In this episode we discuss whether a formal design education is worth it, or if you’re better off being self taught. We also look at what employer’s commonly look for when hiring designers, and how to make yourself a more attractive candidate. Some of the answers may surprise you!
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Meet Your Hosts
The Honest Designers Show started when our founder Tom found he was regularly chatting and sharing tips with top designers; Ian Barnard, Lisa Glanz and Dustin Lee. We soon organised a weekly call where we would help each other with areas we were struggling with and try to give each other actionable feedback. Soon we realised that the collective experience of the group was proving so valuable for each of us, that we thought ‘why not share these conversations with the world?’.
And so, The Honest Designers Show was born! This podcast is an insight into how to succeed in the creative industry, as well as giving you a totally transparent, under the hood look at some of the tougher, less glamorous hurdles to overcome! We also tend to get a little goofy along the way, so this is a chance to get to know each of us a little better :). We’ve loved recording this show for you, and we hope that you find value and enjoyment in listening to it.
SHOW NOTES
Today’s show gets deep into the pros and cons of a formal design education. All four of your hosts have had very different experiences and backgrounds in this area, and today we take an objective look at the various educational paths available to creative folk.
[1.00] Finding out what is really in a design course
[2.15] How Lisa’s formal education helped her (and didn’t help her!)
[3.00] Some of the best points of a formal education
[3.50] Do employer’s ever look for a degree?
[4.30] The ego of only feeling like a designer if you have a degree
[5.15] Some of the more fun projects within a design degree
[6.00] Ian’s design education (multi-media course)
[7.19] Why courses don’t always help give you a ‘creative edge’
[7.50] There’s no substitute for experience
[8.00] Why the right decision for education depends on you and your nature
[9.00] Some designers that Ian follows who are getting an education whilst building a portfolio
[10.30] Employers look for experience above all else
[11.05] How we hired Lizzy for Design Cuts (she took her work to the interview)
[12.20] You have the weigh up the right path for you
[13.30] Why design school can give you accountability (but some other options for the self-disciplined)
[15.00] What Lisa looked for when hiring people in her role as an Art Director
[16.00] Design education can go both ways
[16.55] The financial cost of a formal education
[17.30] Other ways you could allocate the finances
[18.45] Think about what you want to do for a creative career (broad vs niche)
[19.40] Dustin felt like a poser, not having a degree
[20.25] Tom’s shortcomings from being self taught (the dreaded comfort zone)
[22.30] Design education can teach good process and workflow
[23.35] A design course helped Lisa a ton with her botanical painting
[24.10] Dustin’s music course, and his honest experiences of this
[25.50] Picasso’s ‘learn the rules so you can break them’
[27.00] Dustin chatting about the Beatles
[27.50] Lisa on how she does several courses a month
[28.50] “You can to train your head first, so your heart can soar” – Dustin and Lisa’s upcoming hit song lyric!
[30.00] How Ian benefits from online courses
[31.30] Why we should take advantage of the education available to us online
[33.00] Follow what you’re passionate about, there is no set path!
[33.40] Ask people who have been there and done it
How you can help
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Let Us Know What You Think
We would absolutely love to know how you enjoyed this second episode. We’ll be releasing a new episode each Wednesday, and look forward to hopefully answering many of your questions on the show.
I’ve enjoyed all the podcasts, but this is the first one I’ve felt I had any input worth sharing. I have experienced both sides of this debate. While I have a job that deals with a lot of design work which pre-dates my formal education, I have found that the formal education has not only sped up my work, but really elevated it as well. Listening to your descriptions of your different educational experiences made me realize just how different my school, OSUIT, is. (Shameless alma mater plug) It’s only a 2 year program and the overall goal of the instructors is to mold students into well-rounded designers with good portfolios. What really makes the program unique is that the school has hired people who have worked for years in the design industry, rather than hire “instructors” with advanced degrees. Plus, being a 2 year state school program, I won’t have to mortgage my great-grandchildren’s future to pay for it. While I’m glad that a formal education isn’t a requirement to be a designer, I am an advocate for it…at the right school.
Thanks for sharing your experience Shellie :). It’s great to hear that you’ve had such a balanced and practical education. I’m definitely envious of the workflows and professionalism that degrees can impart, as I know through being self taught I’ve picked up so many bad habits and had to learn through trial/error (which can be stressful and expensive!). Honestly, it sounds like it was a great fit for you, and definitely a fantastic school :).
I absolutely love your podcasts. Being self thought myself and also always not feeling worthy because i never had a formal education, this has helped a lot to feel better about my path and career.
Do you have any advise for a self taught ( or any designer) who wants to go and freelance on a permanent basis? I have been in the industry for 10 years. I live in Namibia. I have just started feeling I don’t get the satisfaction out of my career as I used to, working for an agency. I really want to get on my own and know that I get what I put it.
Any advise?
Hi Mari-Nella,
So thrilled to hear the podcast has helped you feel better about your creative path! If you don’t want to straight-out quit your job (if you’re like me, that would freak me out!), then I would recommend working on your freelance business in your off time – week nights and weekends where possible.
If you don’t have any clients or small jobs to start off with, I would possibly think of either approaching businesses in your area or reaching out to friends and family and letting them know you’re available for freelance work. Word of mouth is one of THE most powerful tools to grow a business – do your freelance jobs to the best of your ability and go that extra mile for your clients, so when someone asks “do you know a designer?” They’ll be tripping over their feet to recommend you.
And if you’re feeling a little uninspired from being in the same design rut for so long, you could choose a “dream” client as a mock job and design what ever gets you excited, like wedding invitations, or quirky book layouts, for me it was company branding for unusual companies, not corporates. This would be a fantastic piece to add to your portfolio and when you go see new clients and show them that piece, you will be proud that it came from you and the vision was yours from beginning to end!
It really is possible to have a great and happy freelance business. It does take time and hard work, but if you’re willing to put that into the mix, you’ll succeed, gaurenteed!
Hope that helps! Best of luck my friend :)
You don’t mix colors just for shits and giggles? Man, that’s a favorite pastime. Though, in your defense, I learned color mixing in a university acrylics class and have been painting since I was a child. It’s just another hobby for me. haha, I’m teasing.
I’ve always struggled with not having a degree, but the person who introduced me to graphic design has no formal design education and doesn’t even watch tutorials or take online classes. He’s been using photoshop since the beginning. So, whenever I’m feeling like an impostor, I think of his 4 TIME magazine front covers, his brain special cover of TIME, his Memorex tape packaging design, and his Superbowl commercial. Thankfully I’ve always had that to remind me that you don’t need a formal education. It helps that I know more about illustrator than he does. ;)
Exactly!! You can become a master at something just by doing it! Experience and pratice is an amazing thing, I think especially for creatives.
This is fantastic! Exactly how I feel. The Picasso comment, know the rules so you can break ’em. And Lisa, yes, you totally make sense. Train the head so the heart can soar.. just what I needed today. Thanks to all of you!!
That makes me so happy to read that! Glad it contributed to your day positively :) Yay!!!
I really enjoyed this episode, thank you for liberating me from feeling like I wasn’t a full fledged designer without a diploma!
So happy this episode helped you feel that!! I use to feel the same way about illustrating, but now I feel because we’re creating anyway regardless of our formal skills, we’re still designers or illustrators in our own right! :) And no one can really change that fact!