Does Formal Design Education Matter?

A young designer asked me if formal education makes a difference in becoming successful. Having earned a degree, and having taught part-time in a design program for 30+ years, I have some bias about this topic. I’m framing my response with my bias in mind.

The designer who posed the question is not formally trained. Her question was whether formal education makes a difference (correlates) and not if it is necessary (causes) for success.

Formal design training helps.

You’ll receive differing opinions about formal design training depending upon who you ask and what criteria is being used to assess the merits of earning a degree in the visual arts versus not earning one. Formal training is not a requirement for success. But it helps, in my opinion.

If you are looking for a role with a company, agency or firm, chances are a minimum hiring requirement is a bachelor’s degree or certificate. That’s one thing to consider.

Another consideration is this: If you don’t join a formal education program, how will you learn what you need to know? Experience will definitely teach you, but it may take years. School gives you principles and skills in a concentrated, focused environment, tests your understanding and application of those principles through projects and assignments, and provides you with a habit of lifelong learning. You also develop your portfolio under close supervision.

Experience will teach you, but it may take years.

Another thing a formal education will do is define things for you. You learn the visual (form) language. You learn how to evaluate your own work from an objective point of view, and assess your own creative strengths and weaknesses. You learn design history. You receive input directly on how and where to improve your craft, build your skill set, and refine your thinking. You learn to collaborate with others. You learn how to separate yourself from your work so that when your work is critiqued (and it will be), you won’t take it personally.

Schooling helps you to understand design as a whole.

You will also learn the design process from how to define a problem, how to develop ideas, and how to implement them and test them. You will learn what a finished design looks like, and when something needs more work. You also learn that design is a gestalt. Your color theory course and your basic typography course are not mutually exclusive, but part of a whole.

You will learn craftsmanship via a deep dive into a range of art-making and crafting processes.

Schooling also allows you to make mistakes in a safe environment where you can be corrected so that they don’t happen again. Make those same mistakes as a professional and it will affect your livelihood.

Some schools offer internships and assistance in job search and professional networking. While these are not exclusive to the schooled designer, it is easier to make connections and certainly to earn credit for internships.

The quality of education is of course going to depend upon what school or program you select. Design programs are not all equal. Some are technology-oriented and call it graphic design while others are entirely focused on design theory and don’t prepare students for the realities of real world work. If you’re going to enter a design program, I recommend one that balances theory with practicality.

Talent is where you begin your training.

Aesthetic sense and talent are both raw material. They amount to nothing without discipline. Education forces you to add skill, discipline and expertise to your talent. And in order to meet project deadlines, you learn to steward your time.

Only the person with a certificate or degree can determine its value. If you earned a certificate but don’t value it, that’s on you. If it fell short, then consider a degree program. If that isn’t enough, consider a juried degree program (portfolio requirement for admission). Or find a mentor in the profession to teach you. 

Degree alternatives

The quality of informal education offered online in the form of on-demand videos and Zoom sessions has increased, along with the availability of such opportunities. Individual artists and designers, myself included, create and sell long-form and topic-based courses online, on their own platforms or on education platforms, with or without assignments and critique. People desiring to avoid student loan debt but who want to build professional portfolios choose these options over formal degrees and even certificate programs. 

Certificate programs provide the same level of rigor, quality of content, assignments and critique, as degree programs but omit the humanities and sciences courses required by accredited degree programs. Student loan debt is often avoided in choosing certificates, and many certificates can be paid for through the GI Bill if you’re a U.S. military veteran. 

The main thing

If you’re predisposed against a formal education, then don’t seek one. But don’t devalue those who have gone through the rigor of earning a degree. Whether formally trained or self-educated, it comes down to the fact that you are competing for jobs and clients along with formally-trained creatives wielding professional-quality portfolios. The main thing is your portfolio. It’s your primary marketing tool whether you’re entrepreneurial or seeking employment as a creative. It has to be top quality in demonstrating your problem-solving and technical skills. How you get there is up to you.

Even formal education can provide only so much. Ultimately, your portfolio and your character will determine your success in the field. The onus is on you to continue to learn and perfect your craft throughout your professional career. As designers — visual creatives — we cannot stop learning. Ever.

Related:

Advice For Emerging Designers