A great event in Dublin on Saturday. Certainly the most robust communities anywhere in the world are supported by the community itself. It’s even more heartening that the North West is starting to rally around similar events (Open Coffee Sligo & Mayo, Leitrim Business Network, North West Connects, among others) so it is no longer imperative to travel two hours to network with like-minded business people.

Quote of the day goes to Jerry Kennelly.

Sack the gobshites.

You only need to look to the public sector to see what a demotivated and unincentivised workforce can “accomplish.” I can also draw on my own work experience in the private sector. The worst mistake I made was not getting rid of a highly-productive, but toxic employee in my own group. Now, even in the private sector, the law seems to be on the employee side with enforced multiple stays of execution and fear of lawsuits tying your hands while your team looks on and begins to question your ability to lead. It wasn’t entirely my decision. But if you’re running the show, you must make the call.

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It’s a known fact that more people talk about a bad service experience than a good one, so it makes even more sense to give a shout out to a great example of stellar service. I had come across moo cards, but it wasn’t until last week that I finally made an order. This post will be long enough without walking through all the service design steps (Entice, Decide, Use, Support, Extend), so lets just stick with the moment the new cards arrived.

Yay! That’s right. This is an exciting moment. Just a sticker, but it sure beats a box with your first card taped to the top.

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Last night Gabriel and I DJ’d a set for the Native Speaker Summer Junior Camp at The Crib in Sligo. Gabe won a free spot at the camp for two weeks through an essay writing contest. When he heard they had a weekly disco on Friday nights, he volunteered to do it. Needless to say, it looks like we have a gig for the rest of the summer.

I used to DJ throughout high school and into college. I couldn’t imagine life without music, and would likely sacrifice my eyes before my ears, which is bizarre since I make most of my living through sight. Gabe has been developing his skills on the decks and today we officially launched GNET!C.

I’m digging the brand I whipped up this morning. What do you think? The last thing I need right now is another web project, but I made up little tent business cards; registered a domain at djgnetic.com and got us up on Twitter.

Most importantly, we dropped a hot set last night for a mainly Spanish and Italian crowd. At one point they were actually dancing on the tables. No joke. Can’t wait until next Friday …

… but a forgotten blog loses its relevance quickly. I could easily blame Twitter, or my lack of broadband (no more) for a lapse in posts. Blogging takes time and thought, and I had a chance to do some thinking today in Dublin with Reza Abedini and Paul Hughes during their Design for Cultural Diversity workshop at NCAD today.

Paul began by giving an overview of some research that was done in the Netherlands on how cultural diversity was represented in Dutch design. I’m sure similar hackneyed patterns exist throughout the world. Rainbow children holding hands in a circle anyone? The challenge is to move from the straightforward to a more refined, well-considered, researched and executed vision of diversity.

What is a common denominator beyond our nationality that connects us?

Reza followed Paul with an exploration of Persian culture and how that has influenced his work. I was initially struck that his schooling included Persian painting, calligraphy and even archaeology. How enlightened is that? His cultural explorations fell into several themes like Magic & Mysticism. Persian calligraphy, like zen calligraphy, is performed in a meditative state, where largely process is more important than outcome. War cloaks, covered in written prayers and magic, were believed to protect warriors in battle. While exploring Framing, Composition and Distance, Abedini remarked that “composition” is a modern term. Works from 500 years ago were done by artists “thinking about meaning before composition.”

I was left (again) with the sense that Irish graphic design has not fully explored or leveraged the visual history and cues of Ireland. I’m not suggesting one must reference the rich, cultural heritage of Ireland in all their work. To be sure, Abedini’s work is universal because it simply is great design in any culture. I didn’t need to read farsi to appreciate it. However, the layers of authentic reference add a complexity and depth beyond good composition, typography and colour. The local becomes universal simultaneously.

Cup season is in full swing and Sligo won the quarter-final match on a last-minute try. We’ll see if Gabe and the rest of the squad can repeat their cup run of last year. Corinthians are a tough side, so this victory was a great test. Final score, a narrow 7-0 thriller.