A Full Sail University educator’s advice for getting started …
… in your college journey in graphic design.
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Pursuing a college degree in graphic design is an important step for many aspiring designers – but it can also be overwhelming. Getting advice from someone who’s in the know about design and higher education can be invaluable, so we found an educator who gave us the inside scoop.
Kira Gondeck-Silvia, a course director at Full Sail University, teaches foundational design skills like typography, color theory, and page layout to Full Sail’s graphic design and digital arts & design students. She also holds bachelor’s degree in Art and an MFA in Visual Studies.
We talked with her about her top tips for incoming graphic design students, including which skills are important to have before you begin, which skills to focus on once you’re in college, and the importance of following your passion for design.
Q: What are some important skills that graphic design students can develop before they start their college classes?
A: I think that life skills are really important. The students that I have who have done [things like] service industry jobs and have come across a lot of different people, they’re used to code-switching when they communicate. Like, “Oh, okay, this is a table full of grandparents. I have to maybe be a little bit slower and more patient. Okay, here’s a table of teenagers, I have to adjust how I’m communicating with them.” Getting into that code-switching where you can really get into the mindset of other people can translate to getting into the mindset of a target audience.
I’ve also had students who have art backgrounds, and that can help because of the experience with critical thinking and creative ways of thinking outside of the box. They’re a little bit more used to being brave with their creative choices.
Q: What’s one of the most important skills for students to focus on once they’re in school?
A: A lot of times, students will be really nervous about not being able to draw really well, and I think really what they should be more focused on is how to deliver messages to people that don’t think like them – being able to go into the mindset of the target audience and what their experience is. [When students start doing college-level projects], they are designing thinking about themselves, their age group, their interests, stuff like that.
But an 18-year-old college student might need to get into the mindset of a single middle-aged parent that’s struggling for money and try to figure out why that parent might want, for instance, this particular car or something like that, and how to create visual language that attracts them, even if it’s not something that [the student] would themselves be interested in. I think that’s one of the hardest and most important skills for students to learn.
Q: What are some personal qualities that can help students succeed in their classes?
A: Time management and letting go of perfectionism. I think perfectionism comes from a lack of confidence in yourself. And I think students need to be a little bit more forgiving of themselves and understand that they’re coming here to learn. They’re going to make mistakes, and it’s okay to get all their mistakes made while they’re in school. A lot of times, that relieves the pressure of trying to get something perfect. And then the time management solves itself once you address the perfectionism because perfectionists are so anxious about doing their assignments that it takes a little bit longer.
Q: What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to when you were starting your education?
A: I initially was entering college for art and somebody got into my head and basically said “get a real job,” and I took it to heart. And I think a lot of artists and creatives do that. And I think that if I had advice for myself, I would just say, “What are you passionate about? What do you do when you’re bored or when you have free time?” And to look at that and to not be so focused on what’s going to make the most money because you could be miserable and rich and not live life to the fullest.