2. Enter competitions - If I enter competitions it will help add to my portfolio and I can get some experience...and if I win I can get some money as well. ALSO, IF YOU DO REALLY GOOD, YOU MIGHT GET SOME PRESS!!!
3. Networking - I need to be active and known in the class. If people that don't know me ask others who I am they will be like, "OMG you don't know Muska! She's the coolest kid in school, yo!" This could lead to possible job opportunities, because getting an architect position sounds pretty difficult to find if you know what I mean.
4. Photograph everything - Not only will it make me nostalgic when I am 30 years old *inshallah* and I am thinking about the good old days, it will also help to show how much I have improved in my portfolio.
5. Be careful of what is online....not that I do crazy stuff but just saying
6. The Teacher Works for You - Do not hesitate to aks a quechon!
7. Make a Light Tent to photograph your stuff (pic below) - it looks nicer
8. Practice presentation skills - I don't think that I am the worst presenter in the world but I think I could use some practice...and maybe some help. I need to practice word articulation, eye contact with the audience, and explaining my concept thoroughly.
9. If you have time, audit a class - It would be cool to just sit in a class, listen, and not have to participate. I learn better by watching and it would be a great way to learn something without worrying about the grade.
10. Read - The Quran, the newspaper, a book you found off the street, etc.
11. Go to restaurants, museums, parks, etc. - you might get ideas and it will relieve you of stress.
12. Have a sketch book that is used for really really quick sketches. You will see how much progress you have made after each sketch takes less and less time.
13. Don't gain weight - The Freshman 15 is not your friend. I know someone that used to be so skinny and lanky. But now, he is in college and he has gained like 30 pounds. I don't want to imagine myself 30 pounds heavier. Go work out, take a walk, do something to keep the extra pounds off!
14. Get used to being criticized - I am not as sensitive as I used to be but I still am affected by other people's comments. Also, don't take the comments personally. If they are personal then just shrug them off.
15. "Just when you think you have arrived at the greatest solution, sit on it......then work some more"
16. Don't EVER get sick. Take your daily dose of Vitamin C (fruit, juice, pills, etc.), maintain good hygiene, exercise, and stop thinking too much it will get you a headache.
17. "tip 1:
don't take yourself too seriously.. have fun with your work tip 2:
don't let negative energy get you down, if you believe in yourself, things will happen
tip 3:
be a cool guy- to have people admire and respect u is so much more rewarding than big bucks and a flashy title. "
18. Do be critical. With yourself and with your classmates. Screw niceties: you do not pay $20k+ a year to learn social etiquette. You are there to learn how to give valuable, timely, incisive, inquisitive, critique.
Do iterate, rinse and repeat. Your designs are crap. And they will be no matter hard or long you work on them. Design it, step back, redesign it. I don't know how much time I wasted thinking about a concept, making it perfect, then either barely finishing the first version, or not even getting it done. Design is an activity: 5 parts doing, 1 part thinking.
Do understand respect. Respect yourself, your work, and other's. Design is not light stuff. It is life and world changing.
Do be creative. School is only about learning how to be creative. If school gives one thing: it is the teaching and path to creativeness.
19. "1) Don't go to a school that has a young program (e.g. - under 10 yrs).
2) Don't think that just because you can draw better or that you are a better designer than everyone that you will get a job over them (GPA's do count!)
3) Don't blindly believe all the granduer that your faculty and design prophets promote about designers shaping the future of society...start out with the basics of design.
4) Learn to sketch like DaVinci (seriously!)
5) Learn to model quick prototypes (under 10-30 min.)
6) Learn to speak only when necessary and make sure you thought about it first - do this in a foreign language too!
7) Be the best listener you can be - ALWAYS!
8) Begin the job hunt from day one - build up that resume, post on discussion boards, read about industry news, and network with faculty, professionals, etc... - refer back to step 7.
9) Maintain a professional appearance and a clean paper trail (e.g. - no disciplinary actions sanctioned by the school, courts, employer, etc..)
10) Only about 10-20% of those who earn industrial design degrees will make it in the industry as industrial designers - but that does not mean that getting a degree in ID is useless or only good for ID (although it's a tough road either way!)"
2) Don't think that just because you can draw better or that you are a better designer than everyone that you will get a job over them (GPA's do count!)
3) Don't blindly believe all the granduer that your faculty and design prophets promote about designers shaping the future of society...start out with the basics of design.
4) Learn to sketch like DaVinci (seriously!)
5) Learn to model quick prototypes (under 10-30 min.)
6) Learn to speak only when necessary and make sure you thought about it first - do this in a foreign language too!
7) Be the best listener you can be - ALWAYS!
8) Begin the job hunt from day one - build up that resume, post on discussion boards, read about industry news, and network with faculty, professionals, etc... - refer back to step 7.
9) Maintain a professional appearance and a clean paper trail (e.g. - no disciplinary actions sanctioned by the school, courts, employer, etc..)
10) Only about 10-20% of those who earn industrial design degrees will make it in the industry as industrial designers - but that does not mean that getting a degree in ID is useless or only good for ID (although it's a tough road either way!)"
20. "Don't always listen to your instructors, they are not always right."
21. "We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action."
22. "1. Quit Your Whining
2. Showing up is often 90% of success.
3. Get back to work."
23." - Like you said, learn Photoshop or Illustrator. Even if you don't really do anything with it, just familarising yourself with the program helps. But don't get too hung up if you don't actually know to manage to do anything with it.
- as for what type of things to sketch, Sketch anything, and everything, i learnt that carrying an A5 sized sketch notebook and a good pencil helps. Sketch things like moble phones, Cups, plates. Train your self to notice things. like how things are put together, challenge yourself to think about how things are put together.
- Go shopping. See touch and feel things. go to different types of department stores. See how they display their goods. And what types of customers are browsing the shops
- Go to the library, look up good children's encyclopedia on how things work. You wouldn't think it , but some of those are really informative. And they usually have pretty good illustrations. Copy and sketch. Good way to practice, and learn how to draw in perspective."
24. "To be a better design researcher, hone your ability to observe the world around you. Keep a regular log that you add to at least weekly (daily would be ideal). Document the strange, the curious, the weird, the awesome and the funny. Learn to keep a close eye on the artifacts, signs, designs, behaviors, products and experiences that you encounter in your everyday life.
Put your observations on the Internet. Maybe no one will see them, but the discipline of taking your observations out of your own head and publishing them in a sharable form will force you into telling a story. As much as design research is about observing others, there's something very personal about how and what we see, and developing that voice will serve you well. Collect stories and retell them in your own way, emphasizing the perspective you want others to take away.
Your log doesn't need to be conclusive, you just need to be observant and tell people what you think, wonder, or imagine. Learn to hear yourself feeling "Hmm—that's interesting!" and then share the interesting thing, being sure to articulate what it is about it that's interesting. Don't worry about fixing it (if it needs fixing), just notice and tell a quick story in your own voice. Be funny, sarcastic, critical, or outraged as appropriate."
25. "One of the biggest things I miss the most is loss of community. Working in the labs or studios (for me) was about doing work then chatting with other artists, doing a little more work, some research, going out to eat sushi, more work etc. It was about being surrounded by inspirational people; ideas bouncing back and forth. In hindsight I wish I spent more time there. I know I could have done better work, but hey not all of college is about is about doing work.
Along with that is getting the most out of your crits. So many students, mostly in the earlier years, just sit through their crits waiting to get over with it. I tell you crits are one of the best tools in college. Where else can you drag 15 people and force them to look at your work and get a response!"
26. "Realize that the field is very competitive. Understand that you might get out of school with your shiny new ID degree and not be very employable.
Learn to draw better than most of your classmates. Being competent won't help you much, there's too many people that are like that for you to stand out in this field.
Learn form development and understand what makes a design beautiful and attractive to people.
Learn to use Alias, Solidworks, and Adobe CS (and maybe Rhino, form'z and 3D Studio Max) better than most of your classmates.
Start getting internships your FIRST year, even if its only taking the trash out.
Think about and learn what makes some products more successful than others.
I have a whole section for modelmaking skills I wish I knew when I started:
Buy your own toolbox and stock it with your own supplies. Don't depend on shop tools. They suck.
sandpaper 50, 100, 800, 1000 & 5000 grit.
ruler for measurement
ruler for cutting
cutting mat
dremel tool and/or various files
safety googles
respirator
automotive primer
automotive paint
or spray gun
sanding block
3M Super 77
Weld-On + application brushes (for joining acylic and some plastics)
Utility knife + extra blades
X-acto + extra blades
Wood filler (for sealing foam)
Bondo (for fixing errors in models)
Epoxy (for joining wood and almost everything but plastic)
Give yourself 1 1/2 times as much time to finish your model than you think you'll need.
Watch your fingers when using an x-acto. I've seen LOTS of injuries from using too dull blades, so replace yours as soon as it starts binding.
Realize that even after you finish carving the model, you could easily spend 4-6 hours sealing and painting it, so prepare accordingly.
Have a very clear plan of how to make your model before you begin, and have all your materials + extra with you before you start. Don't make it up as you go along. If you want to just make a sketch model to think while you work, use some lighter grade foam. But for the most part have a very clear idea of what you want to do.
Use a dremel tool to make fine details in models. Easy does it. Don't hold your model in one hand and dremel with the other. Secure it to the table somehow (not too hard or you could damage the foam, though)
Buy your own googles and wear them everytime you are in the model shop.
Wear the best respirator you can find when making models.
Before using any power tool, think if there is any way that doing what you are about to do could hurt you or anyone else.
Super 77 glues foam stronger than steel if you spray both sides and give it about 3 minutes before you put them together, then press both sides together for about 5-10 minutes.
Use the most dense foam you can find to make models. Or renshape. Less dense foam snaps.
Don't make models out of pink or blue insulation foam unless you absolutely have to. Heavy yellow urethane or renshape is the way to go.
Have some bondo ready to fix your foam : ) You will make some mistakes.
Cut a foam cube the same dimensions as your design, then glue Illustrator templates onto the side, top and front of the model. Cutting along those with the bandsaw should give you a rough outline of what your model should look like. Unless you are very skilled, eyeballing it will just result in a lopsided model that you'll make 25% smaller trying to get evened out. Use templates!
Use a sanding block or one of those tiny hand sanders, not sandpaper and your fingers. Use a very rough grade for removing material, and have a lot of ligher grades for sanding primer later. Much more consistent and smooth.
Use a spray gun for making models, not rattle cans. If you MUST use rattle cans, use automotive grade spray paint, like Dupli Color or Plasti-Cote. Never mix brands of primer and paint, and never mix types of paint. Throw that can of Kylon or Rust-O-leum in the garbage where it belongs.
Avoid all nighters in the shop like an STD. Staying up all night doing creative sketching and eating pizza with your friends is NOT the same as desperately trying to get a model together before an 8 am critique. Avoid using powersaws when very tired, distracted, or sick. You need your fingers.
Use wood filller, not spackle, to seal your model before painting.
Paint using very light coats. 3-5 coats should do it.
Wet sand your primer using progressively finer grades of automotive sandpaper. Lightly. Make it smooth as glass before you apply your final color.
Always spray a test piece of foam beside your model so you can touch that instead of the model to see if it's dry. Much faster than sanding and starting over again.
Realize you have to make about 4-12 models before you figure out the fastest and best way to make them. Don't be afraid to ask upperclassmen, instructors, or the person running the shop for advice. Spending five minutes consulting with someone could save you 5 hours fixing a model down the line.
When your model is finished, painted, dry, and beautiful, take it to the photo booth and take several well lit, high res, photos of it IMMEDIATELY. Models get damaged, dropped, etc. very easily so document it well. Better to do this now than have to go back in a year a re-shoot it later when you realize the photo you have for your portfolio is either lousy or non-existent."
Learn to draw better than most of your classmates. Being competent won't help you much, there's too many people that are like that for you to stand out in this field.
Learn form development and understand what makes a design beautiful and attractive to people.
Learn to use Alias, Solidworks, and Adobe CS (and maybe Rhino, form'z and 3D Studio Max) better than most of your classmates.
Start getting internships your FIRST year, even if its only taking the trash out.
Think about and learn what makes some products more successful than others.
I have a whole section for modelmaking skills I wish I knew when I started:
Buy your own toolbox and stock it with your own supplies. Don't depend on shop tools. They suck.
sandpaper 50, 100, 800, 1000 & 5000 grit.
ruler for measurement
ruler for cutting
cutting mat
dremel tool and/or various files
safety googles
respirator
automotive primer
automotive paint
or spray gun
sanding block
3M Super 77
Weld-On + application brushes (for joining acylic and some plastics)
Utility knife + extra blades
X-acto + extra blades
Wood filler (for sealing foam)
Bondo (for fixing errors in models)
Epoxy (for joining wood and almost everything but plastic)
Give yourself 1 1/2 times as much time to finish your model than you think you'll need.
Watch your fingers when using an x-acto. I've seen LOTS of injuries from using too dull blades, so replace yours as soon as it starts binding.
Realize that even after you finish carving the model, you could easily spend 4-6 hours sealing and painting it, so prepare accordingly.
Have a very clear plan of how to make your model before you begin, and have all your materials + extra with you before you start. Don't make it up as you go along. If you want to just make a sketch model to think while you work, use some lighter grade foam. But for the most part have a very clear idea of what you want to do.
Use a dremel tool to make fine details in models. Easy does it. Don't hold your model in one hand and dremel with the other. Secure it to the table somehow (not too hard or you could damage the foam, though)
Buy your own googles and wear them everytime you are in the model shop.
Wear the best respirator you can find when making models.
Before using any power tool, think if there is any way that doing what you are about to do could hurt you or anyone else.
Super 77 glues foam stronger than steel if you spray both sides and give it about 3 minutes before you put them together, then press both sides together for about 5-10 minutes.
Use the most dense foam you can find to make models. Or renshape. Less dense foam snaps.
Don't make models out of pink or blue insulation foam unless you absolutely have to. Heavy yellow urethane or renshape is the way to go.
Have some bondo ready to fix your foam : ) You will make some mistakes.
Cut a foam cube the same dimensions as your design, then glue Illustrator templates onto the side, top and front of the model. Cutting along those with the bandsaw should give you a rough outline of what your model should look like. Unless you are very skilled, eyeballing it will just result in a lopsided model that you'll make 25% smaller trying to get evened out. Use templates!
Use a sanding block or one of those tiny hand sanders, not sandpaper and your fingers. Use a very rough grade for removing material, and have a lot of ligher grades for sanding primer later. Much more consistent and smooth.
Use a spray gun for making models, not rattle cans. If you MUST use rattle cans, use automotive grade spray paint, like Dupli Color or Plasti-Cote. Never mix brands of primer and paint, and never mix types of paint. Throw that can of Kylon or Rust-O-leum in the garbage where it belongs.
Avoid all nighters in the shop like an STD. Staying up all night doing creative sketching and eating pizza with your friends is NOT the same as desperately trying to get a model together before an 8 am critique. Avoid using powersaws when very tired, distracted, or sick. You need your fingers.
Use wood filller, not spackle, to seal your model before painting.
Paint using very light coats. 3-5 coats should do it.
Wet sand your primer using progressively finer grades of automotive sandpaper. Lightly. Make it smooth as glass before you apply your final color.
Always spray a test piece of foam beside your model so you can touch that instead of the model to see if it's dry. Much faster than sanding and starting over again.
Realize you have to make about 4-12 models before you figure out the fastest and best way to make them. Don't be afraid to ask upperclassmen, instructors, or the person running the shop for advice. Spending five minutes consulting with someone could save you 5 hours fixing a model down the line.
When your model is finished, painted, dry, and beautiful, take it to the photo booth and take several well lit, high res, photos of it IMMEDIATELY. Models get damaged, dropped, etc. very easily so document it well. Better to do this now than have to go back in a year a re-shoot it later when you realize the photo you have for your portfolio is either lousy or non-existent."
27. "1) Plan your 6-week projects with deadlines every 3 or 4 days and STICK TO THEM. i.e If you haven't got the research done by Tuesday, move on!
2) Don't work in a silo, dare to get other people's opinions throughout the project, and listen to it carefully.
3) Party."
2) Don't work in a silo, dare to get other people's opinions throughout the project, and listen to it carefully.
3) Party."
28. "The best of us struggle with GTD. If you don't know what GTD is, it literally translates to "Getting Things Done." The very popular and trademarked phrase and acronym title the work-life management system and book by productivity guru David Allen. Procrastination gets you nowhere, so we've got some nice hacks for you to try out. The only way you lose is if you're too lazy-boned to click on the links in this post.
Besides taking advice from Mr. GTD himself, there are a few other tricks to try that involve visual fires-under-the-ass. Let's start with celebrity wisdom. Jerry Seinfeld's unending fountain of sarcasm doesn't flow as effortlessly as one would assume. He swears by his Don't Break the Chain strategy that involves marking off calendars and perfecting consistency. You can also exaggerate your To Do list and bask in your own done-ness.
In the end, even the most heinous procrastinators somehow get stuff done. But reaping the benefits of controlled productivity is more than worth skipping the extra hours watching TV, spacing out, picking noses, and contemplating doing the work that you're too dang lazy to do. You'll also be more well rested and will have achieved a great sense of accomplishment over and over. So GTD! Don't break the chain! Do what's To Do! Bask in your own done-ness!"
29. "- Don't find the strongest glue possible to attach something the first time, unless there is ZERO room for error during assembly!!! I decided to use epoxy to join an aluminum rod and 2 pieces of 1/2" MDF. Rods didn't line up right, so I tried to pull them off and proceeded to BREAK OFF the top edge of my model! I was almost ready to stomp on it and then cry. I was about an hour from shop close and had the presentation at 6 the next day. I went home, relaxed, glued the chunk back on, and took my time the 2nd attempt in putting it all together. In the end life went on. I nailed the presentation, no one noticed the fateful crack, and I ended up being 1 of 8 students picked to display at the Milan Salone Satellite Show.
- Sanding Bondo in your apartment living room over a garbage can is bound to make a mess.
- Did you know you can make a "spray booth" in your kitchen by bringing home a large box? Turned on the fan over the oven and hoped to God I didn't overspray the cupboards!
- Don't work tired like he said above! I used to drive an hour South of college to my Uncle's shop, and it's a damn miracle I didn't injure myself somehow. On average I didn't get there til 12:30 after the college closed, and I'd go home at 3 AM anyway, when I figured I WOULD lop off a finger if I stayed up any longer.
- KNOW WHEN TO QUIT! Don't forget that the model IS NOT EVERYTHING! It's a shiny object on the table you invested too much time in that someone will inevitably scratch/disfigure/break as soon as it goes on display. Unless you present to other designers, most "outsiders" will say "Gosh that's pretty" and walk away after looking at it for a moment. Don't F UP and not finish your presentation in a last ditch effort to finish the model. Once I made the mistake of putting the model over the presentation and I SHOULD have failed the class if it weren't for the fact that nobody really finished the project in time. During my Senior Thesis I realized I had WAY too much data to crunch and turn into my presentation, so I said to hell with it and quit working on the model 3 weeks out. Best thing I could have done."
- Sanding Bondo in your apartment living room over a garbage can is bound to make a mess.
- Did you know you can make a "spray booth" in your kitchen by bringing home a large box? Turned on the fan over the oven and hoped to God I didn't overspray the cupboards!
- Don't work tired like he said above! I used to drive an hour South of college to my Uncle's shop, and it's a damn miracle I didn't injure myself somehow. On average I didn't get there til 12:30 after the college closed, and I'd go home at 3 AM anyway, when I figured I WOULD lop off a finger if I stayed up any longer.
- KNOW WHEN TO QUIT! Don't forget that the model IS NOT EVERYTHING! It's a shiny object on the table you invested too much time in that someone will inevitably scratch/disfigure/break as soon as it goes on display. Unless you present to other designers, most "outsiders" will say "Gosh that's pretty" and walk away after looking at it for a moment. Don't F UP and not finish your presentation in a last ditch effort to finish the model. Once I made the mistake of putting the model over the presentation and I SHOULD have failed the class if it weren't for the fact that nobody really finished the project in time. During my Senior Thesis I realized I had WAY too much data to crunch and turn into my presentation, so I said to hell with it and quit working on the model 3 weeks out. Best thing I could have done."
30. "Don't make college your heyday. Save that for the real world, use this time to set yourself up for success as much as you can.
Use school as a means to an end. It is not a destination, it is the first stop on a long (long) journey
Know that your education will not be handed to you on a silver platter just because you pay tuition. Knowledge and experience are earned, so take your education into your own hand and ensure that you take what you need to be successful.
Do whatever (WHATEVER) it takes to get at least 2 internships, even if you do one for free a couple of days a week in the summer.
Have a dream, and sketch out a plan to make it real. Both the dream and the plan will change radically by the time you graduate (several times in fact) and will continue to evolve once you start working, but having both will get you though the rough spots and the low times. There will be some of those.
If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
Have fun. It's design, not accounting. Have fun with what you do.
Don't let the people around you define you.
Push yourself as hard as you can. Come back in the next day, throwaway what you started and push yourself further.
Remember that no one thinks about your future as much as you do.
Know that professors and instructors are great guides on your educational journey, but they are not the ultimate authority on good design and what it is all about.
Know you can't always have it your way all the time, but learn to compromise to get what you need. Negotiate. From student loans to class schedules, there are no hard rules that have not been already bent.
Take time to remember you don't know what your doing, and that is an excellent reason to break the rules.
If you ask an instructor if you can do something on a project, he might say no. If you don't ask, he didn't say you couldn't!
Always know it is easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission!
Seek advice and input from your upperclassmen, give unsolicited advice and input when you become one. Pass it on. Your peers are the most valuable asset at your school. Their success raises the value of your diploma."
Use school as a means to an end. It is not a destination, it is the first stop on a long (long) journey
Know that your education will not be handed to you on a silver platter just because you pay tuition. Knowledge and experience are earned, so take your education into your own hand and ensure that you take what you need to be successful.
Do whatever (WHATEVER) it takes to get at least 2 internships, even if you do one for free a couple of days a week in the summer.
Have a dream, and sketch out a plan to make it real. Both the dream and the plan will change radically by the time you graduate (several times in fact) and will continue to evolve once you start working, but having both will get you though the rough spots and the low times. There will be some of those.
If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
Have fun. It's design, not accounting. Have fun with what you do.
Don't let the people around you define you.
Push yourself as hard as you can. Come back in the next day, throwaway what you started and push yourself further.
Remember that no one thinks about your future as much as you do.
Know that professors and instructors are great guides on your educational journey, but they are not the ultimate authority on good design and what it is all about.
Know you can't always have it your way all the time, but learn to compromise to get what you need. Negotiate. From student loans to class schedules, there are no hard rules that have not been already bent.
Take time to remember you don't know what your doing, and that is an excellent reason to break the rules.
If you ask an instructor if you can do something on a project, he might say no. If you don't ask, he didn't say you couldn't!
Always know it is easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission!
Seek advice and input from your upperclassmen, give unsolicited advice and input when you become one. Pass it on. Your peers are the most valuable asset at your school. Their success raises the value of your diploma."
31. "Get 8 hours of sleep before a presentation. What you lack in work you will make up in being able to communicate coherently and you will be able to listen and learn from feedback.
Eat well. I had a friend who got scurvy because he only ate dried mashed potatoes for a year. How you going to design with scurvy?
Stay in shape. Exercising the body is good for the mind. It will energize you mentally.
Take a presentation class. I took one taught by an actor. It paid off.
Take time to get drunk with friends.
Be on time. Your paying for it, and nothing is more disrespectful to an instructor (and future employers) than being late. Being late is the easiest thing not to do, and the first negative people will point out, no matter how talented you are.
No matter how big of a fish you are in the little pond called school, remember you will be heading out to the ocean soon."
Eat well. I had a friend who got scurvy because he only ate dried mashed potatoes for a year. How you going to design with scurvy?
Stay in shape. Exercising the body is good for the mind. It will energize you mentally.
Take a presentation class. I took one taught by an actor. It paid off.
Take time to get drunk with friends.
Be on time. Your paying for it, and nothing is more disrespectful to an instructor (and future employers) than being late. Being late is the easiest thing not to do, and the first negative people will point out, no matter how talented you are.
No matter how big of a fish you are in the little pond called school, remember you will be heading out to the ocean soon."
32. "1) You must eat, sleep and breathe design. Design the clothes you wear, the room you live in, the food on your plate, and the tools you use. You have to immerse yourself in design to really ever get it. Read/look at dozens of books on design, listen to speeches by every designer you can find. Figure out who your favorite designers are, and why, study what they have done, undertstand why, and meet them if possible. Draw and sketch constantly. go to flea markets and buy old well-designed products and surround yourself with them. Take them apart and understand exactly how and why they were made, and why they are great. Solicit feedback on all your work, listen carefullly, work to build your skills and fix the deficiencies in your process.
2) Figure out what your learning style is, and then put yourself in exactly the right environment to learn (for me it is one-to one in an apprentice-like setting, not a classroom)
3) Live in the studio, but take frequent breaks and side trips to refresh. Go visit the other departments to see and discuss work totally outside your field, museums, films, etc.
4) Party your ass off, occaisionally. You may never again be in such a vibrant, exciting environment with so few real responsibilities. Enjoy it while you can
5) Make friends. The design world is very small and everyone one knows everyone. Good contacts will last for your whole career."
2) Figure out what your learning style is, and then put yourself in exactly the right environment to learn (for me it is one-to one in an apprentice-like setting, not a classroom)
3) Live in the studio, but take frequent breaks and side trips to refresh. Go visit the other departments to see and discuss work totally outside your field, museums, films, etc.
4) Party your ass off, occaisionally. You may never again be in such a vibrant, exciting environment with so few real responsibilities. Enjoy it while you can
5) Make friends. The design world is very small and everyone one knows everyone. Good contacts will last for your whole career."
33. "Learn to value certain projects over others and plan your time around the important projects. Just ask whats more important, the hot portfolio sent on time that gets the internship or getting that B on that paper? (Some people can do both, I think they are cyborgs).
Along with valuing certain things over others, learn to multitask. If you have something printing, do a sketch! Being kind of scatterbrained helps. I used to be obsessed on being a perfectionist when it comes to rendering or models. Nowadays I think its refreshing and beneficial to take breaks on long assignments.
Skill is important, but its not everything. What I learned is that people are initially impressed by a hot rendering, but if your project doesn't have substance then it will come through in your verbal presentation. A good idea and solution is a solid foundation. Graphics and sketching only tell the story.
And finally that brings me to confidence. I feel that confidence is more important than even sketching and rendering skill. Confidence can be shown from the 3 second doodle to your verbal presentation. Plus, people generally respond to confident people. However, too much confidence is not a good thing.
I feel that these are probably the most important lessons I learned from school. I've made a lot of mistakes, but I think I learned from these mistakes and become a better person and designer in the end!"
Along with valuing certain things over others, learn to multitask. If you have something printing, do a sketch! Being kind of scatterbrained helps. I used to be obsessed on being a perfectionist when it comes to rendering or models. Nowadays I think its refreshing and beneficial to take breaks on long assignments.
Skill is important, but its not everything. What I learned is that people are initially impressed by a hot rendering, but if your project doesn't have substance then it will come through in your verbal presentation. A good idea and solution is a solid foundation. Graphics and sketching only tell the story.
And finally that brings me to confidence. I feel that confidence is more important than even sketching and rendering skill. Confidence can be shown from the 3 second doodle to your verbal presentation. Plus, people generally respond to confident people. However, too much confidence is not a good thing.
I feel that these are probably the most important lessons I learned from school. I've made a lot of mistakes, but I think I learned from these mistakes and become a better person and designer in the end!"
34. "If you have a studio that requires a final physical model. Keep in mind everyone elses schedule when making your own. If you use an academic workshop a few days before everyone else. You can get much more done.
&
SLEEP!"
&
SLEEP!"
35. "Know that professors and instructors are great guides on your educational journey, but they are not the ultimate authority on good design and what it is all about.
Know you can't always have it your way all the time, but learn to compromise to get what you need. Negotiate. From student loans to class schedules, there are no hard rules that have not been already bent.
Take time to remember you don't know what your doing, and that is an excellent reason to break the rules.
If you ask an instructor if you can do something on a project, he might say no. If you don't ask, he didn't say you couldn't!
Always know it is easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission!
Seek advice and input from your upperclassmen, give unsolicited advice and input when you become one. Pass it on. Your peers are the most valuable asset at your school. Their success raises the value of your diploma."
Know you can't always have it your way all the time, but learn to compromise to get what you need. Negotiate. From student loans to class schedules, there are no hard rules that have not been already bent.
Take time to remember you don't know what your doing, and that is an excellent reason to break the rules.
If you ask an instructor if you can do something on a project, he might say no. If you don't ask, he didn't say you couldn't!
Always know it is easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask permission!
Seek advice and input from your upperclassmen, give unsolicited advice and input when you become one. Pass it on. Your peers are the most valuable asset at your school. Their success raises the value of your diploma."
36. "Lol, more great advice. Scary how much it rings true. I also had a friend get scurvy from surviving only on ramen noodles...another one had to stop eating fish for a year because he ate tuna every single day and ended up having a dangerously high amount of mercury in his system that it was making him sick."
37. "A few more:
promote yourself. If you don't believe in yourself who will? Coroflot, designspotter, the core77 boards, get your work out into the world outside of your school.
Don't be surprised when harsh feedback comes in from that. Take it and role with it.
Learn what feedback and input NOT to listen too, there is plenty that should be ignored.
Remember that nobody thinks about you, your career, and your life more than you. Don't be lead down a path you don't want.
Grow a thick skin, but also a good set of eyes and ears....
Know when to shut up and nod.
Sketch everyday, even if it is just some doodles while you are on the phone with your mom.
Learn when NOT to answer your phone or that text message... don't be THAT guy. The text will be there later, and what your professor is saying is more important that who's going to lunch, or if Bill hooked up last night.
Don't wish for a particular project to come your way. Be proactive and do it on your own. If it becomes big enough, meet with the head of your department and see if you can get independent study credits for it.
Learn how to respectfully disagree. That skill can be he most valuable tool in you box.
If a professor suggests you go down a path you don't agree with... at least try it. He or she probably knows more than you on the subject, and you can always fall back to where you are now."
promote yourself. If you don't believe in yourself who will? Coroflot, designspotter, the core77 boards, get your work out into the world outside of your school.
Don't be surprised when harsh feedback comes in from that. Take it and role with it.
Learn what feedback and input NOT to listen too, there is plenty that should be ignored.
Remember that nobody thinks about you, your career, and your life more than you. Don't be lead down a path you don't want.
Grow a thick skin, but also a good set of eyes and ears....
Know when to shut up and nod.
Sketch everyday, even if it is just some doodles while you are on the phone with your mom.
Learn when NOT to answer your phone or that text message... don't be THAT guy. The text will be there later, and what your professor is saying is more important that who's going to lunch, or if Bill hooked up last night.
Don't wish for a particular project to come your way. Be proactive and do it on your own. If it becomes big enough, meet with the head of your department and see if you can get independent study credits for it.
Learn how to respectfully disagree. That skill can be he most valuable tool in you box.
If a professor suggests you go down a path you don't agree with... at least try it. He or she probably knows more than you on the subject, and you can always fall back to where you are now."
TIPS FROM CORE77.com,
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