David Jablonski

Things to Learn at Design School

I'm planning on writing a longer article on this at some point, but for now, I'd just like to share a piece of writing by Mike Monteiro for the series “Dear Design Student” on Medium. (The whole series is worth reading, whether you're a student or not.)
One of the posts that has stuck with me is “10 things you need to learn in design school if you’re tired of wasting your money”. While I, fortunately, do not have to pay for my education, others do when they pay their taxes (which I do as well, obviously). And as much as I appreciate the environment my university provides, I can't help but wonder whether I'm wasting my time sitting in some of the courses I have to take. I'll write a longer article with my thoughts at some point, but for now, just have this quote from Mike Monteiro. (and read the article in full).

“You’re probably in the same building as the art school kids. Design has as much to do with art as a lobster has to do with a carrot cake. If you truly want a career as a designer, you are going to need to speak about someone’s business and organizational goals. You’re going to have to learn how to analyze data, you’re going to have to learn how measure effectiveness. You’re going to have to learn how to build and extend brands. You’re going to have to learn how to do goal-driven work. Goal-driven. Design is not about expressing yourself. Design is not about following your dream. Design is not about becoming a creative. If that’s the kind of stuff that you’re interested in that’s absolutely fine. Walk across the hall to the art department and learn how many yams you can shove up your ass.”