I love the web design and graphic design industry – I really do. It started out as my “video game” and it became an addiction. I love fast-paced environments that change constantly, and where the process of learning new ways to do things never ends. I honesty never thought I’d make a good living doing it; it’s what I did (and still do) for fun.
Although there are many other qualified people to speak on this subject, I write this post from experience from what I have personally seen in this industry regarding education.
Innovated Media is contacted by dozens of graphic and web design students every year as they approach graduation looking to work for a web design or graphic design firm, and we get a lot of resume’s to look over. Over the years, I’ve found one thing in common with all of these students: they didn’t learn anything about web design, commercial graphic design, search engine optimization, or Internet marketing from their formal education. I’m serious—not a single redeeming ounce of knowledge that can be applied to a commercial web design project.
Formal education is meant to prepare you for a job, and I have yet to meet a single graphic artist or web designer that had applied any of the knowledge that they have in a commercial setting; they know it all in theory instead of in application. Graphic designers coming out of college should know how to:
1. Use Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign well.
2. Be able to do some commercial design work without working up 15 concepts until you finally tell them you can’t use their work.
Advice for New Graphic Designers
My advice for graphic designers coming out of school is to NOT ever apply for a job with the artwork and portfolio that you created for projects while you were in school unless it has a commercial application to it; drawings of faces and landscapes won’t get you a job. At least do some logo concepts or brochures for a fictitious companies that you made up. Employers want to know if you understand how graphic arts relate to a consumer market. Show them that you know how to do more than just use Photoshop…even though several designers that I’ve spoken to didn’t even learn Photoshop in school, which is retarded.
Advice for New Web Designers
My advice for aspiring web designers would be to take the initiative to learn CSS, PHP, Java, JQuery, and of course HTML. Subscribe to websitemagazine.com to find out what the new programming and design trends are, and new search engine algorithms that affect search engine placement. Website Magazine is the most widely circulated magazine that covers this industry more than any other publication with 47 monthly subscriptions alone arriving at Google’s headquarters each month.
Also, get a subscription to Lynda.com and learn how to use software platforms such as Dreamweaver, WordPress, Joomla, and Photoshop. Don’t become content with using one platform to develop your work in. Just because you are used to doing it one way doesn’t mean “your way” will be the most efficient or effective way to build a website 60 days from now. Technology simply moves too fast in this industry for you to become lazy.
I seriously doubt that your average formal education institute (aka college) will continually replace textbooks and curriculum when programming languages are updated or one becomes obsolete. I remember the first Photoshop class that I took. It was at a community college, and they were teaching us on Photoshop 7. Why weren’t they showing us creative suite which had come out 2 years prior to me taking the class?! In addition, you will learn many things that have been flavored by your instructor. How do you know the instructor is staying current on latest trends, algorithms, popular development platforms, and programming languages? Take the initiative instead and own the responsibility for learning on your own…whatever learning medium you choose.
And for God sakes don’t choose an inferior software package because you can’t afford Dreamweaver or Creative suite. It will do you more harm in the long run to try to save a buck up front when you are getting started. Just last year we redesigned 3 or 4 websites that had been done in Microsoft Front Page only a year prior. Seriously?! No wonder the other web designer(s) lost the client’s business!
In Summary
Like many professions, graphic and web design is not something that you just decide to do because you think you’ll make a good living at it. The successful programmers, web developers, and graphic designers seem to have a love for the industry, along with some natural talent not just in the work itself, but an understanding of computers that many people would take a long time to learn. In other words, they just “get it.” If a computer doesn’t feel like an extension of who you are, pick a different profession.
So I ask this question: is formal education a good idea for graphic and web design? I say “no” it is not. When considering a new employee, I would take experience over education in this industry any day of the week. I don’t care if you never even finished high school. A strong portfolio speaks for itself.
Be sure to read a follow up article to this post called “Advice for Freelance Web and Graphic Designers.” It includes some basic things that web and graphic designers can do to help grow their freelance business that may seem common sense, but have proven over the years to be the backbone of Innovated Media’s success.
Tags: Commercial graphic design, graphic design, Innovated Media, search engine optimization, Web Design, WordPress
College is definitely overrated. As a student in a major local University, I was often distraught that the lack of actual useful information from my professors. Finally one day my academic advisor sat down with me and told me that College is a place where you get a degree to show the corporate world that you are capable of learning. It’s not a place where you learn what you need in the business world. He went on to say something about people like me being rare, blah blah blah.
I dropped out soon after.
I once hired a girl who had graduated with a marketing degree from an expensive private University. I asked her to write a sales letter about our upcoming Internet Marketing workshops. It was terrible. I couldn’t believe how bad it was. This is someone the corporate world would hire over me because of her degree, but when it comes to actual experience and application, she was clueless.
I once had a salesperson who asked for a raise the day after he graduated college. He felt that now that he had a bachelors degree, that he was somehow deserving of a higher rate of pay. So I asked him. Are you a better salesperson today?
Don’t get me started! I can rant on this for a while. But yes you are absolutely spot on with this post.
I did not see these comments! thanks for commenting guys. Cherry, point well made – I’m glad you agree!
Tony, you are the person I am talking about…in many ways we are the same but our strengths are in different areas. You just “get it” – formal education can’t provide what is needed to succeed in our industry. I have never hired someone that had a college degree for graphic or web design. They show up with their college credentials, and NO portfolio. Seriously?
Formal education doesn’t hurt. But like in other fields, there are some who are talented and others who are not. Some would get good value from it, not all.
I agree that you don’t want to hire a designer just for having a degree. The prospect needs to demonstrate talent via a portfolio.
But if you have two prospects with similar skills and talent, but only one of them has a degree, I’d hire the one with a degree because it speaks about commitment, team work and situational knowledge.
From the student perspective, formal education could make the learning process easier because it provides guidance and focus. But some prefer learning on their own, and having the discipline to do so is also admirable.
The bottom line is that each individual is different and that’s why job interviews and HR specialists exist.
Well said! Thanks for commenting!