Design Education
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- fresnobob0
The problem with a lot of design schools is that they teach you how to make something that looks like graphic design, you know, throw in some type with a photo on a grid and make it look current. Typography and images are not graphic design. The institutions and the educators who teach good graphic design well will tell you that graphic design is not a product, it is the process of solving a problem, which just happens to take the form of graphic design. Unfortunately many designer do not themselves truly understand what graphic design is and therefore cannot teach it. I don't believe it has to do with instructors being out of touch with " the current realities of design," but rather being out of touch with modern thought in general, and by modern I mean, like, after the dark ages. Society doesn't need any more monks copying manuscripts by candlelight, thank you very much.
- kelpie0
haha, lot of truth in that fresnobob...
I'm not even sure if I can still give you a genuine evaluation of whether my course was any cop and what I took from it. Too much water has passed under the bridge since then, I've learned far too much on the job to discern and I'm not sure anymore what I taught myself at the time and what I learned from others.
I can say that back then I suspected that it was neither teaching me how to think in a creative way or furnishing me with the correct skills and tools to survive in the real world. Consequently I attended less and less as time went on, completing my assignments my own way at home and dropping them in monthly, untill I eventualy left altogether and spent 1 year on the dole, then a year freelancing as a kind of Open University education before breaking into the industry.
I will also say I still suspect that I am missing vital philosophical tools I see reflected in peoples work, in the thinking which has informed it, and that I still to this day happen across fundamental techniques which I can't belive I was not taught (typographical, conceptual etc) at the time, which immediately improve my solutions to briefs...
This my well simply reflect that life is a continual learing process, however, and not in fact say an awfull lot about the course I (partialy) attended 10 years ago.
- Chimp0
I'm starting to think its not worth going to uni in the UK. I'm not sure tuition fees and loans are worth it. For some, it might be better to start trying to get work experience at 18 and working your way up. Although I'm sure this won't work for every one.
- studderine0
school is good. work while you're in school if you can.
- Maaike0
I teach on a BA course in Communication Design 2 days per week, the rest of the time I work in the industry. I love teaching, I love doing design. The course I teach on has a major focus on visual research and on most projects, the students research folder is 50% of the mark. It allows students to develop a diverse range methods of research (visually and theoretical) within the scope of the brief - the focus is the process. As a tutor you guide the process, you don't direct. There's nothing better then seeing a shy first year leaving 3 years as an amazingly talented creative person who can actually think. If that's my ego thing c'est la vie.
- lowimpakt0
do your courses put out much in the way of, say, production issues or business development?
- Maaike0
they do; we run 'professional practice units' throughout the course with a larger emphasis on it in the last year (this includes competition briefs etc) learning a software or other production methods are intergrated into the brief. No doubt many other graphic design courses out there work in a similar fashion?