Do You Really Need Design School If You Want to Be a Designer?
We know a lot of you are hanging out around here because you love design and aspire to a career in the design industry. There are tons of ways to get the knowledge and connections you need to break in, so is it worth it to go to design school? Here’s one designer’s answer.
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Liz over at Domaine Home wrote a great piece about her experience at design school. It’s full of nuggets of wisdom about school that we hadn’t really thought of. So does she think you NEED school?
Short answer: Not necessarily, but it will help you in many areas— especially:
Deciding what type of design to choose
Liz says school helped her think about the multitude of possible design-related careers other than interior design. Stuff like product development, textile design, residential or office.
How to communicate with clients
Translating designer terms to cool-looking pictures in a homeowner’s head is a tricky business. Learning how to present and express your ideas is a huge part of being a design professional (and a skill that many don’t have naturally).
Networking
Building a professional network is key and nowhere will you connect with more like-minded people than school. Instructors are, of course, valuable resources but so are the other students. Starting your network early and maintaining it strategically really does pay off many times over when you find yourself looking for new opportunities.
And there are plenty more insights. Read the whole article over at Domaine Home.