Nicole Roberts MFA Thesis Visual Component Artwork - Savannah ...

abstract
Leading professionals learn to adapt quickly as technology
and globalization continue to change how we consume
graphic design. All too frequently, it is the collegiate
design schools that are slow to respond to this continuous
learning curve. Unlike any other major of study, graphic
design education is riddled with countless variables and
lacking professional certification to ensure the proficiency
of its graduates. Realistically, a student’s performance
in the professional workplace upon graduation is the
only measurable indicator as to the qualitative success of
pedagogical practices. Expectations of new graduates are
defined by leading professionals in terms of (1) creativity,
(2) craft and technique, (3) design discourse, (4) digital
media, (5) multi-disciplinary approaches, (6) innovative
business strategies, and (7) social responsibility. By aligning
professional expectations with student realities, educators
will be able to better visualize current curricular objectives
and initiate an informed future of pedagogical change that
ensures more competent graduates for the twenty-first
century workplace.
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