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Are You a Good Art or Design Student? - Part 1

Featured Author:

Christopher Simmons

Christopher Simmons is a designer, author, educator, design advocate and principal of the noted San Francisco design office, MINE™. MINE™ designs identities, books, consumer products, packaging and print and interactive collateral for scientific visionaries, educational reformists, best-selling authors, museums, entrepreneurs, telecommunications giants and Hollywood producers. Christopher teaches graphic design at the California College of the Arts (CCA), is the author of three books and writes the regular column My First Time for STEP magazine. He is a past president of the San Francisco AIGA, the professional association for design. On completion of Christopher’s tenure, Mayor Gavin Newsom issued an official proclamation declaring San Francisco to be a city “where design makes a difference.”

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About the International Academy of Design & Technology

Since 1977, the International Academy of Design and Technology has been a vibrant and growing college committed to providing its students with an education that delivers today's technology into the classroom and tomorrow's creative professionals into the workforce.

If you’re looking for the benefits of a college education and the flexibility that fits your busy lifestyle then online studies at The International Academy of Design & Technology may be right for you. We offer programs in graphic design, web design, advertising and design, fashion merchandising and more. Turn your computer into your classroom, anytime, day or night, from almost anywhere. Interaction with experienced Academy instructors and fellow classmates is a keystroke away.

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More articles from this author:

• The Process of Teaching Process: Part 1 of 2
• The Process of Teaching Process: Part 2 of 2
• Finding the Right Fit: What Job Is Right for You?

We’re only a few weeks into the fall semester, but its never too early (or late) to think about what it takes to be a good — or even great — student. This is not about talent or smarts. Being a good student is a skill and an art in itself. Over the years I’ve noticed some of the qualities that help students excel. Some of these may seem obvious, but we all need reminding from time to time.

90% of life is showing up

I’m not sure who first said this, but they were right. You can’t learn if you’re not present — physically and mentally. With a full course load, a job and maybe even a life sometimes we all fall a little behind. When we do we start looking for places to make up the time we don’t have. We prioritize our commitments, usually completing the work for the instructor who will judge us most harshly if we show up empty handed. Then, having not done the required work for one of our more “understanding” instructors, we figure we’ll just skip that class, get the rest of our work done, and catch up like mad later on. This is a bad idea. You learn a lot just by being a part of the discussion and critique of other students’ work. You also have a responsibility to participate in those discussions. It may be embarrassing to show up with little, no or poor work, but it’s infinitely better than not showing up at all.

Show your work

Remember junior high school math class? You had to show your work, right? The same is true for Design school. Learning is not about arriving at the right answer, its about how you got there. Too often students bring in polished layouts or logos and leave their sketches at home. While part of becoming a good designer is developing a discerning eye and learning to edit your work, you don’t have to do it on your own. Give us a chance to help. I’m continuously amazed at the stunning and inspired work that gets left in the sketchbook. More than that, giving us (by us I mean your teachers an peers) a peek into your visual stream of consciousness gives us insight into your thought and working process. This can help us help you become unstuck when you find yourself in a creative rut.