I happened upon a listing at a local college for a Graphic Arts Instructor. Reading through the description, it asked for a sample lesson plan. That got me thinking back to my own education and experiences as a Multimedia assistant. The classes were a lot of fun and I learned a lot, but I still felt unprepared for my release into the wild.
A decade later I can easily see the holes in my classes. The things I would have done differently. We had communication classes, but those classes were not about communicating design. We had writing classes, but those classes were not about writing about design. We debated law, but not the laws of design. I knew the skills, but not how to defend my work.
Everyone has an opinion on design. Some people are extra nice and say everything looks great. These people are not helpful. Some people are extra entitled and strong arm you into making changes which you deem as grave offenses against design. Some people trust you to make the right decision and inquire as to why you made the choices you did. They then point out a flaw to your logic and give you the opportunity to fix your own mistake. These last people are usually designers.
I had a manager who had not a creative bone in his body. He did not understand design or the design process. He would frequently ask for detailed explanations on the design process and why those were needed. He would look a web page and consider it done because there was text showing up on it. He could not see what could be, the stumbling blocks a user might face, or how a few minor adjustments could make the page better. He's a much more common occurrence in wild than I'd care to admit.
If I was given free reign over a design major, I don't think too many would enjoy my boring communication classes, but I'd assure them the confidence and capability to defend their work in the wild.
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