There is a deep need for COMD students to feel that their work is genuine, that they can make a difference. When it comes to teaching design, or any practice where a person is evaluated on their creative efforts, young students can–understandably–become anxious.
As they mature, most Communication Design students create works with enormous social import. Over the years, I, with my colleagues, have developed courses throughout the AAS and BFA divisions that address the human experience, devise assignments for students to internalize their commitment to integrity in their work and build their agency as designers and creators.
Teaching in a design program needs sensitivity. We ask students to follow instructions, yet, break the mold. We ask students to develop their vision, and, as professors, we criticize it, with the intent to make it better. We require students to master technical tasks so they can use them to be creative. It’s a lot to ask; but it’s the rigor a program needs. Getting students to celebrate their answers is the ultimate satisfaction an instructor has.
Please see the following sample student solutions from projects I researched, developed and authored:
• Design Influencers (formerly Design Heroes)
• The 27th Letter of the Alphabet (formerly, The Ligature)
• The Designed Image (also known as The Icon)
