Comments on: The Licensed Designer

By: Karin Jager

Karin Jager — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:41:54 +0000

Well, there are always many sides to every story. I think there are bigger issues here. As an communication design educator at Capilano University, and M.Ed. graduate student at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, BC), I’m working on a study to establish a profile for graphic design education in Canada. There are many factors that need to be considered – Do students understand the professional options available to them – and the volatility of our profession? How should educators prepare students for the profession? Should we focus on developing life-long learners? What kind of emphasis do educators place on skill development? On business practices? Critical thinking? Exploration? – Canada doesn’t have national standards for post-secondary education. This is a challenge for both students and educators – especially when the field is evolving so rapidly. In the US, AIGA is an affiliate of NASAD (National Association for Schools of Art and Design). They have established national standards for art and design education and are an accrediting body. In fact, in searching for schools on the AIGA site, you’ll be directly linked to the NASAD site.
My research will be in part based on data from a detailed survey of educators from many kinds of design programs across Canada. I think these results will help build a foundation for further investigation into the relationships between scholarship and our field that could enrich design education, our profession, and the careers of graphic designers.
In Australia, there have been a couple of studies conducted by Smith & Whitfield (2005) about the “profession” of graphic design, and sadly it is largely misunderstood. Smith & Whitfield state if design is to achieve professional status, the role of education and the development of design occupations need clarity in order to achieve advocacy from practicing designers. The authors intimate that although Australia has two national design associations, neither is in charge of educational standards or professional practice codes of ethics. The results of both studies suggest that a professional accreditation/registration body for design professions is needed and would bring forward a greater understanding and relevancy to the profession as a whole.

Smith, G., & Whitfield, T. W. A. (2005a). The professional status of designers: A national survey of how designers are perceived. Design Journal, the, 8(pt. 1), 52-60.

Smith, G., & Whitfield, T. W. A. (2005b). Profiling the designer: A cognitive perspective. Design Journal, the, 8(pt. 2), 3-14.

By: Dwayne

Dwayne — Thu, 27 May 2010 05:15:58 +0000

I think this would be the AIGA's stance one the matter. Standards would be nice. But whose to adopt? I think print design could be reeled in to some degree. It may have been getting there before the internet came along. Web design is just out there. It seems to be a cross between IT and Creative Arts. I recall taking a Photoshop class in college in 1996 and they were teaching HTML. What was that?

By: Able Parris

Able Parris — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:05:16 +0000

Was just reading Milton Glaser's "Ten Things I Have Learned," and the last point he makes reminded me of this post. "If we were licensed, telling the truth might become more central to what we do." His essay was a refreshing read, and he covers some things I've been thinking lately, but unable find words for. God bless Milton Glaser.

By: Molly

Molly — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:11:15 +0000

Eric has made a great post, I always thought designing should be licensed. Two interesting points from the comments stuck out to me: - 'Engineers, doctors and lawyers are "study and follow directions" kind of people, whereas designers and artists tend not to be, so is licensing such a good idea for designers?' I would say yes to this, because that is inherently the point of having a license - that you've studied, followed directions, and mastered the basics in a way that has nothing to do with talent or interest but knowing x, y and z. I think a lack of knowing and appreciating "the basics" is what people who are pro-licensing are all about. That's what creating a standard is all about. - 'Design is a moving target, and it is impossible to master all aspects of a field (regardless of what field you're in).' This is a fact, but already accounted for by other professions that require testing (medicine, law, etc.) The tests change every year, and there are specific tests for specific areas. So if design followed the medicine format, for example, we'd have the basic proficiency test to become licensed (like doctors have "the boards"), and then there'd be additional options for specific areas. So we'd have the "web boards" the "print boards" etc. And if we wanted to follow the medicine format even more, wouldn't it be great if you had to be licensed in an area in order to bill! That would account for those license-skeptics who ask "how could you make designers and clients care about/require a license?" Someone else said "Good design is like cooking: taste is subjective but quality is not." Amen.

By: Former Designer 2

Former Designer 2 — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:59:32 +0000

Some after midnight banter ... please excuse the bad grammar, typos, etc. ... the medication is kicking in :)

C O-O P P R O G R A M S

Some engineer schools and other institutions have "coop programs." Maybe it's time for Design to consider this too?

As a former designer that carried a lot of school debt, this option would have helped me immensely with my long years of my education (88-94).

I did have a long, enjoyable, thorough education. the workload was staggering. For instance, in the first semester of my third year, I took 8 credit classes (fine art students only needed 3 to be registered as full-time students).

Throughout my education ...

· I studied :
· 7 of semesters of colour, theory, philosophy, analysis and (process of design ... flexibly generating a variety of ideas)
· 6 semesters of typography,
· 8 semesters on photography,
· 9 semesters on design drawing,
· 6 computer classes
· 1 semester of production design for print,
· 1 semester on a group project with a print, interface and industrial designer (multi-media component)
· 1 semester of Advertising and Marketing (unit plan + creative campaign group project)
· 1 semester on a case study of a local creative studio
· 1 semester of Professional Practice (sending quotes, getting contracts signed, understanding copyright, etc.
· 2 semesters of writing applications
· 2 semesters grad project
· 2 semesters portfolio development

... the only thing we didn't know about upon graduation ... the internet or coding ... and that was a year or two after our grad in 94.

B A C K T O C O-O P S

These collaborations ease some of the problems of funding. They can also help initiate the mentor process (within the different studios) ... many people feel this element is missing today.

I am not sure how students would be assigned to different studio?? Any suggestions??

Once the students graduate, there needs to be some standardized contract with their "sponsor" studio.

The specific amount of time (3 months, 1 year, 2 years, etc) and wages would have to be given a firm and fair configuration for both parties. After this stage, the studio has the option to further develop the relationship with the former student or new employee.

The downside ... some studios do not like training someone ... or losing them to other firms. Some studios like to hire only previously trained designers. Clearly, the scale of wage has to be a win/win scenario for both the student and studio.

S E T T I N G G U I D E L I N E S

Having the a school and professional members of the industry come together would also establish realistic expectations for graduating students (setting guidelines, skills, abilities, goals, etc).

These expectations should be clearly communicated to the students so that they can produce relevant material during their program ... and help ease themselves into their chosen profession.

Maybe the schools should do a survey and get some qualitative data about what the industry expects from graduates? ... How schools can benefit from these relationships? ... and even what do students expect from the school and industry after grad? ... and realistically find out if they can work out a fair and equitable relationship between, the students, the schools and the studios.

G E T T I N G D A T A

And I am not talking about 3 or 4 flashy case studies from successful students that schools now use for recruitment... I'm talking about looking at hard data ... and using this measured information to make informed decisions for students.

From this on-going research, the design community could measure the success or failure ... and identify ways to refine their many solutions. Flexibility needs to be accommodated into the system. People need to acknowledge the model will not be perfect in the initial testing.

Point people from creative studios will initiate the training of specific day-to-day skills that were identified from this collaborative research.

S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y : Message to Schools

The schools have to take more responsibilities for creating a sustainable creative environment for the future of design.

When I first started school, this was a priority for most of them. Sadly ... it is turing into a "Cash Gouge."

The 4-year Design program was especially hard to get accepted ... there were face to face interviews and portfolio meetings ... it was very thorough. They were actively recruiting top people to represent their school.

When I was a student, there were only around 15 people in my graduating class. Learning from each other was the real magic in school. This is hard to do in a big classes with 30, 40 or more students (likely scenarios today).

People have told me this has changed so much ...

Maybe the schools should now consider the impact of their behaviour (churning out large numbers of graduates)? Are they helping or hurting the industry? I know they used to consider this ...

When I was in 2nd year, the faculty actually had the balls to fail over half the 4th year class ... and these individuals weren't allowed to graduate. The faculty felt their work wasn't up to the school's calibre.

When I graduated there were only 2 four-year programs in Western Canada ... and possibly 3 two-year schools with competitive programs ... and there still wasn't enough jobs available for everyone.

Is there really a need for all these NEW design schools? Are too many people cashing in on our young generations' dreams.

Schools, it seems, are not standing up for the integrity of the industry anymore. They are doubling the class sizes and they are marketing heavily to international students (bigger money ... they often pay three times as much tuition).

The big question ... how to we create these relationships between the industry and the various schools? ... Are there schools that are excluded? ...
Ideally, the quality of the future graduates would clearly identify the success of the best schools ... and the graduates would have more economic opportunities ... the industry would be buzzing with new, knowledgeable talent.

Ideally, I'd like to see design get back the respect and ideology it once had.

Eric, you are a very talented individual and I think (over time) you can make some valuable changes.

If you every want to bounce perspectives from a formery idealized designer (my very first poster was with rubylith overlays) ... you have my email.

Good luck fighting the good fight! You are doing a good job!

By: A Recent Graduate

A Recent Graduate — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 08:42:00 +0000

First of, I love your blog, and I love what you do!

Have you spoken to recent graduates about their education? I had to take the same course twice because there weren't any other OPTIONS. I graduated with my Bachelors of Design from Emily Carr... pretty much dazed and confused. I was lacking many practical skills (good web design skills at emily carr is scarce, perhaps rare). And the next few months I spent polishing up my portfolio...There simply isn't enough time to learn everything within 4 years.
A five year program would have been perfect. Also, keep in mind that design isn't only about creating things. Business courses, presentation and public speaking courses, internships, and even Toast Masters are all a must because you also have to sell your ideas to people - whether their clients, or your creative directors!

Luckily, I've been learning a lot at Hangar18Creative, where I've started as an intern. I feel like I am still learning and still a student, even though I'm not in a classroom setting. Education should be for a lifetime, really.

Never think you will stop learning.

Kamilla

http://kamillaf.com

http://amrevolutions.com

By: Danielle Baird

Danielle Baird — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:08:29 +0000

After reading through all of the comments, I recognize how difficult, complicated and (potentially) infeasible it is to implementing a graphic design accreditation program. However, as a recent grad who learned all too late that her very expensive "graphic design program" did not remotely prepare her for work -- I have to agree that SOME standard should be instituted for college/university degree programs.

I went though a four-year program where only a ten-week course in typography was required. Ten weeks? I am ashamed to say that I didn't even know Helvetica existed until my fourth year of school, a time when some of my classmates turned in senior capstone project files that were 72 dpi (for a printed poster). I never learned pre-press file preparation techniques (despite BEGGING our instructors to offer a course) or set foot inside a print shop. A course on the history of graphic design was an optional elective offered once every 1-2 years.

I was fortunate to have an internship under a phenomenal mentor early on in my education, who exposed me to many aspects of the craft not taught in school. My passion for design leads me to study and read voraciously so I can fill in the gaps in my design education as best (and quickly) as I can -- but the point is -- how can a school say they offer a graphic design program, when the curriculum will not adequately prepare students to enter the field?

Perhaps I should have researched the program better before enrolling, or transferred out once I realized how poor it is. The repercussions of those decisions are my onus to bear. But, when you are brand new to a craft -- how well can you critique a program?

I agree that designers don't HAVE to receive a degree in order to practice -- but, if you choose to invest money in an education, shouldn't there be some sort of assurance that you'll learn a solid foundation?

By: Eric T.

Eric T. — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:46:18 +0000

Eric,

Let me start by identifying myself as a designer and an optimistic realist, if ever there was one.

I applaud your viewpoint. I support the idea and you make some very valid and timely points that I wish more people would take seriously. The design profession is changing for the worse I'm afraid.

Now for the "but." (You knew it was coming.) It seems that our industry will never allow licensing to happen. Here's just a few reasons why, in a nutshell...

There are too many people working as designers, who would be fearful of pursuing accreditation. Factors such as time, cost and possible threats to their own vision of success, would hinder them from committing to a new order.

There are too many greedy institutions who are more concerned with the number of students they crank out, than "who" and "what" is taught. These institutions would not want to see their business models threatened, even for the good of the design profession.

Lastly, who decides what entity will license designers? That is the high impact question as I see it. That question leads to power struggles of epic proportions.

The thing is, I would welcome a change. I would welcome licensing for our trade for numerous reasons I could site within just 11 years of my experience.

However, the reality is that humans have this really bad trait that continues to mess things up - they can't agree on anything.

Would licensing be any different?

I wonder.

By: dot Blog. The week(s) in links 04/01/10

dot Blog. The week(s) in links 04/01/10 — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:59:12 +0000

[...] The licensed designer (ideasonideas?.com) [...]

By: links for 2010-01-04

links for 2010-01-04 — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:42:13 +0000

[...] ideasonideas - Eric Karjaluoto discusses design, brands and experience » Blog Archive » The Licens... (tags: design articles) [...]