Can Design be taught?

Wow can't believe its been a year since I updated. My apologies to everyone. Not only have I been running my business and teaching, I've been taking care of our now two year old son. Very rewarding, and very tiring! Anyway the blog has been one of the things that slipped through the cracks.

Okay, on to my subject!

Can anyone be a graphic designer?

I've noticed quite a few ads for design programs lately, schools I've never heard of, weekend seminars promising to teach you graphic design, offering to instruct you in how you can be a successful designer in a year (or a weekend). The question I've been hearing as long as I've been in this business is, can graphic design be taught?

I believe there are a several different kinds of graphic design students.

There are people out there with natural creative ability who want to learn the history and gain the technical ability to be a successful graphic designer, then there are the folks out there who's boss sent to a class on design so they can start designing the company newsletter. Finally their are those the company sent to learn graphic design so it can get design on the cheap.

Can design be taught?

As a teacher, my opinion is, design technique and mechanics can be taught to anyone. However, I believe that natural creative ability is 90% of what makes a successful designer. The artistic talent has to be there first in order to be a good designer.

I commend anyone for wanting to further their education, and I think that there is the right occupation for everyone. But, let's imagine graphic design as fine art for a minute, design is art that solves problems and communicates a products or services. Anyone can draw or paint, my two year old is coloring right now, but his drawing is likely not going to be in the Louver (at least not yet), not everyone is Andy Worhal or Charles Schultz.

Successful designers have talent and training to accomplish what they do. Not everyone can do it well.

So if you have talent and want to be a graphic designer, go for it I would love to see you in class. If you are doing the company newsletter and you need to learn basic design software, please do, it teaches you how to layout with the program and will get you by. But if your a business owner and you're trying to get cheap design by sending the janitor to a weekend design seminar, just remember you get what you pay for!

Great Graphic Designers are born not made!


© copyright 2011 Michael Burke