As a junior, and someone who only switched into graphics halfway through my college career, I had a lot of apprehension about what it would mean to actually be taking design courses with students who [I assumed] already knew how to use Photoshop. I was extremely uncertain whether I would be able to experience the same growth and unsure if I could turn design from something I simply wanted to do into something that I’m truly capable of turning into a career for myself.
There’s a lot in design both technically and visually that I often have to figure out through a some sort of Rube Goldberg-esque sequence of clicks, mystery tools, and constant Google searching. A lot of the time I feel like I’m just getting lucky; but after reading a lot of the posts (and admittedly stalking some of the work) of past students, I’ve realized that for now this is all be a part of the process, my process. One statement that struck me in particular was from Phil who writes:
I always dreaded the days our projects were do because I lacked enough confidence in my work. I’m still working on that, but I have realized that we are all in the same situation and that we benefit from helping each other.
Although the steps inbetween where I start and end up may not line up exactly with anyone else’s, I saw similar questions of doubt, revision, redirection, and at times unexplained dissatisfaction in the some of the posts from last year’s class.
I’m confident in my ability to commit to late nights, to explore multiple routes, and to let go of an element that ultimately doesn’t work; and after reading several students’ course reflections, I’m beginning to feel a bit more confident that the way I see and design is an altogether comparable one.
Thankfully, software is merely a tool and not design itself. Tools and technology are Google-able, design thinking is not. And that is something I’m quite sure you’re more than capable of. : )