Self Taught vs. Formal Education in Design
Monday, August 17, 2009 22:31Like many designers, I feel that my talent has developed from hours of hard work, experimentation and simply from being observant of techniques and styles of others. Part of me wishes that i had a degree or formal education in design, but i also feel that not knowing some things has helped me be more open to self growth, experimentation and just having a diverse skill set not limited to any one thing.
Half of my friends have a design education and the other half are self-taught like myself. In the end, all that matters is if your work is any good or not. Some people need the structure and guidance of a formal education. Others are do-it-yourself types who need to move at their own speed and figure things out through trial and error. Neither way is perfect; ultimately success and beautiful work depends upon the individual and how they grow, learn and create the best.
Colin Whitney says:
August 21st, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I think not having a formal education has actually served me (and others I know). I found I was not bound by old rules and restrictions for new media that weren’t necessarily relevant. Though that may not be true for everyone, since at least recently, there’s much more relevant curriculums out there.
David Wright says:
August 25th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Formal education is a means of expediting education. It is not now, nor has ever been, better than being self-taught. It is simply a faster, and the result more predictable. Remember that in any field of endeavor, no matter what it may be, there was at one time no such thing as a teacher. There was at one time a person who learned the thing themselves, and passed their knowledge on to others, who in turn learned more, until eventually there was somebody who was capable of formally donning the mantle of a teacher. The computer age is yet in its infancy. Some of what needs to be taught in the formal cirriculi has yet to be figured out by the self-taught. So for those who have a formal education, I do hope that they have not decided that they can stop learning, because there is much yet to be learned. A formal education saves a lot of time, but there is far more than merely a lifetime of learning waiting out there for somebody to find it.
pgirouard says:
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:01 pm
As for me personally, I kind of look at formal education as a ‘kick in the pants’. A way to get things rolling. I am currently enrolled in 3D Computer Graphics at Red River College and finished Digital Multimedia Technology this past spring. While the courses are very good, I take a lot of time figuring things out on my own. I try not to get stuck to a ‘do it this way and no other way’ kind of a mentality. I take what I’m taught and try different ways of doing it. There are a lot of things that I have been taught that would have taken me years to figure out, so I believe it is only helping me taking the courses. But being taught, I believe, will never be better than getting your hands dirty and learning thing on your own. When I struggle through something on my own I find that I retain it better. Although everyone is different of course.
Simon Burgess says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:39 am
This is an interesting debate, especially for those in the design or creative industries. I agree with pgirouard, an education should only be seen as a starting point, a foot in the door, not a means to an end. I’ve personally found that the most talented people I’ve worked with are primarily self-taught – it’s those people that have the ambition and passion to try new things and push their skills.
Kevin Guenther MGDC says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 12:11 pm
I’m also a self taught designer and am neither apologetic or self conscious about that fact when discussing my education amongst my peers. I’ve paid my dues and learned from some of the best in the industry while on the job. There truly is no better experience to be had than that IMO.
Still, I would never encourage someone interested in becoming a graphic designer not to bother with design school. I probably would have had a far easier time getting to where I am now had I gone to OCAD, UofA, or Emily Carr…
That said, what I would encourage would-be designers to do is to expand their horizons and look internationally (Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, New Zealand). If you’re going to go to design school, make an adventure out of it! The travels will serve you more in the long run than the fact that you where formally educated.
uberVU - social comments says:
October 24th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by livinteractive: What do you think? Self Taught vs. Formal Education in Design : Still a hot topic on LIV interactive :: http://bit.ly/38RnOx…