The Graphic Student

I came across Student Creative today while on Youtube. The website/magazine is for students, by students (very much like thegraphicstudent.com). There isn’t much happening with it yet, but they’re asking students to submit work, and trying to get the support of Universities. Go help them out - it’s something that could be really great for all of us students!

At the Institute, we envision a place where students, teachers, industry and community experts come together not only as creators and designers but also ambassadors of hope. We imagine how to live, learn, work, and play together as a global community. Our goal is to find alternative development patterns and a viable path to a sustaining future, and allow the world to re-envision the designer as a problem solver with the ability to effect positive change for humanity.

How incredible does that sound? Institute Without Borders is a program run out of the School of Design at George Brown College where students interact with professionals to solve world problems. Their first project, Massive Change, explored all things about the future of global design. Their second project, World House, explores methods and practices to developing sustainable shelter for the future. Incredible projects, and what I can only imagine would be an incredible experience. This program is an opportunity for students to learn an incredible amount, and to apply what they’ve learned in a meaningful way. They can step away from using their talents to sell shoes, and do something they are honestly passionate about. 

If you can see yourself doing this, check out the website. Students must have an undergraduate degree, and the tuition is around $13,000 - $22,00 (depending where you live). 

I work part-time at a small art supply shop and this weekend I helped a customer who owns an advertising/branding agency. We started talking about his schooling back in the 70’s compared to what I’m experiencing today. He had one complaint about schools today (well, he had a number of complaints actually) - he was upset that schools are now teaching how to design and not why. He said he gets hundreds of portfolios and resumes from students who are great at knowing how to design a webpage - but not enough who know why they designed it. I can’t stop thinking about this and what it means…I love getting customers like this.

I was reading up on The Designers Accord recently, and something struck me as odd… Why isn’t sustainable design given the same priority in school as colour choice, paper weight, or font selection? “Green” design is treated more like a gimmick than necessity. There is a great WWF campaign out right now, telling people “the world has changed - so can you” referring to environmentally damaging things we used to do, but don’t have to do anymore (riding a bike to work, hanging clothes out to dry, etc.). The same holds true for design school. The industry has changed, and our generation of students is vital to improving our impact on the earth. 

The Designers Accord guidelines Education section, suggests college and universities do the following:

Publicly declare participation in the Designers Accord.

Initiate a dialogue about environmental impact and sustainable alternatives with every student and colleague in your educational program. Rework curricula and assignments to emphasize environmentally responsible design and work processes. Provide course content, lectures, and assignments that focus on strategic and material alternatives for sustainable design.

Undertake a program to educate your colleagues about sustainability and sustainable design, and plan the integration of these concepts into course curricula.

Measure the carbon/greenhouse gas footprint of your institution, and pledge to reduce your footprint annually.

Advance the understanding of environmental issues from a design perspective by contributing actively to the communal knowledge base for sustainable design.

Awesome newspaper design for a NYC high school. I’ve always wondered why newspapers produced by journalism classes aren’t more conceptual and risk-taking than professional newspapers. If you’re going to try something, might as well do it in school when multiple salaries aren’t on the line. 

In this great video/interview with James Victore, he rightly puts us students on computers in our place. I really want to meet this guy.

Listen to this…

When designing a book, it can be expedient to select a format or trim size that is based on the proportions of the letters with which the book is to be typeset.

I am reading some incredible design books right now. This little tidbit of advice comes from Visual Grammar by Christian Leborg. I just wanted to share it with you - it’s a layout method I had never heard of before, but it makes so much sense!

Welcome to the new identity of your old favourite dorm-furnishings store.

note*

I was at a sustainable packaging awards gala earlier this year and witnessed a spokesperson from Walmart talk about how great they are for the environment. His speech only made me less likely to shop there. I do not support Walmart…but I understand why students might have to.

The winners of the 2008 Penguin Design Awards for Students are up and looking good! I’m having trouble finding the initial brief, but from what I can see, the students were asked to design either Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Zadie Smith’s On Beauty, or Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine.  The one above is the winner, designed by Jenna Jones of the Norwich School of Art and Design. She wins nearly $2000 and a six week work placement at Penguin publishing - an incredible prize.

Click the image to see the other winners along with judges’ comments.

Looking for a summer job? You could spend your days doing spec work!
This is awful…