How to Raise a Graphic Designer

I might be alone on this, but I have a problem with how graphic designers are raised. I have a problem with the degrading, berating attitude that is promulgated in the design community, especially education. I don't understand where the psychology came from about having to terrify young designers by their own learning process. The whole growth period of a student shouldn't be criticized and punished the way it is in some places. Why are we punished and shamed for not having the BEST solutions or the BEST ideas? When does iteration mean that it's better work? Maybe back when learning design meant cutting type and pasting it, over and over again... the more times you did it, the better it was. More=better. However... I don't think the same is true anymore. I'm not sure it's necessary. Sure, I think it's necessary to think and brainstorm, to evaluate and reconsider things... but the constant demand to do endless amounts of work is draining unless the student is excited about what they are doing. If they feel like they are filling requirements, won't working a design job feel the same way? Won't all the passion and excitement, the innovation and drive be gone?

Maybe I'm wrong. I've been told time and time again that I am. Maybe it is an absolute necessity that you do a billion thumbnails to come up with a billion solutions, so that you have a trillion possibilities for how you can execute something. But maybe not. Maybe THAT method isn't the best. Maybe we should brainstorm some more.


Here's an excerpt from Child Development (5th ed.) by Danuta Bukatko and Marvin W. Daehler. It's on a chapter called "Concept of Self," and even if it speaks about children, I think it's applicable to any student. Especially students that are exploring something new... much like many students that come into design programs- unknowing, expectant, and often surprised by what they find.

"Parents can take several steps to reduce the likelihood that children will acquire a sense of learned helplessness:

1. Avoid frequent criticism and punishment, especially of younger children.
The younger child who is often criticized or punished for, say, being messy or failing to finish a task may be particularly susceptible to the belief that he is "bad." In arriving at this view of his personality, he may have little reason to try to do better or may shun similar challenges to avoid receiving further negative evaluations. This it is important that parents help the child avoid feelings of shame or limited self-worth when evaluating behavior.

2. Motivate effort by identifying positive approaches to problem solving.
As children become older and more knowledgeable, parents and teachers can promote a mastery orientation by emphasizing the various skills and procedures important to success, that is, what children can do to more effectively achieve a goal. Such feedback should help children appreciate the malleability of traits and capacities.

3. Attribute poor performance to factors other than ability.
When a child does perform poorly, a parent's or teacher's evaluation should focus on nonintellectual and temporary factors that may have reduced the child's performance rather than on her intrinsic ability, thereby inspiring effort when the next opportunity arises.

4. View activities as opportunities to learn rather than as tests of ability.
Parents and teachers can encourage children to approach academic tasks as opportunities to learn rather than as situations in which their performance will be evaluated in terms of competence (or lack of competence) (Dweck, 1999; Erdley et al., 1997)."



Maybe a self reflection.... maybe a more generalized view. Hopefully more broad than narrow. But it's just a thought.