Teaching and Design Philosophy:
From 2010 to present I have taught a course called Design Team at the Art Institute of California. It is an upper division graphic design class that introduces students to social justice related design work. Students work collaboratively as a team operating as their own design studio to provide multi-media communications solutions for community non-profit clients. Prior to teaching this course I had worked with multiple clients in the non-profit sector, both as Pro-bono community service work and as paying clients for my own agency. Specific clients included Children’s Hospital of Orange County, AIDS Rides, Loma Linda University and KSGN radio station. From this work I have gained a first hand knowledge about the power of design and its ability to have a profound and positive influence in the world that we live.
> However it was not until I started teaching that I recognized students had this same passion and that they were hungry and searching for this same kind of meaning in their own design endeavors. It was at that moment that my mission as an educator was clear – it was a two fold idea that was based on both my agency and teaching experience.
- First, I wanted to provide students with the opportunity to learn in an immersive studio-like setting, a setting that would reflect the dynamic atmosphere of a working design firm or agency. This type of environment is essential in fostering collaborative learning and team related activities which are indispensable in design related fields.
- My second objective was to introduce students to a broader interpretation of design, initiating them to this idea that the work of the designer has social consequences, implications, and impact. I believe this philosophy and this vision is of the utmost importance to a university setting like CSUSB. This region has suffered many socio-economic set-backs and acutely needs students that are ready to press forward into becoming community involved leaders and professionals.
> I also see that furthering this philosophy to a broader audience has become an important part of my mission in teaching. I believe it is imperative to teach that the resource of design can be an integral asset to any liberal arts education, and not just that of a graphic design student. We are all living in digitally mediated and branded world, the integration of design principles and methodologies should be an important part of the universities goals and integral to their strategic plan. Through the discipline of design, students actively research, discover and implement problem solving skills which assist them in forming a more holistic view of the world. The use of these skills can help aid in their own role of influencing local and global issues of social import.
> As a professional graphic designer and art director I have had the opportunity of working with an array of clients in a wide variety of industries. I believe this experience has proven to be beneficial to curriculum development, student interaction practices and in establishing successful and engaging classroom environments. As evidence I continually score high at two university’s in faculty evaluation surveys and receive additional comments from students that they find my industry knowledge and background to be an integral part of their course experience. Further professional experience includes business administration capacities as it applies to graphic design and marketing agencies. I feel that this is important to mention as it relates to the development of any graphic design program and how that program needs to address the required skill-set of a designer in the current marketplace and in the future.
> The definition of the graphic designer is a more nebulous term than ever before. It is essential that with the proliferation of new digital delivery devices and new media genres, we educate our students with dynamic and universal curriculum that supports multiple principles including that of business. In particular, the shift in business practices that will effect their success in the professional landscape needs to be addressed. It has never been more apparent that lines between, art, design and commerce are continuing to blur and what is expected professionally from designers is continually morphing. There must be a sustainable approach to design education that invites cross-pollination as it addresses our digitally contemplated future and our most educated understanding of the envisioned commercial marketplace.
> In conclusion I would like to express that with all of the innovation and change that is happening in both education and in the professional sector there is still no substitute for some overarching philosophies that drive my core teaching practice year after year. These principles include striving to instill the love of learning in all of my students and to encourage them to continue to be life-long learners even after their college experience. I consistently demand excellence from my students and expect that they go beyond mediocrity in every aspect of their work. Last, but not least, I foster an environment that allows opportunities for them to build critical thinking skills so that they become dynamic problem solvers in this evolving information economy.
© AndrewOakes 2014