The case for going to college
While I’ve moved on from being a designer (and arguably, most designers should at some point move from being *just* a designer), there is always the ever present debate of whether a designer should go to college. I’m not particularly against designers who are self-taught, but I am an advocate for anyone going to college whether for design or almost anything else. It just opens so many more doors, also you learn to deal with people. In the specific instant of design I think there are a couple invaluable reasons to go to school.
1. The peer group. This is so incredible important in the early life of a designer. I think that feedback of early work amongst one’s peers is essential. To a certain extent it’s finding one’s voice and personal style of the designer. It also lays the groundwork for future work habits.
2. Learning context. I once asked an instructor how she could grade art. She gave a good, if rote answer. Art can be graded based on what has come before and the rules that have already been established. The same can be said with design. Of course another rote idiom applies here: You have to know the rules to break the rules.
3. Experience. Not real world experience, but experiences in different aspects of communication, whether its printmaking, bookkeeping, or painting. These experiences I think help round out a designers work and voice, and expose the designer to things they may not necessarily be exposed to if they are self-taught. There is something to be said for a well rounded education.
Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2011 in Business • Creativity • Critique • Featured • Strategy
