Its time for question of the week #4! I’m going to post a short little audio clip asking you a question. Feel free to chime in and let me know what you think! I’d love to get a discussion going on in the comments!
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Chad Engle says:
I think that it is. I went 4yrs & got a BFA in Graphic Design. I feel that this education opened my eyes to other things I may have missed if I were self taught. However I have much respect for self taught successful designers and am not putting them down in anyway shape or form. I think at a ground level there is no “You have to do it this way.” I know several successful self taught designers however, I felt for me the college education with the BFA was the best “fit” for me an I felt like I have a degree behind my endeavors.
My .02 cents
May 30th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Rob MacKay says:
I am mostly self taught, although the only “A” I walked away with from school was in 3d design – or making things look pretty as we called it. I went to art college and started on a foundation year which would have seen me into University, but I dropped out. I was not the person then I am today, not by along way, and if I had my time to go back to college again I would tell myself to stay (if that meant I could keep my current life too… see no time for regrets.. lol)
So I think art/design school is a great place to gain knowledge and learn your “style” and find a great way to work, although I know there has to be a spark inside you to kindle as to say… no point trying to teach a dog to fly, or a bird to bark for that matter…
So I think its advantageous to get a qualification, and you will learn things, but its not the be all and end all – Like I said, I am pretty much self taught, as long as you take the time to learn from others then I see no problem in it.
May 30th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Angie Bowen says:
I think they both have their advantages and it mostly depends on your learning style which works better for the individual. I tried college and it didn’t work for me, so I’m a self taught designer.
I think the online design community really helps the self taught people since everyone is so friendly and ready to help if you have a question.
May 30th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Renee says:
There is always an exception to the rule, but I believe education is a must. I don’t think a 4 year degree is necessary (I went to a two year college), but some education is definitely a necessity to fill in the gaps. I can almost always tell the difference between someone who is self-taught vs. college educated. However, I don’t think clients can tell the difference so I suppose it depends on the angle you look at it from.
May 30th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Dan Spencer says:
I have a BFA in graphic design and I feel that the most important thing I learned within that 4 years was that I should have not gone to college. I am a UI designer and looking back knowing what I know now I would have not went to college. I feel this industry moves way to fast to warrant spending 4 years of your life in school. Think back four years ago and where our industry was then, scary.
May 30th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Sarah | @MadysonDesigns says:
I think it’s going to start to be more and more important to have a degree as time goes on and schools start offering more design related fields. When I was in school at UConn, the only relevant major was straight Graphic Design which while is important for learning the basics, does not go into any of the more technical teaching for web design or multimedia fields. Now, the school offers many more programs as it’s gotten more popular.
I also think it depends on the particular field. Graphic and print design I feel are more important to have traditional teaching and employers are going to look more at whether you have a degree or not. Web fields depend much more on experience as technology changes on a daily basis, and a degree can’t show that as much as a good portfolio can.
Personally, I do have a BFA in Graphic Design. I also know that many of the jobs I’ve applied to in the past have required it. But I think it all depends on your experience and where you want to go.
May 30th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Unit B says:
I am a self-taught GD, whose prior design experience was the margins of my notebooks. Kind of like MAD Magazine, actually. (I have a BBA in Marketing, with a photography background.) My publishing job required GD in advertising support, and after some years I was really a graphic designer.
The importance of design education is primarily for technical proficiency, both in structure and software. But you really can’t teach someone to have “an eye” for it. Really, the education gives you the solid foundation from which to grow your talent.
I DO NOT, however, believe that graphic designers need to be licensed or certified, as are architects and other professionals. (This was a hot topic in the past several years, and I think it is unnecessary.)
May 30th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
jono says:
I did not know Photoshop existed before attending college – I went in as a fine arts major after winning an art contest for a scholarship. My guidenxe councilor introduced me to graphic design and I took that path. Until then, all I knew was Clarisworks’ paint program.
Thanks to college I learned how to use the entire suit of adobe’s products. I also learned how to edit video in Avid Experss and After Effects. I learned about print design, logo design, Flash, art history, design theory, Paul Rand, etc.
Without college, the entire paragraph above would not exist for me. Additionally, I earned am internship by doing well I’m college and I kept that internship and went full- time right out after graduation. That was almost as priceless as the amaInf dolls I got to work with for nearly six years before moving on to another state.
I’m summary, without college, I would be no where near where I am today. This all took place about 12 years ago – things are much different now. I do know that having a degree gets you in the door to job interviews before folks without a degree.
Experience and a strong portfolio can/will (in my opinion) trump a degree every time though.
P.S. Hope there are no typos, my iPod Touch will not let me scroll this text field to the top to proof read;)
May 30th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Prescott Perez-Fox says:
Training makes you better at your job, but education makes you a better person. You can receive training on-the-job, and even be self-taught, but your education is what will make you a professional businessperson, let alone designer. That’s where you will make connections, and develop ideas, and become the person you were meant to be. Anyone can get training.
Of course, my real passion insists that we, as an industry, develop a stronger system of professional learning and mentoring, and rely less on art schools to prepare (ie, train) the future practitioners of our trade.
By the way, BS in Mechanical Engineer, MA in Graphic Communication.
May 30th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Lotenna Enwonwu says:
I think it depends on the individual. Some people, such as myself, find it easier and faster to pick up concepts in a conversational environment. I also think that if you go to a school with good, experienced teachers you gain history and knowledge that might not be as relevant to the times but can impact the way you problem solve. And I think anyone that does design knows it’s all about problem solving. I posted a very interest presentation by
Sir Ken Robinson on my blog related to this.
May 30th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Emmet says:
I picked up design very quickly and am self taught up to now. In the design shop I work in, I’ve been told I know more about design than the graduates did after their four year course.
Still though, in September I’m off to study Visual Communications, not only because, as jono mentioned, it can get your foot in the door for job interviews, but also for the networking side of things.
I’ve met some very talented self taught designers who have been unlucky in job interviews simply because someone, who may have less skill, had some degree.
I studied English in college for one year and, even though I loved the subject, I didn’t have the drive needed to keep me going for the first year. I know I have it now to get me through four years of studying design and I can’t wait for September.
I really wouldn’t recommend going to college if you have any reservations about your course choice though.
Really interesting topic, can’t wait to hear more about it!
May 31st, 2009 at 2:27 am
Jesse says:
I feel that school can be a great choice if you do your research, and go for a school that is known for your field of study. Don’t get suckered into the gimmick schools.
I went to college and chose to pursue graphic design, I had been designing two years prior was learning everything on my own and gaining respects of my clients. The college I attended was terrible, the administrators referred to the students as “customers”. If you complained enough you could have a grade changed, or have someone fired…Needless to say, going to school was expensive and if I had it to do all over again. I wouldn’t have wasted my time in classes, I would have built up my knowledge and reputation on my own.
May 31st, 2009 at 10:28 am
Arian says:
I self-taught myself in art and design since highschool and currently I’m in a multimedia arts course.
Going through both gave me advantages: I have more experience than some of my batchmates; my profs can criticize my works; there’s a chance to be recognized as a competent artist/designer; I learn new techniques and programs plus professional practices in the industry. Being in a physical environment full of enthusiasts and working students can open up opportunities and develop social skills.
But these are just based on my experience. There are still a number of factors that can affect a designer’s learning experience and success.
June 2nd, 2009 at 5:40 am
Daan says:
I am completely self taught, and I never felt any disdavantage of being so.
I know many professional designers that dropped out of design/art school, feeling they were taught everything they already knew. This was the trigger for me to not go to art school.
I have a succesful business now, and I miss nothing from the things that I hear that are taught in design school
June 4th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Jorge Parra says:
I am a self trained, self taught graphic designer and for my own experience I can tell a graphic design degree is absolutely unnecessary. I know many designers that went to school and are good but most of them actually suffer a common syndrome, the “tech me syndrome”.
I have seen how many designers with a degree reach a creative a loop and they stick to what they have been taught. I am sure there could be many that don’t but I still haven’t met any yet. I see how they encapsulate themselves into their old composition techniques and use them for every project.
I have been turn down a couple of times at jobs because even when they like my work I don’t poses a degree. However, I see that as an indicative of a bad place to work where true art and talent is much less important than a degree. I personally won’t work on a place where they stand for that, so I see it as a “plague control” rather than a disadvantage.
In the three years I have been working on design I have learned how to use the former Macromedia Creative Suite and the new Adobe CS, Cinema 4d as well as Flash Animation and XHTML/CSS + PHP coding, Adobe AE, Final Cut Pro and Motion.
This allows me to design for my clients in a whole different level combining Print, Web Design and Video Commercials as my range of services. I am currently training as Project Manager and Art Direction. That in contrast with most of the coworkers I have had, which went to school but got stock on their training.
Wherever I have worked I have been paid almost twice as much as the rest of the designers because of my skills and quick learning mind being able to provide the clients with a whole different skills set.
In my opinion going to school theses days can help those whom lack the initiative, discipline and motivation to succeed on whatever they want to work on or for life and that need a strict follow up of techniques and procedures as opposite to ever changing design.
On the other hand I recommend self training to all of those that have the motivation and discipline to research, try and implement what really works out of all the old knowledge and lack the money to go to school. You will find your self training continuously and prouder of your work achievements either big or small.
Did Newton go to school to propose his theories? Did someone teach Einstein about relativity and time? Did some one teach Cristino Ronaldo how to play soccer and get a contract of $131 Million?… and who taught Da Vinci and the Wright brothers their inventions?
The overall difference is some are born as followers and other as entrepreneurs. Being honest with yourself is the first step to success.
June 11th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Ronald H. says:
I HAVE A GOOD IDEA
How about getting a mentor. Someone who has a degree already and has a business in the field. This maybe good too.
June 26th, 2009 at 10:06 pm