From the category archives:

students

The Internship Epidemic

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It is the responsibility of design professionals, teachers and school administrators to value the next generation of designers so that the profession is respected, appreciated and thrives. Unpaid internships won’t accomplish that.

Design and Degree of Difficulty

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Setting up for a critique session in one of my classes at UCLA Extension. Being a designer is perceived by many as a fun job. Designers get to work with colors, shapes and amazing computer programs and be creative for a living. The design field is a natural choice for creative people. Students often enter [...]

Critique and Criticism

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No one likes to be critiqued, but everyone is a critic. As a design practitioner and teacher of design, I am involved continually in the analysis and evaluation of design. I critique my students’ work in the classroom and I critique my own work in the studio. My clients critique my work. I critique the [...]

Color Trends: Orange Is the New Pink

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On the evening before during the meeting of a creative team I’m leading, one team member made the statement that orange is a hideous color and no one likes it, so therefore it would not be appropriate used in the particular identity program we were discussing. Having observed varieties of orange in common used, I [...]

How Do You Define Design?

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Toward the end of my design fundamentals course I generally ask my students how they, having gone through the process of learning design principles and applying them to a variety of projects, would define design. Here are the responses from several who recently completed the course: Design is the process of externalizing many possible solutions [...]

Unpaid Internships Are A Form of Spec Work

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Why is spec work so prevalent in the design profession when it’s not in other professions? Increasingly companies – “creative” businesses included – are offering “unpaid internships” instead of hiring designers outright. In trying to reduce costs, they will offer an “internship” and even go through a selection process similar to that involved in standard [...]

(Not) Your Dream Job

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This was a real post to an online job board: We are just weeks away to launch our new high end cosmetic line and are looking for a student graphic designer who would help us design the packaging, business cards etc. Some knowledge of the Asian Market would be appreciated. This is a great opportunity [...]

Drawing the Line Between Imitation and Creation

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Imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, but it is the laziest form of creativity.

Sketching Around

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I’m getting into the habit of keeping my sketchbook close at hand all the time. I take it with me to my design classes at UCLA because a lot of times it’s easier to sketch a point than explain it verbally. The students will watch me draw and their light bulbs start flashing. Oh, duh! [...]

Why Designers Should Draw

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Drawing is a necessary art.

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