Nicole Roberts MFA Thesis Visual Component Artwork - Savannah ...
Nicole Roberts MFA Thesis Visual Component Artwork - Savannah ...
Nicole Roberts MFA Thesis Visual Component Artwork - Savannah ...
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Unlike any other major of study, graphic design<br />
education is riddled with countless inconsistencies, from<br />
the trade schools to the liberal art colleges; from the<br />
independent art schools to the university departments<br />
of design. National academic accreditation is not in<br />
demand and professional certification does not exist.<br />
Realistically, a student’s performance in the<br />
professional workplace upon graduation is the only<br />
measurable indicator as to the qualitative success<br />
of pedagogical practices. One of the primary goals<br />
for graphic design curricula is to prepare students<br />
for success in today's professional workplace.<br />
However, with vast curricular variables and<br />
ever-evolving technological advances, students<br />
are left with an opaque definition of what<br />
it truly means to ‘meet industry standards.’<br />
Changing Graphic Design Pedagogy seeks to<br />
clarify this definition by providing a consistent<br />
criterion of professional expectations.<br />
CHANGING GRAPHIC DESIGN PEDAGOGY<br />
scad-atlanta 2010<br />
<strong>MFA</strong> THESIS<br />
a master OF<br />
fine arts thesis by<br />
NICOLE R. ROBERTS<br />
With surveys from leading designers,<br />
professionals, educators, and students, Changing<br />
Graphic Design Pedagogy provides diverse, informative<br />
perspectives that highlight opportunities and formulate<br />
solutions to better prepare students for the heightened<br />
demands of the twenty-first century workplace.<br />
NICOLE R. ROBERTS<br />
Educator Objectives<br />
Student Realities<br />
Professional Expectations<br />
for the<br />
21 ST Century<br />
Wor k p l ace
CHANGING<br />
GRAPHIC<br />
DESIGN<br />
PEDAGOGY<br />
a master of fine arts thesis by<br />
NICOLE R. ROBERTS<br />
i
© 2010<br />
<strong>Nicole</strong> R. <strong>Roberts</strong><br />
nrober24@student.scad.edu<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art & Design<br />
Atlanta, Georgia<br />
All Rights Reserved<br />
Special thanks to:<br />
Barry Roseman, <strong>Thesis</strong> Committee Chair<br />
Liset Robinson, Topic Consultant<br />
Stephanie Batcos, Editor<br />
Peter Wong, Advisor<br />
and participants of the research survey<br />
ii
Design is one of the most perplexing pursuits in<br />
which to excel, yet as a profession it is relatively<br />
easy to enter. It requires no accreditation, no<br />
authorization from official institutions. There is no<br />
set body of knowledge that must be mastered by<br />
the practitioners. [Regardless] the designer must<br />
contend with encyclopedic amounts of information,<br />
not limited to any particular idea or form.<br />
Paul Rand<br />
iii
contents<br />
Abstract .................................................................................... 1<br />
Introduction ............................................................................... 2<br />
Fundamental Skills ..................................................................... 6<br />
Creativity .................................................................................. 10<br />
Craft & Technique ..................................................................... 14<br />
Design Discourse ...................................................................... 18<br />
Dexterity in Digital Media ......................................................... 22<br />
Multi-Disciplinary Approach ...................................................... 28<br />
Innovative Business Strategies .................................................... 34<br />
Social Responsibility ................................................................. 40<br />
<strong>Visual</strong>izing Curricular Concepts ................................................. 46<br />
Conclusion ............................................................................... 62<br />
Bibliography ............................................................................ 64<br />
About the Author ...................................................................... 67<br />
About Survey Participants ......................................................... 68<br />
v
Craft continues to be a big part of<br />
design today, but what’s changing<br />
is the movement outward. Design<br />
is becoming less inwardly directed<br />
and more socially directed.<br />
Ellen Lupton<br />
vi
abstract<br />
Leading professionals learn to adapt quickly as technology<br />
and globalization continue to change how we consume<br />
graphic design. All too frequently, it is the collegiate<br />
design schools that are slow to respond to this continuous<br />
learning curve. Unlike any other major of study, graphic<br />
design education is riddled with countless variables and<br />
lacking professional certification to ensure the proficiency<br />
of its graduates. Realistically, a student’s performance<br />
in the professional workplace upon graduation is the<br />
only measurable indicator as to the qualitative success of<br />
pedagogical practices. Expectations of new graduates are<br />
defined by leading professionals in terms of (1) creativity,<br />
(2) craft and technique, (3) design discourse, (4) digital<br />
media, (5) multi-disciplinary approaches, (6) innovative<br />
business strategies, and (7) social responsibility. By aligning<br />
professional expectations with student realities, educators<br />
will be able to better visualize current curricular objectives<br />
and initiate an informed future of pedagogical change that<br />
ensures more competent graduates for the twenty-first<br />
century workplace.<br />
1
introduction<br />
The curriculum for the Bauhaus<br />
School in Weimar, Germany<br />
combined coursework derived<br />
from architectural programs, crafts<br />
schools, and academies of the arts.<br />
2
introduction<br />
Since William A. Dwiggins first coined it in 1922, the term ‘graphic design’ has<br />
witnessed a definitive expansion from its origins of exclusively printed communications.<br />
Its perception has evolved from a mere craftsman’s trade to a multifarious “professional<br />
craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force.” 1 How we perceive design has evolved<br />
in tandem with the expeditious advancements in communicative technology and the<br />
globalization of business in a continual expansion. Twenty-first century graphic design<br />
is no longer a luxury commissioned by billion dollar conglomerations, or exclusively<br />
found tucked away in highbrow museum galleries. Design is now a household term<br />
for the average consumer, however loosely understood. With this increased public<br />
awareness comes increased public demand. Leading professionals learn to adapt quickly<br />
in the field, continually learning and implementing new methods and technologies as<br />
consumer demands arise. All too frequently, it is the collegiate design schools that are<br />
slow to respond to this continuous learning curve. Some progressive graphic design<br />
departments revisit their curricula often to incorporate new industry advancements, while<br />
others stumble upon the politics of academia, preventing their good intentions of timely<br />
refinement. Many hold fast to the form-based Bauhaus teachings, while others embrace<br />
the complex postmodern concepts and tools of what is now termed the “information era.”<br />
Proactive educators learn new software and have begun to reinvent the balance of teaching<br />
technical skills with teaching critical thinking. 2 Graphic design historian – Philip Meggs<br />
denounces, “While many schools are busy manipulating form, the profession is busy<br />
manipulating minds. American design education has drifted toward European modernism,<br />
while American graphic design has maintained a pluralistic pragmatism. Students often<br />
suffer an intense culture shock after graduation, for they have been taught to be form<br />
manipulators, while the profession demands that they become message makers.” 3<br />
1 AIGA: The Professional Association for<br />
Design, “About AIGA,” AIGA, http://<br />
www.aiga.org/content.cfm/about-aiga<br />
(accessed January 31, 2010).<br />
2 Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips,<br />
Graphic Design: The New Basics<br />
(New York, NY: Princeton Architectural<br />
Press, 2008), 5.<br />
3 Philip Meggs, “Pedagogy vs. the Real<br />
World,” from AIGA Journal of Graphic<br />
Design, vol. 4, no. 1, 1986, in Meggs:<br />
Making Graphic Design History, ed.<br />
Rob Carter, Libby Meggs, and Sandra<br />
Wheeler (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &<br />
Sons, Inc., 2008), 75.<br />
3
introduction<br />
The dichotomy Meggs describes is evident within many of today’s new graduates.<br />
Their shortcomings are the result of an intrinsic design school struggle between<br />
the development of experimental creativity and critical thinking versus the need to<br />
concurrently prepare students for practical clientele and real-world workplace limitations.<br />
Defining a universal solution is complex, as graphic design education is laden with<br />
variables unlike any other major of study. Discrepancies in pedagogical practice are<br />
accepted, with no professional certification to validate its graduates, or to definitively<br />
validate the outcome of the school’s curriculum itself. Unlike graphic design’s neighboring<br />
disciplines of interior design and architecture, laymen proficient in certain software are<br />
able to easily self-impose the title – graphic designer. Paul Rand often made reference to the<br />
misalignments from pedagogy to practice, “Design is one of the most perplexing pursuits in<br />
which to excel, yet as a profession it is relatively easy to enter. It requires no accreditation,<br />
no authorization from official institutions. There is no set body of knowledge that must be<br />
mastered by the practitioners. [Regardless] the designer must contend with encyclopedic<br />
amounts of information, not limited to any particular idea or form.” 4<br />
The inconsistencies are apparent from the community trade schools to the liberal art<br />
colleges, from the independent art schools to the university departments of design. Graphic<br />
design education has continued to be diversely interpreted into multiple configurations<br />
throughout the country. National academic accreditation is not demanded, and many<br />
schools align their curricular updates with differing regional standards. In order to bridge<br />
these gaps – three initiatives must commence. First, graphic design educators and collegiate<br />
administration must mandate consistent student portfolio reviews. Second, industry<br />
professionals must unite to prescribe a national certification program that ensures those<br />
who claim to have gained a professional graphic design education truly meet industry<br />
expectations. And third, if objectives of collegiate design programs are to comprehensively<br />
prepare students for success in the professional workplace, there must be a consistent<br />
criterion established of what it means to truly meet industry expectations. Without<br />
this paradigm, graphic design education as a whole is left with an opaque definition<br />
of professional expectations for the twenty-first century workplace – a definition the<br />
subsequent study seeks to clarify.<br />
4 Paul Rand, Design, Form, and Chaos<br />
(New Haven, CT: Yale University Press,<br />
1993), 15.<br />
4
INTrODUCtiON<br />
Currently, a student’s competency in the professional field upon graduation is the main<br />
and potentially only measurable indicator as to the qualitative success of one’s design<br />
education. In this vein, the expectations of today’s industry practitioners become paramount<br />
to the objectives of graphic design pedagogy. And with today’s heightened public perception of<br />
design, it is becoming even more imperative to relay to students exactly what will be expected<br />
of them upon entering into the competitive twenty-first century workplace, as measured by<br />
today’s leading graphic design professionals. In this quest for a comprehensive set of industry<br />
expectations, a medley of perspectives becomes applicable from the realities of current or newly<br />
graduated design students, to the views from design educators within noteworthy schools and<br />
leading design professionals actively working in the field. Amongst the variant professional and<br />
educational perspectives surveyed arose three over-arching educational tenets: fundamental<br />
skills; new modalities, methods, and media; and parallel principles of business. Their categorical<br />
tenets ultimately served to define seven essential expectations of new graduates entering into<br />
the twenty-first century workplace: (1) creativity, (2) craft and technique, (3) design discourse,<br />
(4) digital media, (5) multi-disciplinary approaches, (6) innovative business strategies, and (7)<br />
social responsibility. By defining today’s leading professional expectations, we create an informed<br />
module of evaluation for how well current graphic design pedagogies are (or are not) preparing<br />
students for the workplace of today. History has proven that graphic design is a profession that<br />
will continue to grow and transform through time, thus changing the way it is taught along the<br />
way is an inevitable requisite. These expectations combine to provide a present-day barometer<br />
to better visualize current curricular priorities and pitfalls and to evoke an informed future of<br />
pedagogical change.<br />
We teach students to experiment, we teach<br />
them to produce, we teach them methods<br />
that will get them good jobs. Graphic design<br />
education indeed, graphic design practice,<br />
requires an even greater intellectual rigor.<br />
Steven Heller<br />
5
fundamental skills<br />
5 Steven Heller and Lita Talarico,<br />
Design School Confidential<br />
(Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers,<br />
2009), 8.<br />
Fundamental skills for a professional graphic design education are outlined in<br />
black and white by each accrediting institution with which the school is associated.<br />
Examples include regional associations like sacs (Southern Association of Colleges<br />
and Schools), organizations exclusive to independent colleges like aicad (Association<br />
of Independent Colleges of Art and Design), or the largest, nationally recognized<br />
association – nasad (National Association of Schools of Art and Design). nasad<br />
has worked in tandem with aiga (the professional association for design) to publish<br />
essential competencies that undergraduate graphic design programs must address in<br />
their curricula. No matter where in the world the school is located, most classes teach<br />
the same fundamental skills and knowledge–it would be foolish to do otherwise. 5<br />
The criteria of accrediting associations is thorough, yet densely laced with so much<br />
industry jargon that it becomes almost cryptic for the pre-design student who is trying<br />
to choose which school to attend and why. nasad’s verbose, yet essential competencies<br />
can be boiled down to seven terms palpable by laymen’s standards listed below in<br />
alphabetical order. This abridged list of core competencies is used to survey leading<br />
professionals, educators, and students alike.<br />
6
fundamental<br />
skills<br />
Collective Cognizance<br />
Awareness of multiple disciplines<br />
with a wide range of influences<br />
Craft & Technique<br />
Proficiency of tools from hand<br />
sketches to computers to mock-ups<br />
Creativity<br />
The ability to brainstorm and generate<br />
a diversity of concepts visually<br />
Design Discourse<br />
Adept written and verbal communication<br />
of design, contributing astute criticism<br />
Portfolio<br />
Comprehensive and diverse professional<br />
display of project experience<br />
Process<br />
Knowledge of professional project<br />
process with documentation<br />
from concept to completion<br />
Research & Theory<br />
Ability to effectively analyze contemporary<br />
and historical data per one’s own ‘voice’<br />
fundamental skills<br />
Your best work is your expression<br />
of yourself. Now, you may not be<br />
the greatest at it, but when you<br />
do it, you’re the only expert.<br />
Frank Gehry<br />
7
Which are most important to you?<br />
Professional<br />
Educator<br />
Student<br />
Collective Cognizance<br />
Awareness of multiple<br />
disciplines with a wide<br />
range of influences<br />
Craft & Technique<br />
Proficiency of tools from<br />
hand sketches to computers<br />
to mock-ups<br />
Creativity<br />
The ability to brainstorm<br />
and generate a diversity<br />
of concepts visually<br />
fundamental skills<br />
Design Discourse<br />
Adept written and verbal<br />
communication of design,<br />
astute criticism<br />
Portfolio<br />
Comprehensive and diverse<br />
professional display of project<br />
experience<br />
Process<br />
Knowledge of professional<br />
project process with<br />
documentation from<br />
concept to completion<br />
Research & Theory<br />
Ability to effectively analyze<br />
contemporary and historical<br />
data per one’s own voice<br />
8
fundamental skills<br />
*Creativity ranks the most<br />
important for professionals,<br />
educators, and students alike.<br />
creativity<br />
is a type of learning process<br />
where the teacher and pupil are<br />
located in the same individual.<br />
Arthur Koestler<br />
9
EXPECTATION 1 | creativity<br />
Design requires esthetic,<br />
inspiration, and guts. To<br />
me, nothing is more vibrant<br />
than having the power<br />
to do something but not<br />
having the experience<br />
of knowing what’s right<br />
and what’s wrong.<br />
Tibor Kalman<br />
10
EXPECTATION 1 | creativity<br />
EXPECtAtiON 1<br />
creativity<br />
When a variety of leading professionals were asked<br />
which fundamental skill they believed to be most essential<br />
for today’s design workplace, the majority agreed that<br />
creativity is the highest expectation. In the field of design<br />
this expectation is basic, but the exact formula for teaching<br />
creative insight is widely debated. Educational philosophers<br />
like John Dewey would advocate that “an ideally perfect<br />
knowledge [of creativity] would represent such a network of<br />
interconnections that any past experience would offer a point<br />
of advantage from which to get at the problem presented in a<br />
new experience.” 6 Dewey’s description becomes indisputable<br />
upon further analysis of current graphic design curricula.<br />
With conceptualization and critical thinking at the forefront,<br />
students must posses both intuitive, aesthetic artistry in<br />
combination with a vast array of influences and experiences<br />
to inherently inform creative output.<br />
6 John Dewey, Democracy<br />
and Education: An Introduction<br />
to the Philosophy of Education<br />
(New York: The Macmillan<br />
Company,1916), 396.<br />
[For new grads] enthusiasm, optimism,<br />
energy, and a can do spirit are<br />
imperative, but ultimately the creative<br />
output needs to be demonstrated first.<br />
Connie Birdsall, Creative Director<br />
Lippincott<br />
New York, NY<br />
11
72<br />
CREATIVItY<br />
% of students<br />
worry that their<br />
fundamental skills<br />
are not strong<br />
enough to be<br />
successful in<br />
a professional<br />
workplace.<br />
7 Rachael Posnak, “Job Outlook: Juniors,”<br />
CMYK Magazine, vol. 44, July 2009, 74.<br />
8 Steven Heller, Education of an<br />
E-Designer, (NY: Allworth Press), 103.<br />
Along with industry professionals, both<br />
graphic design educators and students surveyed<br />
also feel as though creativity is the fundamental<br />
skill most emphasized within their current<br />
curriculum. However, upon further review, student<br />
insecurities became apparent; 72% of students<br />
surveyed claim they are not confident that their<br />
fundamental skills are currently strong enough<br />
to compete professionally. Students must realize<br />
that creativity is one facet of design education<br />
that derives predominantly from the passion and<br />
inspiration within themselves. Educators must<br />
not only teach students the constructs of critical<br />
thinking, but also strive to inspire them to expand<br />
their influences from which creativity is ignited.<br />
The opportunities for pedagogical change can<br />
be found in the framework that further peaks<br />
student curiosities to discover and create. This<br />
framework “defines the limits, but the canvas<br />
varies, from student to student, from time to time,<br />
and from technology to technology.” 8 Taking into<br />
account how rapidly the field of graphic design has<br />
and will continue to evolve, the best solution to<br />
instilling creativity that succeeds in the twenty-first<br />
century workplace is to promote the necessity for<br />
continuous learning.<br />
We’re in the ideas business,<br />
first and foremost. Creativity is<br />
not something you can switch<br />
on and off. You need to live it. 7<br />
Colin Jeffery, Creative Director/Partner<br />
David & Goliath<br />
Los Angeles, CA<br />
12
pORTFOLIO<br />
DESIGN<br />
DISCOURSE<br />
PROCESS<br />
CRAFT &<br />
TECHNIQUE<br />
PORTFOLIO<br />
CREATIVITY<br />
DESign<br />
discourse<br />
CREATIVITY<br />
craft &<br />
technique<br />
CREATIVITY<br />
CRAFT &<br />
TECHNIQUE<br />
PROCESS<br />
DESIGN<br />
DISCOURSE<br />
professional<br />
EXpectations<br />
Educator<br />
Objectives<br />
student<br />
proficiency<br />
13
EXPECTATION 2 | craft & technique<br />
It took me a few seconds<br />
to draw it, but it took me<br />
34 years to learn how to<br />
draw it in a few seconds.<br />
Paula Scher’s sketchbook of hand<br />
drawn typefaces. This Pincushion sketch<br />
inspired the design of an Eames chair<br />
for a Herman Miller charity auction.<br />
Paula Scher<br />
14
EXPECTATION 2 | craft & technique<br />
EXPECtAtiON 2<br />
craft &<br />
technique<br />
After creativity, craft and technique comprise the second<br />
fundamental skill today’s leading professionals expect from<br />
new design graduates. When asked what qualities his firm<br />
looks for in recent graduates, Colin Jeffery of David &<br />
Goliath advises students to, “Pay attention to the detail.<br />
It matters. Idea is king, but a great idea poorly executed is<br />
a missed opportunity. I’d rather see a great idea sketched<br />
up on paper than badly Photoshopped.” 9 Jeffery touches<br />
upon the fact that for many students, computers become a<br />
crutch. They are intrinsic tools that provide endless software<br />
opportunities to facilitate productivity. On the other hand,<br />
they created the need for a more technological education,<br />
and in certain cases diminish the attention given to skills<br />
of handcraft and technique. To ensure students’ success in<br />
today’s workplace, educators must cultivate student artistry<br />
both by hand and by computer.<br />
9 Posnak, 74.<br />
You have to roll up your sleeves<br />
and be a stonecutter before you<br />
can become a sculptor – command<br />
of craft always precedes art.<br />
Philip Gerard<br />
15
EXPECTATION 2 | craft & technique<br />
As a Project Designer, Liz Teston of asd in<br />
Atlanta observes, “Recent graduates often have<br />
tremendous computer skills that give the perception<br />
that they can also hand sketch, but actually many<br />
cannot.” This is a skill typically emphasized during<br />
first year foundation programs, but according to<br />
multiple professional testimonies, students are not<br />
retaining this knowledge. The deficiency of new<br />
graduates’ handcraft in the professional workplace<br />
is attributed not only to their exclusive dependency<br />
upon the computer, but also to the diminishing role<br />
of foundation studies and its inconsistent quality.<br />
Early design education should avoid the constructs<br />
of computer labs, only using them sparingly as an<br />
introduction to software for future use. An inadequate<br />
foundation curriculum yields students whose craft<br />
and technique are subordinate to that of the computer.<br />
These are the students who rush to commemorate the<br />
first idea that pops into their head by making it digital,<br />
versus taking half of the time to brainstorm numerous<br />
concepts with quick thumbnails by hand on paper.<br />
“This generally inhibits the development of ideas,<br />
because psychologically you tend to restrict yourself<br />
to what you are capable of achieving technically.” 10<br />
Research shows that students are not practicing<br />
their handcraft and technique by their own disposition.<br />
The solution is reminiscent of elementary math class<br />
when teachers admonished the old “show your work”<br />
adage to adolescents calculating their long division<br />
problems. There is validation in showing the process.<br />
For graphic design coursework, process books must<br />
be a non-negotiable expectation for each project from<br />
conception to completion. Ideally, process books<br />
are considered as a portion of the student’s grade<br />
at midterm and the end of the course. As educators<br />
emphasize and expect continual documentation of<br />
preliminary sketches, students will infuse the practice<br />
of handcraft into their permanent repertoire for<br />
the professional workplace. We are past the Milton<br />
Glaser heyday when he proclaimed, “Computers are<br />
to design as microwaves are to cooking.” 11 But despite<br />
these technological advances, it will always remain<br />
critical for design students to develop the skill of<br />
hand sketching concepts on paper. The opportunities<br />
for pedagogical change seem cut and dry to leading<br />
professionals like Mike Sloan, Partner at Lippincott<br />
in New York, “Schools need to pay more attention to<br />
hand sketching skills, not just computer skills.”<br />
You don’t have to give<br />
up your pencil when you<br />
switch to computer design.<br />
The Mac’s just another pencil!<br />
April Greiman<br />
16
Statement of the Eames Design Process<br />
by Charles Eames for the Louvre Show,<br />
“What is Design,” 1969<br />
EXPECTATION 2 | craft & technique<br />
10 David Dabner, Graphic Design<br />
School: A Foundation Course in<br />
the Principles and Practices of<br />
Graphic Design, 3rd ed. (Hoboken, NJ:<br />
John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2005), 56.<br />
11 ThinkExist.com, “Milton Glaser<br />
Quotes,” ThinkExist, http://thinkexist.<br />
com/quotes/milton_glaser/ (accessed<br />
January 31, 2010).<br />
Process is more important<br />
than outcome. When the<br />
outcome drives the process<br />
we will only ever go to<br />
where we’ve already been.<br />
If process drives outcome<br />
we may not know where<br />
we’re going, but we will<br />
know we want to be there.<br />
Bruce Mau<br />
17
Many students are competent<br />
designers, and some are better than<br />
that, but they must be equally good as<br />
thinkers. They must be able to research,<br />
analyze, critique, and write.<br />
Steven Heller<br />
EXPECTATION 3 | design discourse<br />
18
EXPECTATION 3 | design discourse<br />
EXPECtAtiON 3<br />
design<br />
discourse<br />
Steven Heller indicates that, “In professional schools,<br />
the tendency is to stress craft and skills. It is a continuing<br />
battle to remind students that there is no poetry in skills<br />
alone.” 12 For that reason, it is becoming more critical than<br />
ever for design students develop their own informed ‘voice’<br />
within the context of design – past, present, and future.<br />
Ben Graham, Creative Director/Principal of Turnstyle<br />
Design Studio in Seattle discloses, “The best candidates<br />
are those who have done their research well and can<br />
communicate why they’re qualified to work for us versus<br />
another firm.” Professionals like Graham reaffirm that a<br />
student’s articulation of design begins with the presentation<br />
of their own work. Unfortunately, survey results show that<br />
design students are not mastering this fundamental skill.<br />
Design discourse ranks as the number one shortcoming of<br />
new graduates entering today’s professional workplace.<br />
12 Heller, Education of an e-Designer,103.<br />
We [as educators] cover<br />
form-giving well, but our<br />
students need to work harder<br />
to develop their critical thinking<br />
and communication skills.<br />
Samantha Lawrie, Professor<br />
Auburn University<br />
Auburn, Alabama<br />
19
What is the most common<br />
of new graduates?<br />
Collective<br />
Cognizance<br />
Design Discourse<br />
EXPECTATION 3 | design discourse<br />
Craft & Technique<br />
Process<br />
Creativity<br />
Research<br />
& Theory<br />
Portfolio<br />
13 Nancy Mayer, “Putting Criticism into<br />
Critique,” in The Education of a Graphic<br />
Designer, ed. Steven Heller (New York,<br />
NY: Allworth Press, 2005), 98.<br />
14 Michael Rock, “The Designer as Author,”<br />
in Graphic Design Theory: Readings<br />
from the Field, ed. Helen Armstrong<br />
(New York, NY: Princeton Architectural<br />
Press, 2009), 114.<br />
20
EXPECTATION 3 | design discourse<br />
To become adept in expressing and defending<br />
the conceptual content of one’s work, it is largely<br />
understood that students must study art and design<br />
history, theory, and criticism. Today’s design students<br />
face a disturbing disconnection between the art and<br />
design discourse they study, and the design discourse<br />
they receive in their studio critiques. Design discourse<br />
is largely initiated by thinking out loud. Ideally, a<br />
student will verbally present visual concepts to the<br />
class by first restating the design problem, including<br />
researched aspects of audience, culture, competitor<br />
precedents, etc. Then a student will describe<br />
thoroughly how each design decision fundamentally<br />
serves to solve said problem, from the form to the<br />
color selection to the typeface and imagery choices.<br />
The student’s peers and professor are then cognizant<br />
of the designer’s intentions (visually successful or<br />
not) and may proceed to contribute to an informed<br />
critique. However, far too frequently this ideal<br />
scenario does not occur. Many times a classroom<br />
critique is merely quick judgment, while truly<br />
informed criticism must relate to in depth inquiry. 13<br />
I would revamp our Intro to<br />
Graphic Design course to include<br />
more history, understanding of<br />
current issues and designers as<br />
well as the various professional<br />
outcomes of the profession. It<br />
would be more seminar and<br />
discourse with less projects.<br />
Eric Benson, Professor<br />
University of Illinois<br />
Urbana, Illinois<br />
This is due in part to the increased complexity<br />
and new technology per student project, which often<br />
presents a learning curve for both professor and<br />
student, thus chipping away essential critique time.<br />
It can also be attributed to educators not enforcing<br />
formal studio presentations, which in turn allows<br />
undergraduates to connote a lax approach to design<br />
discourse. Despite these challenges, educators are well<br />
aware of the significance of design discourse within<br />
today’s design education. Introductory courses are where<br />
the precedent for discourse must begin. Thereafter, each<br />
design project must originate with formal written and<br />
verbal presentations. By educators necessitating written<br />
creative briefs and proposals at the start and artist’s<br />
statements at the conclusion of studio coursework,<br />
students will develop more authority over their visual<br />
communication through an author’s perspective.<br />
The study of design discourse has presented<br />
designers of the twenty-first century with the insight<br />
and capability to no longer restrict them to simply<br />
mediating the text. Graphic designers have expanded to<br />
not only be creators of form, but also of the audience<br />
and of the textual message itself. Principal of 2x4,<br />
Inc. – Michael Rock calls for “an examination of the<br />
designer-as-author” relationship. “[It] could help us to<br />
rethink process, expand design methods, and elaborate<br />
our historical frame to incorporate all forms of graphic<br />
discourse.” 14 As a catalyst for the future of graphic<br />
design and the number one ranked shortcoming of new<br />
graduates, educators must push design discourse to the<br />
forefront of pedagogical priorities, while maintaining<br />
the balance between critical thought and technical<br />
proficiency. By accompanying every design project with<br />
formal written and verbal presentations, students will<br />
be more prepared for this expectation upon entering<br />
the professional workplace.<br />
21
EXPECTATION 4 | digital media<br />
You never can do what the kids do. What<br />
you do is look at yourself and find your<br />
own way to address the fact that the times<br />
have changed and that you have to pay<br />
attention. You can’t be a designer and say,<br />
Oh, this is timeless. Nothing is timeless!<br />
Paula Scher<br />
22
EXPECTATION 4 | digital media<br />
EXPECtAtiON 4<br />
dexterity with<br />
dIGITAL MEDIA<br />
When leading professionals were asked about new industry<br />
issues or trends that students in school must learn now for<br />
future success in the workplace, the results were evident. New<br />
graduates entering into the workplace are expected to be<br />
proficient not only with print design, but have a commanding<br />
knowledge of digital media design as well. Cartoon Network’s<br />
Art Director – Jay Rogers reports, “Many employers are<br />
seeking über designers – those who can jump between digital<br />
and print platforms seamlessly.” Digital technology brought<br />
fundamental transformation to the practice and pedagogy<br />
of graphic design. We witnessed a transition from a field<br />
primarily vested in two-dimensional printed media, now<br />
become a hybrid of visual communication in the third and<br />
fourth dimensions. In comparison to its print origins, timebased<br />
digital media is still a fairly new facet under the graphic<br />
design umbrella and designers are still experimenting with its<br />
vast potential. Yet the public demand for digital/interactive<br />
design persists and its communicative impact has proven to<br />
be resounding. The comments of leading professionals serve<br />
as warnings for graphic design students of the twenty-first<br />
century – it is now relatively impossible to surround a whole<br />
career on print design alone.<br />
Design, in its broadest sense, is<br />
the enabler of the digital era – it’s<br />
a process that creates order out<br />
of chaos, that renders technology<br />
usable to business.<br />
Clement Mok<br />
23
EXPECTATION 4 | digital media<br />
Conversely, when surveyed on this topic, 60% of<br />
educators do not believe that print design and digital<br />
design should be treated equally within undergraduate<br />
graphic design curricula. The opposite is true for their<br />
students; 73% feel that with the direction technology<br />
is heading, print and digital design should be taught as<br />
equals within their curriculum. The dichotomy persists<br />
when educators and students were asked which aspects<br />
of their curriculum are emphasized the most. Digital<br />
media ranked second highest for educators, while<br />
students ranked it as the least emphasized within their<br />
current curriculum.<br />
It is undisputed that digital design education<br />
must be incorporated into collegiate graphic design<br />
programs. The problem remains that with this<br />
addition there are significant time constraints placed<br />
upon educators and more pressure placed upon<br />
students to master new media while concurrently<br />
developing a quality design project. Therefore, how<br />
technology is taught must change. Ideally in design<br />
education, technical proficiency comes prior to the<br />
application of these skills to extensive design problems.<br />
Students report that when expected to master the<br />
two simultaneously, the results were both technically<br />
and aesthetically below average. Ultimately, when<br />
the aesthetics within new media projects suffer, it<br />
is predominately due to poor technical proficiency.<br />
The solution for graphic design curricula resides in<br />
separating the two tracks of new media learning<br />
(technical versus conceptual/aesthetic) to ensure<br />
students are equally competent in both. A close<br />
comparison can be made in respect to international<br />
students who must first take an ‘English as a<br />
Second Language’ class in order to fully articulate<br />
and comprehend future coursework within their<br />
curriculum. They do not expect other professors in<br />
each of their core classes to teach them basic English<br />
comprehension in order to verbally communicate,<br />
just as students of graphic design cannot expect their<br />
design studio professors to spend time teaching them<br />
basic new media software techniques in order to<br />
visually communicate. Students must come to these<br />
courses equipped with a moderate level of technical<br />
knowledge. This is not to add yet another requirement<br />
to an already lengthy course list for graphic design<br />
majors. But curricula must publicly offer elective<br />
courses focused exclusively on mastering software<br />
immediately prior to each relevant studio class.<br />
This effort will serve to set the pre-requisite of<br />
acquiring a moderate level of experience with new<br />
media software prior to the design studio coursework.<br />
As a result, students will no longer be weighed down<br />
by a technical learning curve while they try to produce<br />
quality design projects, and educators will not feel<br />
compelled to lecture an entire class on software<br />
techniques. This solution will save time and energy<br />
by allowing both educators and students to focus<br />
more so on the critical thinking and aesthetics to<br />
solve the digital design problem. The field of graphic<br />
design will always be intrinsically linked to the tools<br />
and technology its practitioners use to create. But as<br />
technology is destined to continually reinvent itself,<br />
so must the skill set of its students. The opportunity<br />
for pedagogical change lies in promoting technical<br />
proficiency prior to design studio requirements,<br />
while continuing to exercise their new media skill<br />
sets throughout their educational career. Graphic<br />
design curricula must not allow students to become<br />
technologically complacent.<br />
We as educators have not taken<br />
web design and interactive media<br />
as seriously as other areas like<br />
typography and imaging.<br />
martha Scotford, Professor<br />
North Carolina State University<br />
Raleigh, North Carolina<br />
24
It’s no longer possible<br />
to make a career<br />
in print alone.<br />
Jon Garcia, VP of Design<br />
Fuzebox Inc.<br />
Atlanta, Georgia<br />
This solution is actualized in the following academic scenario:<br />
A graphic design curriculum calls for a student to take<br />
‘Interactive Design Studio’ during spring/summer term.<br />
[1] Therefore, an academic advisor contacts the student<br />
prior to this term to inform them that this upcoming<br />
course requires a moderate level of technical proficiency<br />
in Adobe Flash ® for example.<br />
[2] The advisor then allows the student to self-assess their<br />
comfort level with the new media in question. At this<br />
point, most students have a low to below average<br />
comfort level using this program.<br />
[3] The student is made aware of the ‘Introduction to<br />
Flash’ elective course available for registry the fall/<br />
winter term before their ‘Interactive Design Studio’<br />
requirement. For the students who already have<br />
moderate knowledge with technical aspects of the new<br />
media in question, advisors will direct them to tutorial<br />
resources, like the web site lynda.com to briefly refresh<br />
their skill set prior to beginning the digital design course.<br />
EXPECTATION 4 | digital media<br />
I graduated without knowing much<br />
about web and interactive design;<br />
now I feel lost and behind the times.<br />
Amy McNeil, Class of 2007<br />
University of Cincinnati<br />
Cincinnati, Ohio<br />
25
73% Students SAY YES<br />
There should be more of an emphasis<br />
on web design and interactive classes.<br />
Our syllabus should be able to change<br />
with the times, rather than restricting<br />
us to the calendar year we enroll.<br />
Nandhini Mehra, Senior Student<br />
SCAD-Atlanta<br />
Atlanta, Georgia<br />
DIGITALDESIGN<br />
Should digital design and print design coursework receive<br />
equal emphasis within today’s graphic design curricula?<br />
PRINTDESIGN<br />
I would revamp the way<br />
new technology is taught<br />
because there is too high<br />
of a percentage that do not<br />
completely understand it.<br />
Renee Seward, Professor<br />
University of Cincinnati<br />
Cincinnati, Ohio<br />
60% PROFESSORS SAY NO<br />
26
Students must continually practice the use<br />
of digital, interactive, and web techniques<br />
during the length of their studies.<br />
Holly Quarzo, Professor<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art & Design<br />
Atlanta, Georgia<br />
27
Wide Influence<br />
EXPECTATION 5 | multi-disciplinary approach<br />
The new way of joining<br />
& interweaving in the<br />
development of design<br />
talents & use of relevant<br />
scientific knowledge and<br />
working methods is the key<br />
to graphic design education<br />
suitable for modern times.<br />
Focused Specialization<br />
Igildo G. Biesele<br />
28
EXPECTATION 5 | multi-disciplinary approach<br />
EXPECtAtiON 5<br />
multi<br />
disciplinary<br />
approach<br />
Amongst the design professionals surveyed, multidisciplinary<br />
design is the second most prevalent industry<br />
trend today, after digital media. More professionals now<br />
expect new graduates entering into their design studio to<br />
possess a collective cognizance of other relevant disciplines,<br />
not just that of graphic design. Tim Brown, ceo of ideo<br />
is avidly acclaimed for his multi-disciplinary expectations<br />
with the creation of the term t-shaped people. His definition<br />
encapsulates what leading professionals will be seeking in<br />
new graduates in the future, “We look for people who are<br />
so inquisitive about the world that they’re willing to try to<br />
do what you do. We call them t-shaped people. They have<br />
a principal skill that describes the vertical leg of the t. But<br />
they are so empathetic that they can branch out into other<br />
skills, and do them as well. They are able to explore insights<br />
from many different perspectives and recognize patterns of<br />
behavior that point to a universal human need.” 15<br />
15 Tim Brown, “Strategy by Design,”<br />
Fast Company, June 1, 2005, from<br />
Issue 95, http://www.fastcompany.<br />
com/magazine/95/design-strategy.<br />
html (accessed February 5, 2010).<br />
I foresee students having the necessity<br />
of being more diversified in the<br />
knowledge of mediums. To be able<br />
to communicate amongst multiple<br />
disciplines is becoming a necessity.<br />
yolonda Baker, Senior Designer<br />
Deloitte<br />
Atlanta, Georgia<br />
29
In addition to core requirements<br />
graphic design curricula should<br />
direct students to general studies<br />
that support their specialty study in<br />
design. Design coursework should<br />
make use of concepts and skills<br />
acquired through study in areas<br />
other than design and vice versa.<br />
public relations<br />
computer science<br />
sociology<br />
anthropology<br />
philosophy<br />
systems theory<br />
communications<br />
mathematics<br />
psychology<br />
humanities<br />
physics<br />
generalist<br />
economics<br />
foreign language<br />
engineering<br />
statistics<br />
journalism<br />
world history<br />
programming<br />
EXPECTATION 5 | multi-disciplinary approach<br />
photography<br />
publications<br />
marketing<br />
architecture<br />
business<br />
interior design<br />
writing<br />
human factors<br />
entrepreneurship<br />
environmental<br />
graphic design<br />
advertising<br />
industrial design<br />
print design<br />
digital design<br />
branding<br />
specialist<br />
identity design<br />
30
EXPECTATION 5 | multi-disciplinary approach<br />
Art & Design History<br />
10% 20%<br />
Supporting Design Disciplines<br />
Graphic Design Core<br />
35% 35%<br />
General Education<br />
16 Steven J. Teper, “The Creative Campus:<br />
Who’s No. 1,” The Chronicle of<br />
Higher Education, October 1, 2004.<br />
http://chronicle.com/article/The-<br />
Creative-Campus-Who-s/4870<br />
(accessed January 31, 2010).<br />
17 Daniel van der Velden, “Research<br />
& Destroy: A Plea for Design as<br />
Research,” Graphic Design Theory,<br />
2006. http://graphicdesigntheory.<br />
net/Velden.html (accessed February<br />
12, 2010).<br />
The average newly graduated graphic designer<br />
does not laud all that falls within their educational or<br />
occupational grasp. The twenty-first century has presented<br />
a more technological and more global industry than ever<br />
before. Pioneering designers are broadening their horizons<br />
into new dimensions, combating the ephemeral stigma<br />
of print, and integrating a multi-disciplinary approach<br />
to design, digital technology, product development,<br />
and the built environment. Students entering into<br />
the professional workplace see their career paths as<br />
graphic designers in a more fluid manner than collegiate<br />
design department names suggest. 16 Practitioners who<br />
capitalize on this philosophy distinguish themselves<br />
from more traditional design titles with specificity, such<br />
as environmental graphic designer, interactive space<br />
designer, network brand manager, or experience designer.<br />
Daniel van der Velden, Partner in the design research<br />
think tank Metahaven witnessed that “the ambition of<br />
the designer always leads beyond his discipline and his<br />
official mandate, without this above-and-beyond having a<br />
diploma or even a name of its own. Still, it is remarkable<br />
that design… enjoys far less respect than the combination<br />
of design and one or more other specialisms.” 17<br />
Van de Velden’s notion of ‘beyond the discipline itself’<br />
reinforces the need for multi-disciplinary knowledge.<br />
The term ‘graphic design’ exists today as a profession of<br />
pluralism, yet so often design education becomes insular<br />
in its process and methodologies. Many educational<br />
programs strive to further define individual disciplines,<br />
yet inadvertently create a void. After foundation studies<br />
design students are partitioned off, many find themselves<br />
enduring a multitude of projects, critiques, research, and<br />
theory, rarely crossing the paths of sister fields of design<br />
study. Naively, design students allow themselves to remain<br />
secluded, and mistakenly, collegiate administration fuels<br />
this divide by enabling curricula that does not require<br />
them to do otherwise.<br />
31
85<br />
% of educators<br />
are against taking<br />
away any liberal<br />
arts courses, even<br />
if it may allow<br />
for more design<br />
studio time.<br />
For many schools, infusing ample liberal arts<br />
into a design program is one way they strive to meet<br />
professional multi-disciplinary expectations. When<br />
surveyed, both students and educators agree with its<br />
significance. 85% of educators were against taking<br />
away any liberal arts courses, even if it meant it<br />
allowed for more studio time. The ideal ratio of liberal<br />
arts courses to art and design courses varies per each<br />
institution’s educational objectives and their various<br />
accrediting association requirements. But it is a crucial<br />
nasad requirement that prescribes in addition to core<br />
graphic design courses, curricula must direct students to<br />
general studies that support their coursework in graphic<br />
design and vice versa. 18 Graphic design pedagogy is at<br />
its best when it makes valid use of multi-disciplinary<br />
concepts and skills acquired through non-design liberal<br />
arts coursework.<br />
Premature specialization in schools<br />
perpetuates a similar isolation in<br />
practice and works against the<br />
hybridization that is increasingly<br />
desirable in real professions.<br />
Dan Friedman<br />
18 Teper, http://chronicle.com/article/<br />
The-Creative-Campus-Who-s/4870<br />
(accessed January 31, 2010).<br />
19 Ellen Lupton and Abbott Miller, Design<br />
Writing Research: Writing on Graphic<br />
Design, (London: Phaidon Press Limited,<br />
1996), 66.<br />
20 Igildo G. Biesele, Graphic Design<br />
Education, (Zurich: ABC Verlag,<br />
1981), 5.<br />
21 Randy Pierce,“Graphic Design and<br />
the Built Environment,” InformeDesign,<br />
vol 1, issue 4, http://www.informe<br />
design.umn.edu/_news/may_v01-p.<br />
pdf (accessed January 06, 2010).<br />
32
EXPECTATION 5 | multi-disciplinary approach<br />
The opportunity for pedagogical change is found<br />
in fusing cross-platform coursework, above and beyond<br />
that of offering elective general education courses. As<br />
the French philosopher Michel Foucault once said,<br />
“Design becomes powerful only when it enters the<br />
domain of other discourses.” 19 Graphic design programs<br />
must not only recommend, but also require and foster<br />
collaborative design projects with other programs of<br />
study outside of the graphic design department. In<br />
this instance, graphic design students will work on<br />
environmental graphic design projects in collaboration<br />
with architecture students; portfolio classes will harness<br />
the expertise of photography majors; brand identity<br />
studios will reach out to industrial, interior and fashion<br />
design classes. The result of such collaborative efforts<br />
is two-fold – architecture students, for example, will<br />
gain knowledge outside of their traditional curriculum,<br />
such as principles of typography. In return, graphic<br />
design students will become more astute with design for<br />
the built environment, learning human scale, differing<br />
materiality, and three-dimensional rendering techniques.<br />
The result is conclusively favorable from each side.<br />
These collaborative design experiences will educate<br />
all students involved (not just graphic designers) to<br />
be versed in the language of various disciplines, thus<br />
empowering them to apply a myriad of methodologies<br />
to future design process.<br />
It is undeniable that design pedagogy of the<br />
twenty-first century is now more multifaceted than ever<br />
before, and it is up to educators to ensure curricula is<br />
globally cohesive. International design critic – Igildo G.<br />
Biesele indicates, “the totality exists in the first place<br />
through an interdisciplinary cooperation, which, when<br />
the structure of the syllabus is appropriate, can also<br />
find its expression in the individual [graphic design]<br />
courses.” 20 Curricula must begin to incorporate not<br />
only the essence of the ever-changing message, but also<br />
its capability to pull from relative ideologies such as the<br />
permanence of architectural structure, the ergonomics<br />
of industrial form, and the psychology of human<br />
behavior within a virtual environment. Progressive<br />
educators are mindful of these concerns and some<br />
programs have already made gradual pedagogical<br />
changes. Rhode Island School of Design’s Professor<br />
Nancy Skolos reports, “We recently incorporated<br />
more strategic thinking into our senior studio in order<br />
to prepare students to work across many media.”<br />
Multi-disciplinary, collaborative design coursework<br />
will facilitate students to bridge the gap between the<br />
intangible design concept, the tangible sense of identity<br />
on paper or on screen, and the sense of place within<br />
the built environment. 21 Professional graphic design<br />
processes have evolved from singular tasks to multidisciplinary<br />
agents of change; graphic design education<br />
must follow suit to ensure the all-inclusive competence<br />
of a new generation of designers.<br />
Eliminating liberal arts would<br />
be detrimental to a student’s<br />
ability to draw inspiration<br />
from many different areas.<br />
David Short, <strong>MFA</strong> Candidate<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art & Design<br />
Atlanta, Georgia<br />
33
#25 & #26 of Michael Bierut’s<br />
26 year old sequential collection<br />
of notebooks.<br />
EXPECTATION 6 | innovative business strategy<br />
There always seems to be a lot of<br />
interest in designers’ sketchbooks,<br />
but I call these notebooks for a<br />
reason. Page after page contain<br />
nothing but records of phone<br />
conversations, notes from meetings,<br />
price estimates, specifications. I<br />
keep the random doodles to a<br />
minimum. Someone looking at<br />
those pages would think the book<br />
might belong to a lawyer or, more<br />
likely, a party planner.<br />
Michael Bierut<br />
34
EXPECTATION 6 | innovative business strategy<br />
EXPECtAtiON 6<br />
innovative<br />
business<br />
strategy<br />
Knowledge of parallel principles of business is<br />
another increasingly prominent expectation that industry<br />
professionals look to acquire in new design graduates<br />
entering into today’s workplace. According to Angelo Carusi,<br />
Principal at Cooper Carry, Inc, “More than ever, clients are<br />
going to be looking for design firms who understand the<br />
client’s business. New graduates who have an understanding<br />
of business and can present their ideas are going to have<br />
a leg up on their competition.” Graphic design curricula<br />
must take into account – there is no innovation without the<br />
connection to client objectives and business strategy. 22 When<br />
asked what new industry issue or trend he foresees that<br />
students in school need to learn now for future success in<br />
the workplace, Mike Sloan, Partner at Lippincott affirms this<br />
tenet by simply stating, “Client needs analysis, and businessdriven<br />
design strategy.”<br />
22 IDEO, “Innovation Strategy,” http://<br />
www.ideo.com/thinking/focus/<br />
innovation-strategy/ (accessed<br />
February 13, 2010).<br />
We don’t get hired to make<br />
pretty things or win design<br />
awards. We get hired to<br />
solve business problems.<br />
James Bradley<br />
35
EXPECTATION 6 | innovative business strategy<br />
One opportunity to better incorporate business<br />
strategies into the graphic design curriculum is for<br />
students to experience the client/designer relationship<br />
first hand in class. Students show proactive enthusiasm<br />
when asked to rate their interest level in various<br />
educational initiatives. Working on real client-based<br />
projects in class ranked most interesting for students.<br />
As an expert in operations management for creatives,<br />
Shel Perkins shares their enthusiasm. “An essential skill<br />
set for a designer is business savvy. We need to clearly<br />
understand [our client’s] business challenges, trends and<br />
options. We also need to be just as smart when it comes<br />
to our own. Business savvy is what makes our careers<br />
sustainable over the long haul.” 23<br />
As a witness to the recent economic downturn,<br />
Sarah Miller, Partner at Miller-Cormier in Cincinnati,<br />
Ohio, agrees that business knowledge is even more<br />
important during a troubled economy. “Design firms<br />
hire a lot of folks when times are good and lay them off<br />
when times are bad,” says Miller. “Many designers take<br />
on freelance work when times are tough and it is helpful<br />
to have prior business knowledge – how to bring in new<br />
clients, writing estimates, invoicing, and book keeping.”<br />
A typical graphic design curriculum does not include a<br />
plethora of business-driven design strategy above and<br />
beyond lectures on business conduct, proposal writing,<br />
and copyright basics. For this reason, educators ranked<br />
business practices the least emphasized within their<br />
curriculum as a whole.<br />
Which educational initiatives do you find most interesting?<br />
Student<br />
23 Shel Perkins, “Making a Living,” AIGA<br />
Center for Practice Management,<br />
Design: Business Issue 4, May 2005<br />
http://cpm.aiga.org (acessed<br />
February 13, 2010).<br />
*Real Client-<br />
Based Projects<br />
Revolving<br />
Courses<br />
Collaboration with<br />
Other Majors<br />
Graduate<br />
School<br />
5–Year<br />
Curriculum<br />
Recommend My<br />
School to Peers<br />
Trade Liberal Arts<br />
for More Studio<br />
36
Being good in<br />
business is the<br />
most fascinating<br />
kind of art.<br />
Andy Warhol<br />
What does your curriculum emphasize most?<br />
Educator<br />
Student<br />
*Business<br />
Strategies<br />
Contemporary<br />
Issues<br />
Design for the Built<br />
Environment<br />
Digital<br />
Media<br />
Global<br />
Culture<br />
Multi-Disciplinary<br />
Approach<br />
Professional<br />
Practice<br />
Securing<br />
a Job<br />
37
61<br />
46<br />
% of students<br />
respect the<br />
perspectives more<br />
so of professors<br />
who maintain<br />
a professional<br />
design position<br />
% of educators<br />
maintain a<br />
professional<br />
design position<br />
outside of school<br />
EXPECTATION 6 | innovative business strategy<br />
50<br />
% of students<br />
feel their<br />
curriculum<br />
doesn’t allow<br />
for enough<br />
professional<br />
practice time<br />
58<br />
% of educators<br />
surveyed believe<br />
that all design<br />
schools should<br />
make multiple<br />
professional<br />
practice terms<br />
mandatory<br />
38
EXPECTATION 6 | innovative business strategy<br />
There are several avenues within a student’s<br />
educational journey from which business strategy<br />
must begin to be instilled. The obvious source of this<br />
information is from professors’ expertise with client<br />
interaction. 61% of students surveyed said they respect<br />
the perspectives more so of professors who maintain<br />
a professional business position over those who do<br />
not. Yet the larger portion of educators polled (54%)<br />
do not practice professionally outside of the school<br />
environment. It is an obligation for educators in graphic<br />
design to stay up-to-date with their discipline. For busy<br />
professors, this may transform into authoring essays<br />
for academic publications or lecturing at various design<br />
conferences outside of their school of employment. 24<br />
Another opportunity for graphic design programs<br />
to encourage knowledge of business strategy, above and<br />
beyond the standard coursework, is from professional<br />
practice (also known as interning, co-oping, or<br />
apprenticeship). “A well thought-out internship program<br />
creates a relationship between the design firm and the<br />
student that is mutually beneficial. For the student, it<br />
provides exposure to the work environment and the<br />
complex challenges of ‘real world’ design projects.” 25<br />
58% of educators surveyed believe that all design<br />
schools should make multiple professional practice<br />
terms mandatory prior to graduation, although few<br />
schools comply. 50% of students feel that there are<br />
not enough opportunities for adequate professional<br />
practice experience within their undergraduate design<br />
program. Without this exposure, students will find<br />
themselves unprepared for the professional workplace.<br />
Design schools must not be content with offering<br />
professional practice on an elective basis, or expect<br />
students to acquire business connections on their own<br />
fruition. Collegiate programs must build this necessary<br />
component into their curricula as a requirement and<br />
assist students by providing the necessary contact<br />
information of interested employers. Business Week<br />
magazine recently published an article confirming this<br />
shift in demand for designers, “Those who can marry<br />
creative right-brain thinking and analytical left-brain<br />
thinking are at a premium. Right now a lot of new<br />
value is being found at the intersection of design and<br />
business. Professionals who can understand and respect<br />
both sides are at an advantage. 26 For new graduates<br />
to be competitive in today’s job market, they must<br />
come equipped with knowledge not just of creativity<br />
and craft; they must also be considerably strategic and<br />
innovative on the business side as well.<br />
My professors lacked a serious<br />
connection to real world trends and<br />
practices. This wasn’t as apparent<br />
in college, but became much<br />
more evident after being in the<br />
professional environment myself.<br />
24 Meggs, 75.<br />
25 Shel Perkins, “Be Smart about Student<br />
Internships,” AIGA Center for Practice<br />
Management, May 20, 2009, http://<br />
cpm.aiga.org (accessed Feb. 13, 2010).<br />
26 Harry West, “The Cross-Discipline<br />
Design Imperative,” Business<br />
Week, October 4, 2007.<br />
http://www.businessweek.com<br />
(accessed February 15, 2010).<br />
Amberlee Isabella, Recent Graduate<br />
University of Kentucky<br />
Lexington, Kentucky<br />
39
EXPECTATION 7 | social responsibility<br />
Adbusters magazine<br />
cover design portraying<br />
the Bush administration’s<br />
disregard of critical<br />
environmental issues<br />
Design creates culture.<br />
Culture shapes values.<br />
Values determine the future.<br />
Robert L. Peters<br />
40
EXPECTATION 7 | social responsibility<br />
EXPECtAtiON 7<br />
social<br />
responsibility<br />
In 1963, Kevin Garland, a British graphic designer wrote<br />
the First Things First manifesto which challenged designers<br />
to become more responsible with their contributions to a<br />
global culture. In 1999, a revised version of the manifesto<br />
was resurrected in the United States by a younger generation<br />
of designers and was widely published in a variety of design<br />
journals and the likes of Adbuster magazine. As far as<br />
intrinsic design issues go, the First Things First manifesto<br />
sparked significant controversy concerning design ethics. 27<br />
Its revolutionary sentiments have since resurfaced within<br />
professional expectations of new graduates entering the<br />
twenty-first century workplace. Today’s leading designers<br />
are not just evaluating the ethics of commercial content, but<br />
are also evaluating the ethics of the processes by which they<br />
conceptualize, produce, and distribute visual communication.<br />
With today’s newfound public awareness of design<br />
comes a newfound social responsibility for designers. Graphic<br />
designers must acknowledge that they have the responsibility<br />
(and the ability to respond) not just to the needs of their clients<br />
but also to those of society. 28 When leading professionals were<br />
asked about new industry issues students need to learn now for<br />
future success in the workplace, the dominant social topic was<br />
sustainability. Concepts of global culture were also mentioned,<br />
as social media continues to expand as the popular form of<br />
dynamic communication.<br />
27 Michael Bierut, William Drenttel<br />
and Steven Heller, ed. Looking<br />
Closer Four: Critical Writings on<br />
Graphic Design, (New York,<br />
NY: Allworth Press, 2002) 4.<br />
28 Charlotte & Peter Fiell, Graphic<br />
Design for the 21st Century,<br />
(Hohenzollernring: Taschen,<br />
2005) 10.<br />
Designers have a dual duty;<br />
contractually to their clients<br />
and morally to the later users<br />
and recipients of their work.<br />
Hans Höger<br />
41
87<br />
% of professionals<br />
view sustainability<br />
as a top priority<br />
and are beginning<br />
to learn how to<br />
apply its principles<br />
more effectively.<br />
Too many design students<br />
are making without intent or<br />
understanding of the context<br />
in which they live as simple<br />
humans, let alone designers.<br />
Eric Heiman, Professor<br />
California College of the Arts<br />
San Francisco, California<br />
“As one of the defining ideas of the 21st century,<br />
sustainability holds tremendous possibilities for the<br />
creative community, its business partners and society.” 29<br />
‘Green design,’ as it is termed, seeks to find processes<br />
and materials that do not negatively impact the<br />
environment. For example, graphic designers may<br />
“research things such as recycled and tree-free papers;<br />
or try to find nontoxic inks; or devise folds and<br />
structures that result in less waste.” 30 The eminence of<br />
sustainability became even more apparent as our nation<br />
watched the first political campaigns of the twentyfirst<br />
century, which focused heavily on the importance<br />
of clean energy efficiency. Ideologies of conservation<br />
and environmental protection are changing how the<br />
world operates globally. “87% of recently surveyed<br />
aiga members view sustainability as a top priority, but<br />
many of them confess they are ill-equipped to apply its<br />
principles effectively.” 31 Opportunities for pedagogical<br />
change can be found in teaching applications that<br />
embrace these basic principles. It is critical that design<br />
students stay informed of increased environmental efforts<br />
for global business, as professional expectations of<br />
sustainability knowledge are guaranteed to follow suit.<br />
29 AIGA Center for Sustainable Design,<br />
“The Living Principles,” AIGA, http://<br />
www.livingprinciples.net/ (accessed<br />
February 11, 2010).<br />
30 Brian Dougherty, Green Graphic<br />
Design, (New York, NY: Allworth Press,<br />
2008), 10.<br />
31 AIGA, http://www.livingprinciples.net<br />
(accessed February 11, 2010).<br />
32 Heller, Steven and Lita Talarico, Design<br />
School Confidential, (Beverly, MA:<br />
Rockport Publishers, 2009), 168.<br />
May 2009 Time Magazine<br />
illustrating the cover story<br />
on ‘green designers’<br />
42
EXPECTATION 7 | social responsibility<br />
A collegiate curriculum is the ideal vehicle to propel<br />
such ideals to the forefront of future graphic design<br />
practice. Traditionally, studio courses such as ‘Social<br />
Awareness,’ ‘Design for Society,’ or ‘Contemporary Issues<br />
in Design’ provide opportunities for students to research<br />
and design a socially responsible campaign. Student<br />
projects typically range anywhere from literacy, politics,<br />
or animal cruelty to the likes of clean water, global<br />
warming, and recycling campaigns. Learning outcomes<br />
from such courses are imperative, as students digest the<br />
vital role of graphic design within society and global<br />
culture as a whole. However, survey results from today’s<br />
leading practitioners conclude that another layer of<br />
social responsibility knowledge must be added to existing<br />
syllabi to better meet twenty-first century professional<br />
expectations. Studio courses must begin to inform<br />
and encourage students to critically apply practical<br />
sustainable processes to any and all design problems.<br />
The Royal College of Art in London, uk has<br />
incorporated a class entitled ‘Passion for Print,’ which<br />
investigates printing possibilities “beyond the surface.”<br />
Students produce design solutions where the influence<br />
of production and process is a primary consideration.<br />
For example, student Lottie Crumbleholme designed a<br />
lithography campaign using sustainable ideals entitled<br />
‘This is the Environmental Impact of your Work,’<br />
which encourages graphic designers to think more<br />
environmentally about the printing process. 32 American<br />
graphic design syllabi must take note and not only<br />
require students to research the content of such visual<br />
communications, but also research and practice with<br />
ethical production methods and materials.<br />
Barack Obama presidential campaign<br />
poster design by Scott Hanson of<br />
ISO50 highlights eco-friendly ideals<br />
This questionnaire gives designers the This opportunity questionnaire to audit gives a piece designers of work they<br />
have recently sent to print in order to see the the opportunity impact that to audit will a have piece made of on<br />
the environment. Non-drying inks printed work on they back have of recently the first sent page to print transfer<br />
any answers that relate to a poor environmental in order to choice see the onto impact the that image it below,<br />
literally showing the impact made.<br />
43
EXPECTATION 7 | social responsibility<br />
Amongst industry professionals, the notion<br />
of social responsibility also spawns discussions<br />
concerning the need for students to increase their<br />
cultural awareness prior to entering the twentyfirst<br />
century workplace. “Today’s new pluralism<br />
in graphic design must be seen as a response to the<br />
greater multiculturalism of today’s global society.” 33<br />
With the opulence of technology and our expanded<br />
global demands, the audience for which we design is<br />
increasingly important. Design history lectures will<br />
always idolize the “universal” design solutions of<br />
Bauhaus Modernism as the true “international style”<br />
of yesteryear. But with the new wave of social media<br />
and other forms of technology that broaden our<br />
communicative abilities, there is no longer such a thing<br />
as a universal audience. 34 With each project, students<br />
must learn to become experts on “the audience’s<br />
values, symbolic codes, and communicative styles;<br />
and preferred media and distribution channels must<br />
inform how we shape the written message.” 35 The First<br />
Things First manifesto reminds us that designers have<br />
the potential to create messages that have a profound<br />
impact on the world. Opportunity for pedagogical<br />
change rests in infusing practical principles of design<br />
ethics in students by requiring each studio project to<br />
fully research the global audience’s perspective and<br />
incorporate aspects of social responsibility by concept,<br />
process, and production.<br />
Design is directed toward human beings.<br />
To design is to solve human problems by<br />
identifying them & executing the best solution.<br />
Ivan Chermayeff<br />
33 Fiell, 8<br />
34 Katherine McCoy, “Maximize the<br />
Message: Tailoring Design for Your<br />
Audience in a Multicultural Era,” in The<br />
Education of a Graphic Designer, ed.<br />
Steven Heller, (New York, NY: Allworth<br />
Press, 2005), 279.<br />
35 Ibid, 283.<br />
The First Things First manifesto<br />
was published in January 1964.<br />
Inexplicably, reverberations are<br />
still apparent.<br />
44
EXPECTATION 7 | social responsibility<br />
Design is a<br />
call to action.<br />
Charles Eames<br />
45
visualizing curricular concepts<br />
46
VISUALIZING CURRICULAR CONCEPTS<br />
OBJECTIVES<br />
visualizing<br />
curricular<br />
concepts<br />
With all of the aforementioned variables of graphic<br />
design education, it is difficult for beginners to visualize<br />
which design programs are best suited for their individual<br />
priorities. As neophytes to design in general, most would not<br />
have an inkling of how to determine which programs are best<br />
aligned with today’s professional expectations. Under this<br />
premise, it becomes imperative for students to evaluate the<br />
competitive industry expectations they will face before they<br />
embark upon their educational journey. Bridging these gaps<br />
becomes possible by retaining educators that remain informed<br />
of current and future professional expectations. But also by<br />
equipping beginner students up front with the informational<br />
tools to make knowledgeable decisions about their choice of<br />
graphic design programs.<br />
Nothing is more tragic than to have<br />
students attend programs expecting<br />
to receive professional preparation,<br />
only to find after graduation that<br />
major gaps exist in their education.<br />
Philip Meggs<br />
47
What makes a<br />
graphic design<br />
course a success?<br />
Freedom<br />
When students are able to<br />
independently define and follow<br />
through with their own unique<br />
project parameters<br />
Educator<br />
Student<br />
Context<br />
When lectures and assignments<br />
connect with historical and/or<br />
contemporary real-world issues<br />
A class is a success when<br />
students demonstrate<br />
conceptual development,<br />
increased understanding<br />
and capacity for effective<br />
design methodologies.<br />
Discourse<br />
When the group engages in<br />
consistent thought-provoking<br />
discussion and critiques in class<br />
Dawn Barrett, Professor<br />
Rhode Island School of Design<br />
Providence, Rhode Island<br />
Challenge<br />
When the assignments have<br />
demanding yet attainable<br />
goals and objectives<br />
The students’ abilities<br />
to make intelligent design<br />
decisions, to work independently,<br />
to attain visual sensitivity and<br />
produce work that is visually<br />
cohesive and that reflects<br />
typographic competence.<br />
Learning Curve<br />
When I am able to learn<br />
something fundamentally new<br />
from my professor and perhaps<br />
vice versa<br />
Barry Roseman, Professor<br />
SCAD-Atlanta<br />
Atlanta, Georgia<br />
GPA<br />
When grade point averages<br />
are favorable and improve<br />
throughout the term<br />
Experimentation, enthusiasm,<br />
integration of theory and<br />
thinking beyond the expected<br />
design solution<br />
Sherry Blankenship, Professor<br />
Ohio University<br />
Athens, Ohio<br />
Multimedia<br />
When I am able to expand<br />
my knowledge of new<br />
media and technology to<br />
solve a design problem<br />
Projects<br />
When there is a portfolioworthy<br />
project at the end<br />
of the term<br />
48
visualizing curricular concepts<br />
CHALLENGE<br />
DISCOURSE<br />
FREEDOM<br />
PROJECTS<br />
LEARNING<br />
PROJECTS<br />
DISCOURSE<br />
CHALLENGE<br />
CONTEXT<br />
FREEDOM<br />
CONTEXT<br />
LEARNING CURVE<br />
MULTIMEDIA<br />
GPA<br />
MULTIMEDIA<br />
GPA<br />
Most Important<br />
Least Important<br />
49
70<br />
% of educators<br />
believe courses<br />
should focus<br />
less on polished<br />
portfolios and<br />
more on the<br />
development of<br />
core skill sets.<br />
Existing curricular concepts can be examined in various forms, but most reek of<br />
industry jargon and provide no connection by description of their pedagogical objectives<br />
to the expectations of today’s practice. Elaborate booklets and promotional brochures<br />
about each school are distributed to entice and inform potential students, yet are often<br />
presented as a glamorized hyper-reality of the college experience. The award-winning<br />
catalog Proof, a School of <strong>Visual</strong> Arts’ publication for prospective students, is an ideal<br />
example. While the school is indisputably amongst the most successful, the majority of<br />
this oversized catalog serves to excite the creative spirit and showcase individual student<br />
work. Very few of the visuals are dedicated to deciphering core curricular concepts in<br />
respect to professional expectations. Upon visiting numerous web sites of collegiate design<br />
programs, it is the norm to see a lengthy list of course numbers provided within a cryptic<br />
matrix of credit hours required. Rarely do they discuss how their educational tenets align<br />
with what leading industry professionals expect from new graduates of the future. With<br />
industry expectations left undefined in information issued to prospective students, how<br />
exactly are they expected to conclusively visualize what they will need upon graduation?<br />
How are they expected to differentiate among design schools under review, when<br />
professional expectations of the twenty-first century workplace are not published?<br />
visualizing curricular concepts<br />
Proof, a SVA publication<br />
to prospective students<br />
50
visualizing curricular concepts<br />
Unless students have prior recommendation from a guidance counselor or<br />
attend the local design school close to their residence, many students turn to outside<br />
sources for answers. The streamlined us News and World Report is known for<br />
publishing an annual “Best Design Schools” ranking, as is Business Week’s “Top<br />
Design Schools” list, or industry resources such as aiga’s link to nasad accredited<br />
institutions. These sources seem to cater more so to popularity and status and fail to<br />
discern a comparative outlook on how the ‘top schools’ align with expectations of<br />
twenty-first century professionals. In an effort to bridge this gap, Changing Graphic<br />
Design Pedagogy serves as a visual research manual that marries expectations from<br />
top design professionals with corresponding information about the top design schools<br />
per industry standards. Initially, leading professionals were asked from which design<br />
schools their most successful new employees graduated. Many of their responses<br />
align with the ‘top schools’ ranking, but they also drew attention to a variety of<br />
astute programs students may never consider should they only rely upon the allure<br />
of undergraduate catalogs, kitschy web sites, or ‘top school’ publicity. Each school’s<br />
curriculum deemed noteworthy by the surveyed professionals was closely evaluated<br />
and compared. Several factors were considered with a goal of distinguishing what<br />
each had in common to qualify them as a ‘top design school’ per leading practitioner<br />
standards. The region, accreditation, admission policy, term structure, ratio of<br />
liberal arts credits, review requirements, professional practice policies, and senior<br />
project mandates were all evaluated.<br />
Students should have a plan<br />
when they begin as to what<br />
kind of portfolio they will<br />
need when they graduate,<br />
otherwise how can they<br />
decide on a curriculum?<br />
Cary Staples, Professor<br />
University of Tennessee<br />
Knoxville, Tennessee<br />
Yale University School of Art<br />
web site with course listing<br />
51
Where did your most successful designers attend undergraduate school?<br />
Arizona State University Tempe, AZ<br />
Art Center College of Design Pasadena, CA<br />
Art Institute of Atlanta Atlanta, GA<br />
Auburn University Auburn, AL<br />
Boston University Boston, MA<br />
California Institute of the Arts Valencia, CA<br />
Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA<br />
Clemson University Clemson, SC<br />
College for Creative Studies Detroit, MI<br />
Cornish College of the Arts Seattle, WA<br />
Creative Circus Atlanta, GA<br />
Georgia State University Atlanta, GA<br />
Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI<br />
Herron School of Art & Design Indianapolis, IN<br />
Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, MD<br />
North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC<br />
Ohio State University Columbus, OH<br />
Ohio University Athens, OH<br />
Parsons the New School for Design NY, NY<br />
Penn State University Altoona, PA<br />
Portfolio Center Atlanta, GA<br />
Pratt Institute Brooklyn, NY<br />
Rutgers State University Newark, NJ<br />
Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art & Design Atlanta, GA<br />
School of the Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, IL<br />
School of <strong>Visual</strong> Arts New York, NY<br />
University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA<br />
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH<br />
University of Illinois Champaign, IL<br />
University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN<br />
University of Washington Seattle, WA<br />
Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA<br />
Yale University New Haven, CT<br />
52
visualizing curricular concepts<br />
In visualizing the pedagogical change of graphic design, the biggest issue is the time<br />
limitation in comparison with the “encyclopedic amounts of information” to learn (as<br />
Paul Rand would say). During the onset of this research, several educators and students<br />
expressed concern as to how a graphic design curriculum could possibly incorporate any<br />
additional components. Professors seemed already overwhelmed with back-to-back studios,<br />
full to capacity. They are pressed for time; 55% of educators would rather have the longer<br />
semester term system over the collegiate ten-week quarter structure to administer the new<br />
and necessary coursework. Students frowned at the proposition of tagging on an additional<br />
year of coursework, when four years already seemed like an eternity. Given the necessity of<br />
including new professional expectations into the curriculum, it is fair to say that four years<br />
has become unrealistic to complete a comprehensive undergraduate education where the<br />
student is truly prepared for today’s increasingly demanding workplace. 50% of educators<br />
surveyed agreed. Graphic Design Department Chair, Santiago Piedrafita of North Carolina<br />
State University is part of the other 50% who believe as the need for additional coursework<br />
arises, it means certain existing coursework has become outdated.<br />
The problem in thinking four<br />
years isn’t enough to prepare<br />
undergraduates for entry<br />
level positions is the fault of<br />
design faculty who refuse to<br />
reconsider or let go of sacred<br />
cows in the curriculum.<br />
Santiago Piedrafita, Department Chair<br />
North Carolina State University<br />
Raleigh, North Carolina<br />
53
Frequent debates occur over which curricular<br />
components are ‘sacred cows,’ but the solution is<br />
tangibly resolved only in a handful of programs like<br />
Rhode Island School of Design (risd) and University<br />
of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture,<br />
Art, and Planning (daap). risd’s Bachelor of Fine<br />
Arts (bfa) degree is a typical four-year program<br />
offering the expected course requirements, such as<br />
foundations, liberal arts, electives, and various design<br />
studios. Above and beyond the bfa curriculum, risd<br />
also offers an optional fifth year of coursework,<br />
which results in a Bachelor of Graphic Design (bgd)<br />
degree. This additional year enables students to<br />
acquire 6 credit hours of professional internships<br />
(as opposed to zero required for the bfa). It also<br />
incorporates 12 more graphic design studio credit<br />
hours, 9 additional art and design elective credit<br />
hours, and 3 more liberal arts credit hours. risd’s<br />
solution is a win-win for both educators and students.<br />
RISD 2009–2010 Undergraduate<br />
Graphic Design Curriculum comparing<br />
BFA & BGD credit hour distribution<br />
The need for additional time beyond the fourth<br />
year is addressed, along with the preservation of<br />
established coursework to compensate for the lack of<br />
time. By giving students this option, it allows them to<br />
gauge their competency level versus their career goals<br />
during their senior year of the design program and<br />
decide if the additional year is warranted.<br />
In contrast, daap in Cincinnati, Ohio also offers<br />
a five-year program, yet it is treated as a standard<br />
requirement to obtain a Bachelor of Science in<br />
Graphic Design, not a supplemental add-on. As a<br />
result, graphic design majors graduate from daap<br />
with a year and a half of professional practice<br />
experience, and are therefore better prepared to enter<br />
into the full-time workplace over other students with<br />
little to no experience.<br />
Another curricular concept that is rarely<br />
visualized within design school publications is their<br />
evaluation process of student work. Due to the<br />
increase in complexity of today’s design programs,<br />
portfolio reviews for admissions is more necessary<br />
than ever. 70% of professors polled are against open<br />
admission policies and believe that portfolios should<br />
be required for acceptance into reputable graphic<br />
design programs. This process favorably catches<br />
students who may need preliminary instruction<br />
prior to delving into the rigorous graphic design<br />
studio courses, yet it also creates an adverse aura<br />
of exclusivity surrounding the program itself.<br />
54
visualizing curricular concepts<br />
Noteworthy schools, like Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, or Maryland Institute College<br />
of Art in Baltimore, Maryland require 10–20 portfolio pieces up front from applying high school seniors to<br />
assess advanced student potential. This type of evaluation often becomes circumstantial, deterring promising<br />
students who have yet to be exposed to creative studies in high school, or who do not have the means to<br />
produce a collection of portfolio pieces. Other collegiate design programs more logically accept students<br />
without a portfolio evaluation into their foundation program for fundamental ‘pre-graphic design’ studies. It<br />
is more practical for schools to assess student talent after requiring a first year of intense coursework. Only at<br />
this point should student work be pragmatically reviewed to grant or deny their continuation into the official<br />
graphic design program.<br />
When comparing the success of certain curricular concepts, another point of contention amongst<br />
professors and students is the necessity of interim and exit reviews. 67% of students polled were not required<br />
to go through any sort of provisional or final review to gauge their progress. With open admission design<br />
school policies at the beginning of a student’s educational career, and the aforementioned lack of professional<br />
certification upon graduation, it is imperative for collegiate programs to implement reviews as academic<br />
checkpoints. They act as an essential barometer to ensure the release of fully competent graduates into the<br />
professional workplace. When surveyed, educators overwhelmingly agreed. 89% advocate for mandated<br />
interim and exit reviews prior to graduation and 96% believe that undergraduates should be required to<br />
complete a comprehensive senior capstone project or thesis to summate their studies in graphic design.<br />
Lastly, a design school’s accreditation is also a vital component to evaluate when comparing curricular<br />
concepts. 73% of educators agree that a design school’s accrediting association is an important indicator of<br />
their viability, yet several design schools remain only regionally (as opposed to nationally) accredited. For<br />
higher education as a whole, it is largely disputed which type of accrediting association, regional or national,<br />
possesses more quality control over curricular components. But for graphic design specifically, the National<br />
Association of Schools of Art and Design (nasad) is the most logical choice due to the collaboration with<br />
aiga (the professional association for design). nasad showcases substantial strides to homogenize successful<br />
curricular requirements for graphic design education; for this reason, design schools are remiss should they<br />
choose not to align themselves with such initiatives.<br />
55
70<br />
73<br />
% of educators<br />
say portfolios<br />
should be<br />
required for<br />
admission into<br />
graphic design<br />
programs<br />
% of educators<br />
say a school’s<br />
accrediting<br />
association is<br />
an important<br />
barometer of<br />
their viability<br />
visualizing curricular concepts<br />
89<br />
96<br />
% of educators<br />
say interim or exit<br />
reviews should<br />
be mandatory<br />
to better gauge<br />
student progress<br />
and levels of<br />
proficiency<br />
% of educators<br />
say undergrads<br />
should be<br />
required to<br />
complete a<br />
senior project<br />
or thesis prior<br />
to graduation<br />
56
visualizing curricular concepts<br />
Portfolio Review<br />
for Admissions in<br />
to Graphic Design<br />
Nationally<br />
Accredited<br />
(NASAD)<br />
Interim or<br />
Exit Reviews<br />
Required<br />
Senior Project<br />
or <strong>Thesis</strong><br />
Required<br />
Arizona State University<br />
Art Center College of Design<br />
Art Institute of Atlanta<br />
Auburn University<br />
Boston University<br />
California Institute of the Arts [cal arts]<br />
Carnegie Mellon University<br />
Clemson University<br />
College for Creative Studies<br />
Cornish College of the Arts<br />
Creative Circus*<br />
Georgia State University<br />
Grand Valley State University<br />
Herron School of Art & Design<br />
Maryland Institute College of Art<br />
North Carolina State University<br />
Ohio State University<br />
Ohio University<br />
Parsons the New School for Design<br />
Penn State University<br />
Portfolio Center*<br />
Pratt Institute<br />
Rhode Island School of Design [risd]**<br />
Rutgers State University<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art & Design<br />
School of the Art Institute of Chicago<br />
School of <strong>Visual</strong> Arts [sva]<br />
University of the Arts<br />
University of Cincinnati [daap]**<br />
University of Illinois<br />
University of Tennessee at Knoxville<br />
University of Washington<br />
Virginia Commonwealth University<br />
Yale University<br />
Two-year program*<br />
Five-year program**<br />
57
58<br />
50<br />
% of educators<br />
say multiple<br />
professional<br />
practice terms<br />
should be<br />
mandatory prior<br />
to graduation<br />
% of students<br />
say they do not<br />
have enough<br />
opportunities<br />
for adequate<br />
professional<br />
practice<br />
visualizing curricular concepts<br />
58<br />
50<br />
% of educators<br />
believe a two<br />
semester school<br />
year is more<br />
favorable than<br />
the four quarter<br />
system per year<br />
% of educators<br />
think four years<br />
is becoming<br />
insufficient for a<br />
comprehensive<br />
graphic design<br />
education in the<br />
21st century<br />
58
visualizing curricular concepts<br />
More than 2-Terms<br />
Professional Practice<br />
2-Semester<br />
School Year<br />
4-Quarter<br />
School Year<br />
More than 4-Year<br />
Program Length<br />
Arizona State University<br />
Art Center College of Design<br />
Art Institute of Atlanta<br />
Auburn University<br />
Boston University<br />
California Institute of the Arts [cal arts]<br />
Carnegie Mellon University<br />
Clemson University<br />
College for Creative Studies<br />
Cornish College of the Arts<br />
Creative Circus*<br />
Georgia State University<br />
Grand Valley State University<br />
Herron School of Art & Design<br />
Maryland Institute College of Art<br />
North Carolina State University<br />
Ohio State University<br />
Ohio University<br />
Parsons the New School for Design<br />
Penn State University<br />
Portfolio Center*<br />
Pratt Institute<br />
Rhode Island School of Design [risd]**<br />
Rutgers State University<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art & Design<br />
School of the Art Institute of Chicago<br />
School of <strong>Visual</strong> Arts [sva]<br />
University of the Arts<br />
University of Cincinnati [daap]**<br />
University of Illinois<br />
University of Tennessee at Knoxville<br />
University of Washington<br />
Virginia Commonwealth University<br />
Yale University<br />
Two-year program*<br />
Five-year program**<br />
59
55–70%<br />
Liberal Arts<br />
30–35%<br />
Liberal Arts<br />
15–25%<br />
Liberal Arts<br />
0%<br />
Liberal Arts<br />
Arizona State University<br />
Art Center College of Design<br />
Art Institute of Atlanta<br />
Auburn University<br />
Boston University<br />
California Institute of the Arts [cal arts]<br />
Carnegie Mellon University<br />
Clemson University<br />
College for Creative Studies<br />
Cornish College of the Arts<br />
Creative Circus*<br />
Georgia State University<br />
Grand Valley State University<br />
Herron School of Art & Design<br />
Maryland Institute College of Art<br />
North Carolina State University<br />
Ohio State University<br />
Ohio University<br />
Parsons the New School for Design<br />
Penn State University<br />
Portfolio Center*<br />
Pratt Institute<br />
Rhode Island School of Design [risd]**<br />
Rutgers State University<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art & Design<br />
School of the Art Institute of Chicago<br />
School of <strong>Visual</strong> Arts [sva]<br />
University of the Arts<br />
University of Cincinnati [daap]**<br />
University of Illinois<br />
University of Tennessee at Knoxville<br />
University of Washington<br />
Virginia Commonwealth University<br />
Yale University<br />
Note: Percentages are an average approximation calculated per total credit hours required; student electives and individual exemptions may apply.<br />
Two-year program*<br />
Five-year program**<br />
60
visualizing curricular concepts<br />
Dexterity with<br />
Digital Media<br />
Design<br />
Discourse<br />
Multi-Disciplinary<br />
Approach<br />
Innovative<br />
Business<br />
Strategies<br />
Social<br />
Responsibility<br />
Arizona State University<br />
Art Center College of Design<br />
Art Institute of Atlanta<br />
Auburn University<br />
Boston University<br />
California Institute of the Arts [cal arts]<br />
Carnegie Mellon University<br />
Clemson University<br />
College for Creative Studies<br />
Cornish College of the Arts<br />
Creative Circus*<br />
Georgia State University<br />
Grand Valley State University<br />
Herron School of Art & Design<br />
Maryland Institute College of Art<br />
North Carolina State University<br />
Ohio State University<br />
Ohio University<br />
Parsons the New School for Design<br />
Penn State University<br />
Portfolio Center*<br />
Pratt Institute<br />
Rhode Island School of Design [risd]**<br />
Rutgers State University<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art & Design<br />
School of the Art Institute of Chicago<br />
School of <strong>Visual</strong> Arts [sva]<br />
University of the Arts<br />
University of Cincinnati [daap]**<br />
University of Illinois<br />
University of Tennessee at Knoxville<br />
University of Washington<br />
Virginia Commonwealth University<br />
Yale University<br />
Note: Selections are based upon published curricular descriptions and requirements; syllabi per professor and elective choices per student will vary.<br />
Two-year program*<br />
Five-year program**<br />
61
conclusion<br />
37 MarshallMcLuhan.com, http://www.<br />
marshallmcluhan.com/poster.html<br />
38 Heller, Education of an E-designer,<br />
105.<br />
The field of graphic design has constantly and consistently changed upon its<br />
inception and will continue to reinvent itself as technology advances. Pedagogy should<br />
not be defined by or limited to industry expectations, but should be greatly informed<br />
and influenced by them. Graphic design education must not rest on serving the public’s<br />
current definition of it or reacting to change only after it surfaces within the industry. The<br />
best curricula anticipate future change and produce design professionals that embody the<br />
same philosophy. The essence of this proactive vision in education can be traced back to<br />
the Marshall McLuhan caveat, “If we look at the present through a rearview mirror, we<br />
march backwards into the future.” 37 Armed with the knowledge of what today’s leading<br />
professionals expect from new graduates of the future, visualizing certain pedagogical<br />
change seems all the more tangible. Research shows that in order for design student to be<br />
fully prepared to enter the today’s professional graphic design workplace, they must be<br />
proficient in fundamental skills of (1) creativity, (2) craft and technique, and (3) design<br />
discourse; new modalities and methods of (4) digital media and (5) multi-disciplinary<br />
approaches; and knowledge of business with (6) innovative strategy, and a sense of (7)<br />
social responsibility. Realistically, even with the best schools and the top professors, a<br />
design curriculum cannot carry the entire responsibility of a graphic designer’s success or<br />
failure post-graduation. As Steven Heller says, “The content of education is more than<br />
62
the college curriculum.” 38 Even after mastering the core set of professional expectations,<br />
a design student’s body of knowledge can never be looked upon in completion; it<br />
remains ongoing and continuous. The best remain curious, thirst for knowledge, and<br />
39 Heller, Education of an E-designer, 105.<br />
surround themselves with forward-thinkers who embrace the same notion of change.<br />
Graphic design education must continue striving to stay ahead of the industry’s learning<br />
curve and to bridge the dichotomy between pedagogy and professional practice. More<br />
strides need to be made to develop professional certification for graphic designers, more<br />
portfolio reviews need to occur within academia, and more design programs need to<br />
consistently seek national recognition through nasad. Currently, without the universal<br />
acceptance of these tenants, the sole criterion for measuring a design program’s success<br />
lies within the competency of their students in the professional workplace upon<br />
graduation. Impending change and growth is the one unrivaled consistency schools<br />
embrace globally, as graphic design pedagogy continues to be translated into diverse<br />
configurations across the nation. On this account, the seven distinct professional<br />
expectations identified are in stride with the twenty-first century workplace today, but<br />
also come with the guarantee to evolve through time and technological advancement.<br />
This is the cyclical nature of the cultural force that is graphic design, its “education has<br />
no beginning or ending.” 39<br />
Education itself might be looked upon<br />
as the assimilation of experience – the<br />
content of education is more than the<br />
college curriculum. Education has no<br />
beginning or ending.<br />
Steven Heller<br />
63
ibliography<br />
aiga Center for Sustainable Design. “The Living Principles.” aiga,<br />
http://www.livingprinciples.net/(accessed February 11, 2010).<br />
aiga: The Professional Association for Design. “About aiga.” aiga,<br />
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/about-aiga (accessed January 31, 2010).<br />
Bierut, Michael, William Drenttel and Steven Heller, ed. Looking Closer Four:<br />
Critical Writings on Graphic Design. New York, ny: Allworth Press, 2002.<br />
Biesele, Igildo G. Graphic Design Education. Zurich: abc Verlag, 1981.<br />
Brainyquote.com. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/tseliot101421.html<br />
(accessed February 15, 2010).<br />
Brown, Tim. “Strategy by Design.” Fast Company, June 1, 2005,<br />
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/95/design-strategy.html<br />
(accessed February 10, 2010).<br />
Dabner, David. Graphic Design School: A Foundation Course in the Principles<br />
and Practices of Graphic Design, 3rd ed. Hoboken, nj: John Wiley &<br />
Sons Inc., 2005.<br />
Dewey, John. Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy<br />
of Education. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1916.<br />
Dougherty, Brian. Green Graphic Design. New York, ny: Allworth Press, 2008.<br />
Fiell, Charlotte & Peter. Graphic Design for the 21st Century. Hohenzollernring:<br />
Taschen, 2005.<br />
Heller, Steven. Education of an E-Designer. New York, ny: Allworth Press, 2001.<br />
Heller, Steven and Lita Talarico. Design School Confidential. Beverly, ma:<br />
Rockport Publishers, 2009.<br />
IDEO. “Innovation Strategy.” ideo, http://www.ideo.com/thinking/focus/<br />
innovation-strategy/ (accessed February 13, 2010).<br />
Lupton Ellen and Abbott Miller. Design Writing Research: Writing on Graphic<br />
Design. London: Phaidon Press Limited, 1996.<br />
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Lupton, Ellen, and Jennifer Cole Phillips. Graphic Design: The New Basics.<br />
New York, ny: Princeton Architectural Press, 2008.<br />
MarshallMcLuhan.com. http://www.marshallmcluhan.com/poster.html<br />
(accessed February 15, 2010).<br />
Mayer, Nancy. “Putting Criticism into Critique.” In The Education of a Graphic<br />
Designer, edited by Steven Heller, 98-101. New York, ny: Allworth<br />
Press, 2005.<br />
McCoy, Katherine. “Maximize the Message: Tailoring Design for Your Audience in<br />
a Multicultural Era.” In The Education of a Graphic Designer, edited by<br />
Steven Heller, 279-283. New York, ny: Allworth Press, 2005.<br />
Meggs, Philip. “Pedagogy vs. the Real World.” In Meggs: Making Graphic Design<br />
History, edited by Rob Carter, Libby Meggs, and Sandra Wheeler, 74-76.<br />
Hoboken, nj: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2008.<br />
nasad: National Association of Schools of Art and Design. “Making Choices<br />
About the Study of Graphic Design.” aiga, http://nasad.arts-accredit.org/<br />
site/docs/aiga-nasad%20publications/aiga-nasad-gened_briefing_paper.pdf<br />
(accessed February 28, 2010).<br />
Perkins, Shel. “Making a Living.” aiga Center for Practice Management, Design:<br />
Business Issue 4, May 2005 http://cpm.aiga.org/content.cfm/<br />
making_a_living (accessed February 13, 2010).<br />
Perkins, Shel. “Be Smart about Student Internships.” aiga Center for Practice<br />
Management, May 20, 2009. http://cpm.aiga.org/content.cfm/be-smartabout-student-internships<br />
(accessed February 13, 2010).<br />
Pierce, Randy. “Graphic Design and the Built Environment.” InformeDesign, vol 1,<br />
issue 4, http://www.informedesign.umn.edu/_news/may_v01-p.pdf<br />
(accessed January 06, 2010).<br />
Posnak, Rachael. “Job Outlook: Juniors.” cmyk Magazine, vol. 44, July 2009.<br />
Rand, Paul. Design, Form, and Chaos. New Haven, ct: Yale University Press, 1993.<br />
65
Rock, Michael. “The Designer as Author.” In Graphic Design Theory: Readings<br />
from the Field, edited by Helen Armstrong, 108-114. New York, ny:<br />
Princeton Architectural Press, 2009.<br />
Teper, Steven J. “The Creative Campus: Who’s no. 1.” The Chronicle of Higher<br />
Education, October 1, 2004. http://chronicle.com/article/The-Creative-<br />
Campus-Who-s/4870 (accessed January 31, 2010.)<br />
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milton_glaser/(accessed January 31, 2010).<br />
Van der Velden, Daniel. “Research & Destroy: A Plea for Design as Research.”<br />
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(accessed February 12, 2010).<br />
bibliography<br />
West, Harry. “The Cross-Discipline Design Imperative.” Business Week, October 4,<br />
2007. http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/oct2007/<br />
id2007104_562559.htm?chan=innovation_special+report+--+d-schools_<br />
special+report+--+d-schools (accessed February 15, 2010).<br />
I think what I feel fortunate<br />
about is that things still<br />
amaze me. The possibility<br />
for learning never disappears.<br />
MILTON GLASER<br />
66
about the<br />
author<br />
<strong>Nicole</strong> <strong>Roberts</strong> is a recent Master of Fine Arts degree recipient<br />
and is currently completing coursework for a Master of Arts<br />
in Interior Design as well. Changing Graphic Design Pedagogy<br />
is the visual component of her thesis submitted to the graphic<br />
design faculty of <strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art and Design in<br />
Atlanta, Georgia. Along with a Bachelor of Science in Design<br />
degree from the University of Cincinnati, College of Design,<br />
Architecture, Art and Planning – <strong>Nicole</strong> has 9½ years of<br />
professional experience with a specialization in environmental<br />
graphic design. Equipped with the her teaching assistant<br />
internships and the enlightening thesis research enclosed,<br />
<strong>Nicole</strong> hopes to expand her career into education as an<br />
advocate for the continual advancement of design pedagogy.<br />
Book Designer<br />
<strong>Nicole</strong> R. <strong>Roberts</strong><br />
paper<br />
Red River Premium Matte<br />
32# Text, 60# Cover<br />
TypefaceS<br />
Sabon, designed by Jan Tschichold, 1967<br />
Futura, designed by Paul Renner, 1927<br />
67
about<br />
the survey<br />
participants<br />
The research included within this book<br />
would not have been possible without<br />
the survey participants who contributed<br />
their time, opinions, and perspectives<br />
on today’s graphic design pedagogy<br />
and how they envision future change.<br />
Statistical information is based upon<br />
design professionals, educators, and<br />
students. Survey participants are diverse<br />
in geographic location, type of institution<br />
or business, and background experience.<br />
There is no design without<br />
discipline. There is no<br />
discipline without intelligence.<br />
Massimo Vignelli<br />
68
about survey participants<br />
professionals<br />
Aggie Toppins<br />
Aggie is a senior designer at Simple Truth in Chicago, Illinois,<br />
a leader in the branding industry. Aggie holds a bs in Graphic<br />
Design from the University of Cincinnati.<br />
Angelo Carusi<br />
Angelo is a principal at Cooper Carry, a premier architecture<br />
firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. He has led the firm’s<br />
retail studio since 1989 and has since acquired numerous<br />
awards. Angelo holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the<br />
University of Tennessee.<br />
Bart Caylor<br />
Bart is the principal of Brainstorm, a premier marketing<br />
agency in Indianapolis, Indiana. Bart is responsible for many<br />
of Brainstorm’s higher education accounts, leading several<br />
large-scale web initiatives which garnered acclaim in The<br />
Chronicle of Higher Education and us News and World<br />
Report. Bart graduated magna cum laude from Anderson<br />
University and is a member of the Council for Advancement<br />
and Support of Education.<br />
Ben Graham<br />
Ben is a principal and creative director at Turnstyle in<br />
Seattle, Washington. Turnstyle, founded in 2004, is an<br />
innovative studio focused on print, packaging, web, and<br />
retail design. They recently won an award in the 365 aiga<br />
Annual Design Competition and were also featured in the<br />
January 2010 CommArts magazine. Ben holds a bfa in visual<br />
communications from University of Washington.<br />
Connie Birdsall<br />
Connie leads the design practice at Lippincott and is a member<br />
of the firm’s executive committee. Her experience encompasses<br />
20 years of directing and designing global corporate and brand<br />
identity, marketing communications, and information design.<br />
Connie has held positions on the national board of aiga. Her<br />
bfa was received from Kansas City Art Institute with an mfa<br />
from Cranbrook Academy of Art.<br />
Dominique Hirsiger<br />
Dominique is a project designer at asd/Sky Design in Atlanta,<br />
Georgia. She received her bfa in Interior Design from<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art and Design.<br />
Jan Lorenc<br />
Jan was born in Poland and currently residing in Roswell,<br />
Georgia. He is co-owner of Lorenc+Yoo Design, a studio<br />
formed in 1998. They include specialists in industrial design,<br />
exhibition design, architectural design, furniture design,<br />
interior design, and environmental graphics. Jan is a graduate<br />
of the Illinois Institute of Technology with a bs and ms in<br />
Industrial Design and <strong>Visual</strong> Communication respectively, as<br />
well as a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with<br />
a ms in Architecture.<br />
Jay Rogers<br />
Jay is an art director at Cartoon Network in Atlanta, Georgia<br />
where he focuses on everything from print, packaging, and<br />
identity, to interactive design. He is a recent Southeastern<br />
Excellence in Design awards winner.<br />
Jon Garcia<br />
Jon is vice president of design at Fuzebox, Inc., a technology<br />
consulting firm in Atlanta, Georgia where he practices digital,<br />
virtual, and interactive design. He has nearly 10 years of<br />
creative design experience and holds a bfa from Art Institute<br />
of Atlanta.<br />
Liz Teston<br />
Liz is currently working as a project design at asd/Sky Design<br />
in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a bfa from the <strong>Savannah</strong><br />
college of Art and Design.<br />
Mark Drye<br />
Mark is the owner of Caruso–Drye, a graphics, signage,<br />
and wayfinding design consulting firm in Marietta, Georgia.<br />
He holds a Bachelor of Education in graphic design and<br />
architecture from North Carolina State University.<br />
Mike Sloan<br />
Mike is a partner at Lippincott New York, an international<br />
brand identity consultant where he concentrates on<br />
retail design. He has close to 20 years’ experience in the<br />
design, development and implementation of international<br />
environmental branding programs. Mike holds a Bachelor of<br />
Architecture degree from Syracuse University.<br />
Sara Cormier<br />
Sara is co-owner of Miller–Cormier, a freelancing design<br />
partnership in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has also been the<br />
advertising design manager at Cincinnati Magazine for over<br />
5 years. Sara received her bs in Graphic Design from the<br />
University of Cincinnati.<br />
Sarah Miller<br />
Sarah is co-owner of Miller–Cormier, a freelancing design<br />
partnership in Cincinnati, Ohio. She specializes in interactive<br />
design and has taught as an adjunct professor at the University<br />
of Cincinnati, where she acquired her bs in Graphic Design.<br />
Steve Carlin<br />
Steve is a Senior Graphic Designer at Cooper Carry, Inc. in<br />
Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in environmental graphic design.<br />
Steve holds a bs in Technical Graphics from Purdue University<br />
in Indiana.<br />
Tracy Pohl<br />
Tracy is currently working as a senior interior designer at<br />
Champlin Architecture in Cincinnati, Ohio with 10 years<br />
of experience in the field. She holds a bs in Design from the<br />
University of Cincinnati.<br />
Yolonda Baker<br />
Yolonda is a senior graphic designer at Deloitte, an<br />
international accounting and consulting firm based in Atlanta,<br />
Georgia. She focuses on print design, marketing materials,<br />
identity, and environmental graphics. Yolonda studied design<br />
at Creative Circus in Atlanta.<br />
69
educators<br />
Alysia Kaplan<br />
Alysia currently teaches foundation studies, design aesthetics, and<br />
photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (saic).<br />
She previously held a professorship position at the Museum<br />
School of Boston. Alysia graduated with a bfa from Rochester<br />
Institute of Technology in New York with her mfa from saic.<br />
Barry Roseman<br />
Barry is currently a professor at <strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art and<br />
Design (scad) in Atlanta, Georgia. He has taught previously<br />
at Atlanta College of Art and University of Tennessee at<br />
Chattanooga. With 17 years of experience, Barry has taught<br />
everything from typography, to brand/identity, packaging,<br />
publication, and information design. He attended both Yale<br />
University School of Art in Connecticut and Basel School of<br />
Design in Switzerland.<br />
Bill Newkirk<br />
Bill is currently a professor and department head of graphic<br />
design at Rhode Island School of Design (risd). He studied<br />
architecture and graphic design at risd, receiving a bfa in<br />
Graphic Design in 1968. With his 34 years of teaching experience,<br />
Bill has taught various coursework in foundation studies and<br />
graphic design.<br />
Carl Marxer<br />
Carl currently teaches motion media design at scad–Atlanta.<br />
He has previous taught at the Art Institute of Atlanta, Portfolio<br />
Center, and American InterContinental University. Carl received<br />
his bs in Design from the University of Tennessee with an mfa<br />
from scad. He also founded a design practice of his own in 1982<br />
entitled Video Production Services.<br />
Cary Staples<br />
Cary currently teaches at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville.<br />
With 25 years of teaching experience, she has also held positions<br />
at the University of Connecticut and the University of New<br />
Orleans. Cary received her bfa from Kent State University and<br />
her mfa from Michigan State University, with additional study at<br />
Yale School of Art and Basel School of Design. Cary also practices<br />
professionally at f-one Design and Lightcone Interactive.<br />
Chitra Gopalakrishnan<br />
Chitra currently teaches graphic design at Grand Valley State<br />
University. His undergraduate degree was acquired from esag<br />
Penninghen in Paris, France with a mfa from Cranbrook<br />
Academy of Art in Michigan. Chitra practices design<br />
professionally with Illum Design Project pvt ltd, a<br />
brand strategy firm based in India.<br />
Daniel Morgenthaler<br />
Daniel has 25 years of experience teaching foundation studies,<br />
print design , and typography. He currently provides instruction<br />
within the visual communication department at SAIC with<br />
previous experience at DePaul University. Daniel attended the<br />
Basel School of Design in Switzerland for 6 years. He maintains<br />
his professional practice as owner of Studio29 in Chicago, Illinois.<br />
David Asari<br />
David currently teaches graphic design at California College of<br />
the Arts (cca) in San Francisco. He worked as a senior designer<br />
at Pentagram for 11 years. David acquired his bfa from the<br />
University of California, Berkeley and continued his graduate<br />
studies at cca.<br />
Dawn Barrett<br />
Dawn is the dean of architecture and design and a professor of<br />
graphic design at risd in Providence. Previously she held the<br />
position of head of design at the Jan van Eyck Akademie in the<br />
Netherlands. Dawn studied Fine Art at Smith College and unc,<br />
Chapel Hill and received a bachelors degree in art history from<br />
the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a masters degree<br />
in product design from the School of Design, nc State University,<br />
Raleigh. Since 2008 Dawn is also a member of nasad's Commission<br />
on Accreditation.<br />
Deborah Brooks<br />
Deborah currently teaches at <strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art and Design.<br />
With 35 years’ experience, she previously held professorship<br />
positions at Texas Tech, the University of Kentucky, Arizona State,<br />
Washington State, and Texas Christian University. Deborah is an<br />
University of North Carolina – Greensboro graduate.<br />
Denise Gonzales Crisp<br />
With her 20 years of teaching experience, Denise currently leads<br />
typography coursework at North Carolina State University, with<br />
previous positions at Art Center College of Design, California<br />
Institute of the Arts, and Otis Art Institute. Denise received her<br />
undergraduate degree from Art Center in illustration and graphic<br />
design with graduate studies at California Institute of the Arts.<br />
Don Adleta<br />
Don is a professor of design and the chair of the graphic design<br />
program at Ohio University. With his 30 years of experience, he<br />
has also taught at risd and Western Michigan University. Don<br />
attended the University of Cincinnati and Ohio University during<br />
his undergraduate studies with additional graduate study at Basel<br />
School of Design.<br />
Eric Heiman<br />
With 10 years of experience, Eric currently teaches graphic design<br />
at the California College of the Arts (cca) in San Francisco. He<br />
received a bachelor degree in architecture at Carnegie Mellon<br />
University with a bfa in graphic design from cca. Eric currently<br />
practices design professionally at a firm he co-founded entitled<br />
Volume Inc.<br />
Eric Benson<br />
Eric currently teaches full time at the University of Illinois Urbana-<br />
Champaign. His research areas of expertise include sustainable and<br />
greener graphic design practices and socially responsible design. Eric<br />
holds a bfa in Graphic and Industrial Design from the University of<br />
Michigan and a mfa in Design from the University of Texas.<br />
Henry Kim<br />
Henry is currently a professor and associate chair of the graphic<br />
design department at scad-Atlanta. With his 8 years of experience,<br />
Henry has also taught at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago,<br />
Robert Morris College, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.<br />
He received a bachelor of science in agriculture degree from Kyung<br />
Hee University in South Korea, a bfa from University of Illinois at<br />
Chicago, and a mfa from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.<br />
Holly Quarzo<br />
Holly currently teaching interactive and web design studios at<br />
scad-Atlanta. She has a ba from the University of Rochester<br />
and a mfa from Indiana State University. Holly also practices<br />
professionally working with the Human Center Design Team<br />
at at&t Mobility.<br />
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about survey participants<br />
educators<br />
John Sharp<br />
John currently teaches interactive design and game development<br />
at scad-Atlanta. With his 10 years of experience, he has also<br />
held a teaching position at Parsons The New School for Design.<br />
John received his ba from the University of Georgia, and a ma<br />
and a ph.d from Indiana University.<br />
Kelly Bryant<br />
Kelly and her 22 years of experience currently teach<br />
publication, book, identity and logo design at Auburn<br />
University in Alabama. She previously taught at Samford<br />
University in Birmingham. In addition she works as a freelance<br />
illustrator and painter in the mediums of watercolor and acrylic.<br />
Kelly has a ma in Illustration from Syracuse University and a<br />
bfa in Graphic Design from Auburn University.<br />
Kermit Bailey<br />
Kermit has 20 years of experience, currently teaching interactive<br />
media, information design and typography at North Carolina<br />
State University. He received his ba in visual communication<br />
from North Carolina Central University and a master of<br />
product design in visual design from nc State University.<br />
Laura Chessin<br />
Laura is a current professor at Virginia Commonwealth<br />
University. With her 14 years of teaching experience, she<br />
has also instructed coursework at risd and the University of<br />
Massachusetts. Laura holds an mfa in graphic design from risd<br />
and a bfa in photography from Cornell University. Prior to<br />
her position at vcu, she maintained her own studio focused<br />
on publication and print-media design based in Amherst, ma.<br />
Leslie Becker<br />
Leslie is a professor with 31 years of experience. She currently<br />
teaches at the California College of the Arts, and previously<br />
at Cooper Union. Leslie has a ma in Design and a ph.d in<br />
Architectural Theory and Methods from uc Berkeley. She will<br />
lecture on design pedagogy to design professors in Beijing<br />
(Summer 2010) and she is an aiga fellow.<br />
Martha Scotford<br />
Martha currently teaches at North Carolina State University.<br />
With her 29 years of experience, she teaches everything from<br />
typography, to brand/identity, design aesthetics, design history,<br />
design methodology, foundation studies, packaging, portfolio,<br />
and publication design. Martha has a bfa and a mfa in Graphic<br />
Design from Yale University School of Art with post-graduate<br />
study at Bath Academy of Art in the uk. Martha also received<br />
a ba in Art History from Oberlin College. Her research focuses<br />
on women in art history and feminist theory.<br />
Mary McLaughlin<br />
Mary currently teaches typography, design methodology,<br />
and environmental graphic design coursework at Virginia<br />
Commonwealth University. She has a total of 23 years teaching<br />
experience with former positions at nc State and Boston<br />
University. Mary attended undergraduate school at<br />
the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.<br />
Merrick Henry<br />
Merrick currently teaches graphic design at scad. With 8 years<br />
of experience, he has also taught at Kansas State University. His<br />
attended undergraduate school at Kansas Wesleyan University,<br />
graduate school at Kansas State University, with additional<br />
study at Taft College in California. Merrick specializes<br />
teaching coursework in brand/identity design, print design,<br />
and typography.<br />
Mookesh Patel<br />
Mookesh currently teaches at Arizona State University School<br />
of Design Innovation. With his 32 years of experience, he has<br />
also taught at risd and the National Institute of Design (nid)<br />
in India. Mookesh received a ba in visual communication from<br />
nid in India, a bs from Ahmedabad Science College, Gujarat<br />
University in India, and a mfa in graphic design from risd. He<br />
is a practicing information/experience designer, principal and<br />
partner at InfoDesign Management Inc. in Scottsdale.<br />
Nancy Skolos<br />
With 20 years of experience, Nancy currently teaches graphic<br />
design at risd. She originally studied at the University of<br />
Cincinnati in industrial design. After two years of study, she<br />
was accepted as one of a few undergraduate students at<br />
Cranbrook Academy of Art where she completed her bfa in<br />
interdisciplinary design, and then went directly to Yale and<br />
received an mfa in graphic design. She currently practices design<br />
professionally with her husband to form the firm specializing in<br />
innovative poster design – Skolos-Wedell.<br />
Renee Seward<br />
Renee currently teaches digital design, brand/identity, design<br />
aesthetics, design methodology, and environmental graphic<br />
design at the University of Cincinnati (uc). She received her bs in<br />
Graphic design from uc and her mfa from North Carolina State<br />
University.<br />
Richard Shanks<br />
With his 14 years of teaching experience, Richard currently<br />
teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He received<br />
his bfa from the University of Michigan and his mfa from the<br />
California Institute of the Arts. Richard currently practices design<br />
professionally as president of UpShift Creative Group in Chicago.<br />
Samantha Lawrie<br />
Samantha currently teaches graphic design at Auburn<br />
University with 11 years of experience. She has a bfa and a<br />
Master of Education from Auburn, with a mfa from Louisiana<br />
Tech University.<br />
Santiago Piedrafita<br />
Santiago is currently an associate professor and chair of the<br />
department of graphic design and industrial design at North<br />
Carolina State University. Previously, Santiago chaired the Design<br />
Department at Minneapolis College of Art and Design (mcad).<br />
He holds a bfa from the College of Industrial Design in Brazil,<br />
and a ms from Pratt Institute in New York. Recently Santiago<br />
was named to the prestigious id Forty, The International Design<br />
Magazine’s annual list of 40 top designers, architects and visual<br />
professionals from around the globe.<br />
Sherry Blankenship<br />
With her 13 years of experience, Sherry currently teaches graphic<br />
design at Ohio University. She has previously taught in New<br />
Zealand, Lebanon and Qatar where she was also the graphic<br />
designer for Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. She<br />
has also taught courses in India, Turkey and Zimbabwe. She has<br />
a degree in education from Paterson State College in New Jersey<br />
and a mfa in visual communication design from North Carolina<br />
State University.<br />
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students<br />
Amberlee Isabella<br />
University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky<br />
Bachelor of Art in Interior Design, Class of 2007<br />
Amy McNeil<br />
University of Cincinnati, College of Design,<br />
Architecture, Art and Planning in Cincinnati, Ohio<br />
Bachelors of Science in Graphic Design, Class of 2006<br />
Ariana Parenti<br />
Yale University School of Art in New Haven,<br />
Connecticut bfa in Design Candidate, Class of 2011<br />
Bess Weyandt<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art and Design, Atlanta, Georgia,<br />
Class of 2009. Smith College in Northampton,<br />
Massachusetts Class of 2004<br />
Brandon <strong>Roberts</strong><br />
University of Cincinnati College of Applied Science,<br />
Cincinnati, Ohio, Class of 2008<br />
Chris Baareman<br />
Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia,<br />
Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design, Class of 2006<br />
David Short<br />
scad-Atlanta mfa in Graphic Design Candidate.<br />
Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa Bachelor of<br />
Fine Arts in Graphic Design<br />
Jillian Paul<br />
scad-Atlanta mfa in Interior Design.<br />
University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida<br />
bfa in English, Film and Media Studies<br />
Johanna Barger<br />
scad-Atlanta mfa in Interior Design.<br />
Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee,<br />
bfa in Art History, Class of 2006<br />
Julia Ruzich<br />
scad-Atlanta mfa in Graphic Design Candidate.<br />
Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida<br />
Bachelor of Science in Studio Art<br />
Kaley Henning<br />
scad-Atlanta bfa in Graphic Design<br />
and Painting Candidate, Class of 2010<br />
Marisa Carter<br />
scad-Atlanta mfa in Interior Design Candidate.<br />
Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia<br />
ba in English, Class of 2005<br />
Meg McClelland<br />
scad-Atlanta mfa in Graphic Design Candidate.<br />
Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California<br />
bfa in Studio Arts, Class of 2007<br />
Meghan Crosser<br />
scad-Atlanta bfa in Graphic Design Candidate.<br />
Young Harris College in Young Harris, Georgia<br />
Associate of Science, Class of 2006<br />
Michael Gluzman<br />
Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia<br />
Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design<br />
Nandhini Mehra<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art and Design, Atlanta, Georgia,<br />
bfa in Graphic Design Candidate, Class of 2010<br />
Ryan Vihlen<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art and Design in Atlanta, ga,<br />
mfa in Graphic Design Candidate.<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art and Design in<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong>, Georgia, bfa in Furniture Design<br />
Sean Gladden<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art and Design in<br />
Atlanta, Georgia, bfa in Graphic Design Candidate.<br />
Silvina Guerreiro<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art and Design in<br />
Atlanta, Georgia bfa in Advertising Candidate.<br />
Therese Mushock<br />
<strong>Savannah</strong> College of Art and Design in Atlanta, ga,<br />
mfa in Graphic Design, Class of 2009.<br />
University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia<br />
ba in Journalism and Political Science, Class of 2004<br />
72
about survey participants<br />
I think what I feel fortunate<br />
about is that things still amaze<br />
me... the possibility for learning<br />
never disappears.<br />
Milton Glaser<br />
73
I am still<br />
learning.<br />
Michelangelo<br />
74