I revisited my alma mater recently, for the inaugural York St John design symposium. As well as fascinating talks from the likes of Craig Oldham, Jack Renwick and Ken Garland, the place was inevitably, distractingly full of students; bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, buzzing with curiosity and brazen in their unerring ability to sit down without having to make a sequence of noises. And every single one of them an essay or two away from being significantly more qualified for my job than I ever will be.
I didn’t study design at university – it was film and theatre for me, in pursuit of my chosen vocation of being the next Cameron Crowe (still happening, any day now). Only later did I find myself gravitating towards design, so I've always been a little curious as to what I may have missed out on. Are there glaring holes in my knowledge? Is my work somehow suffering because of some mysterious academic rite of passage? Precisely how much of an imposter am I?
In an effort to turn these unknown unknowns into known unknowns so that I may know what it is I need to know, I took to twitter and asked design graduates what they'd learnt from their degrees. The response was predictably mixed (you can read the whole thread here), but some common themes popped up. A few highlights:
“I learned an awful lot about the history of art and design, even more about the construction of books and how things can be produced in multiples, the value of a single line, and absolutely zilch about business. I would not change a single thing.”
Anna Dorfman
“The relationship, value, and exploitation of the intersection between thinking and making.”
Mitch Goldstein
“That there is a hidden arrow in the FedEx logo … that's all I truly remember, which is awful. However, I think that in terms of design it just gave me the space to explore my creativity alongside fellow creatives which is priceless.”
Lex Lofthouse
“Design can’t be ‘completed’ in three years at Uni. We experimented, learnt from people willing to share. Failed, failed again & this will keep happening. Your idea is not original, it is what you do with it that brings it to life. The mac was a tool. Explore!”
Owen Turner
“I learnt that becoming an illustrator requires far too much effort … and that before you're allowed to start any project you need to fill eight sketchbooks with research.”
Steven Marsden
“Critical thinking, how to critique your own work, understanding and implementing feedback from peers and tutors, semiotics, and always use a spraybooth if you are using SprayMount.”
Matt Needle
“The importance of ideas. The role of a designer in culture / society. The ethical significance and power of design for good/ill. The techniques and tricks to grab attention, to confuse, to communicate etc. The importance of group crits and sharing. Also, Foosball.”
Luke Tonge
“University lacked knowledge, real life experiences and learning about potential business problems. How to go around winning new business, invoice, chasing clients, brand promotion have been things I've learnt the hard way since graduating. Seemed too relaxed.”
Aaron Miller
“DO NOT paint your face with cadmium red oil paint.”
Brian LaRossa
“They taught me to learn and keep learning. To study current and past design solutions and techniques. Study the masters and what made them tick. To observe current trends. My teachers weren't extraordinary designers or business managers, but I value what they gave me in four years.”
Derek Gabryszak
“That in countries where secondary education is very STEM focussed (looking at you, Deutschland), having the time to slow-poke your way into creative thought structure at a Dutch design academy can be invaluable for the rest of your life in design and beyond. Art school basically taught me this.”
Julia Errens
“How to learn. And that a career in design is about constant learning (and unlearning).”
Ben Brears
It all sounds awfully familiar, an equal balance of lessons in the theoretical, philosophical, practical and redundant. This is pretty much in line with my own experience, just a few subjects over (with slightly less oil paint). Perhaps my studies weren't that far removed from my work after all. I learnt about visual communication, processing culture, tailoring messages for audiences, creative iteration and, most importantly, how to frame things into neat little rectangles just so.
One particular comment, from Ben Brears, has stuck with me: "I learnt how to learn. And that a career in design is about constant learning (and unlearning)." I'm learning that every day. It may take a few more coffees to get going these days, but I still have the same curiosity that those wee whippersnappers were vibrating with. We're all imposters, hungry for more – the most important thing to know is that the unknown is exciting and endless and worth exploring. I may not have that degree, but I will always be a student of design.