What Students really want from Design Colleges

In this era, anyone can learn their desired design tools through various platforms, making technology and knowledge no longer exclusive to schools. So, what direction should design schools take in such a time?

Recently, as a graduate of Fanshawe College’s Graphic Design program, I had the opportunity to participate as a panel in a Program Advisory Committee(PAC) meeting aimed at discussing the future and development of graphic design education. During the meeting, I made several suggestions for the direction of the design program and I would like to share my thoughts more systematically through this article.

While preparing for the meeting, as a professional product designer, I attempted to view the school as one of the products. What are the pain points that students feel in school and what are their needs? However, in reality, most students may not know exactly what they need. They are often busy with individual assignments and may not have a concrete understanding of the challenges they will face after graduation. However, they will likely feel a sense of unease and incompleteness, just like I did when I was in their shoes.

Now, I would like to share my strategies for upgrading the school product beyond being a place for acquiring technical skills.

Design has no purpose without collaboration. As design contributes to the operation and expansion of businesses, designers always need to collaborate with various departments in the field. Despite the fact that everyone knows this, why couldn’t students have such experiences in school? It was only after graduation that I realized the importance of business and marketing as a designer, and I had to set aside time to study on my own. Above all, I learned a lot from my freelance activities through making mistakes.

In fact, school is the optimal place for the collaboration with students from different disciplines because It is a place where students from various majors gather to prepare for employment, and everyone desires real-world experiences.

When I was in school, I had the opportunity to accidentally assist a marketing project of a business major friend. At that time, I helped with business card design and social media design, indirectly experiencing the business launching process. However, it ended as a one-time event, which was regrettable.

Collaborative projects with students from adjacent disciplines can provide unique learning and career opportunities that individuals cannot experience through self-study or within the team project in same major. For junior designers who are preparing for employment right after graduation, one of the biggest handicaps they feel is a lack of collaboration experience with other departments. Therefore, schools should deeply consider this issue.

In school, we learn various skills. Personally, I have learned all the skills necessary to dive into the field immediately after graduation, from typography to poster design, illustration, editing, web design, and more.

However, surprisingly, the biggest problem after graduation was not the lack of technical skills but the problem of identity. Every time I applied for a job, the position titles that came up were quite confusing. The category of “designer” encompasses various titles such as Graphic designer, Visual designer, Digital designer, Multimedia designer, Interaction designer, UX/UI designer, Product designer, and more.

Most junior designers start their careers without having the opportunity to think about their identity as a designer, and that becomes the starting point of their career with a sense of confusion. The confusion of identity begins even when creating a portfolio. Some smart students find their identity early on, but most end up listing all their projects in a disorderly manner in their portfolios, experiencing confusion from the beginning of their careers.

Therefore, the importance and necessity of schools come into play here. Schools should inform students about various career paths and help them find their way to go fit for them. If schools specialize in this aspect, students will truly feel the need for schools.

Schools have a vast and diverse pool of graduates, and they establish connections with them in various ways.

However, in reality, communication with alumni is not just a matter at the school level but a part that is more urgently required by students. The role of mentors for designers is evident from the popularity of platforms like ADPList or Meetup, as well as the popularity of design mentors on social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram.

Students at school would willingly participate if they could learn about the journeys of their seniors, how they experienced their school life, what they regretted, and what they were proud of.

So far, as a product designer, I have shared my insights by looking at schools as products and thinking about what students want from the student’s point of view, such as their needs and pain points. If you have any better opinions, please share and develop them.