he has to say about it.


If you're interested, here's some more info. This is without a doubt where the industry is headed. It's not surprising to see the school one step ahead.

Cris Carter on Stuart Scott



You probably saw the news a couple weeks ago that Stuart Scott, ESPN sports anchor, passed away after a long battle with cancer. Many moving and inspirational things were said about Stuart. He was indeed one-of-a-kind. You could see in the genuine reactions how much respect and love his colleagues had for him. One reaction that really struck me was Cris Carter's. I can't figure out how to imbed the video, but you can see it here, at about 5:10.

"He was a role model for me. He talked, on Sportscenter, like me and my friends talked. He did it his way and was great at it."

That, for me, summed up why Stuart Scott was so revolutionary. Before Sportscenter, sports news was kind of like the other news. The guys on Sportscenter talked about sports like fans, like a bunch of guys just hanging out watching a game. They changed the way sports were covered everywhere. Scott, in particular, brought a unique voice. He wove hip-hop references into his coverage and connected with young people everywhere--urban African-American kids because he sounded like them and young white kids because he just sounded cool. Someone could have--probably did at some point--tell him that he wasn't talking like a serious sportscaster. But he did it his way. He believed in his voice. That's what made him great.