Pedagogical Approach
Design can shape our world and improve our lives; how we teach it is crucial in shaping the future. Teaching graphic design and design strategy is an ever-changing practice of teaching and learning. Design is not merely a profession of static skills but rather an industry that is continuously in a state of change. We should be driving students towards making design with purpose and training designers who are versatile, media-agnostic thinkers, seeing not a world of problems to solve but opportunities to engage.
We live in a world where design and technology are in a constant state of evolution. The landscape in higher education comprises student populations with a wide range of cultural and ideological interests, which warrants a dynamic curriculum able to elevate student voices and prepare them for challenges we cannot yet see. We can achieve this by enabling students to develop their unique approach and philosophy on design, regardless of the discipline or role in which they work. These elements work together to create a holistic approach to design education that cultivates technical skills, creativity, critical thinking, empathy, and authorship.
The student body within the Boston University Graphic Design department, where I have been teaching for more than ten years, consists of more than 50% of international students from multiple countries worldwide. This dynamic requires a more inclusive and accessible approach to pedagogy and is something I believe is necessary as part of all design education.
I believe in engaging the students first with content, even at an early level, to help them push experimentation in form through their unique interests. Rather than drive projects with assigned content and requirements, I prefer to give specific but open-ended and sometimes abstract prompts and constraints where the student can shape the content. This project structure informs their investment in the project and willingness to experiment with form and medium. Students are far more engaged when the project brief becomes more of a creative conversation—shaping the projects collaboratively through content.
I apply this methodology at all levels of design education—from Sophomore undergraduates through 2nd-year graduate students. A classroom full of students also presents a broader conversation about the given design challenge; there are many interpretations of the challenge itself, a wide array of content, and formal solutions to the problem using different content. This type of broad dialogue is hugely inspirational to a class of students and a way to motivate students facing creative blocks or struggling with developing an approach. This approach also allows for developing students’ research and discovery process because they tend to be more interested in the work. If they invest in the content they are interested in and enjoy, they are more likely to push through and continually seek solutions to the given challenges. While this work is more theory and concept based, I will use classroom discussion to contextualize the challenges with real-world client-facing practice. These conversations borrow directly from my professional practice experience.
At Boston University, I designed a class to implement this philosophy further. The goal of “Graphic Design: Studio practice” is to better prepare students for professional practice in design by engaging in client-facing work. The course develops students’ skills on the business side of design, introduces concepts of design strategy, and collaborates with a professional design studio or client to provide the projects as the vehicle for the lessons. To date, the class has been enriching for everyone involved. I have found that, in this model, I can shift back and forth between classroom studio structure to design studio structure. I give advice, guidance, feedback, and mentorship as an art director while at the same time inserting topical lessons and pausing out topics as they arise.
Finally, I believe in bringing a practice-based, multidisciplinary approach to the classroom—collaborations with other departments and areas of focus across the University and Boston to broaden conversations, opportunities, and student experiences. For example, we have worked with the School of Theatre, external theater companies, the Questrom School of Management, the Center for Food Studies, PeaceLove Studios– a non-profit organization focused on using the arts for mental health awareness, and the North American Indian Center of Boston.
A commitment to the classroom or studio as a diverse and equitable community.
Design education is uniquely responsible for nurturing creativity, critical thinking, and empathy in future designers. The design community plays a crucial role in shaping the cultural landscape and how people live, work, and communicate. Fostering an equitable environment that recognizes diverse people and perspectives is essential. Design education must also prioritize equity and access to ensure that all students have equal opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed—we should ask ourselves who has the most to lose when we are shaping our programs, and constantly reflect on and reshape the curriculum with those voices included.
Design education should reflect the diversity of the world where designers work globally. A diverse student body and faculty bring a broader range of perspectives and experiences to the classroom, enriching the learning environment and providing a foundation for meaningful and impactful design work. When students learn in an inclusive environment, they are exposed to new ideas and ways of thinking, which can help to broaden their understanding of the world and promote empathy and cultural competence. We must commit to finding ways to bring in new voices, which may mean leaving behind traditional recruitment methods, enrollment, and evaluation methods.
Course material must grow to represent an ever-widening range of perspectives and cultures which requires a concerted effort to seek out diverse voices and to critically examine the dominant cultural narratives that often perpetuate inequity and injustice. By examining historical contexts and contemporary issues through a lens of diversity and inclusivity, students can gain a deeper understanding of design’s social, cultural, and political implications.
Creating an equitable and accessible learning environment requires a commitment from instructors, students, and the wider design community. We come from different places, backgrounds, and walks of life. We embrace the unique identities of each member of this community and commit to learning, growing, and understanding each other through historical contexts of race, gender, religion, sexuality, and other expressions of self. Together we can create space for all members to learn, grow, and understand one another. The instructor is critical in facilitating this process by establishing clear expectations for behavior, creating a supportive and welcoming atmosphere, and encouraging open and respectful dialogue.
We must also be committed to elevating the voices of all students. We must select diverse course materials, provide opportunities for students to share their perspectives and experiences in class discussions and projects, and ensure the learning experience is accessible to all students.
We, as educators, must also be flexible and patient, adapting to each class’s unique needs and circumstances, and teach with radical empathy. We recognize that students come from different backgrounds and may have different levels of knowledge, skills, and perspectives. We must be willing to learn from each other as part of a teaching and learning environment where everyone can teach, and everyone can learn. By being flexible and understanding, we can help to create an environment that is supportive and empowering for all students.