PHILOSOPHY (download pdf)
I think it’s important to create an educational environment where students can feel comfortable learning, being creative, and finding ways to express themselves. The classroom should be a safe place to try new things. Design exploration should be fun and positive. I encourage students to incorporate their strengths, interests and talents into their work. Within the context of an assignment, one student, for example, may like photography, while another will opt to use illustration. I like class to be fun and flexible, but much is expected of my students and deadlines are firm.
To be a successful designer, a student needs to be familiar with the history of the discipline, while also being well versed in contemporary design, which is continually evolving.
I encourage my students to be knowledgeable about design past while also looking to the multimedia future. This helps them to be more creative as their investigation and research
help them develop work beyond what they’ve done before.
As a teacher, I guide students along their design journey by emphasizing design fundamentals. I encourage them to research, sketch, explore, and revise their ideas in a mixture of small, large, individual, and group assignments. Classroom discussions and critiques can be especially helpful during the creative process.
It’s important for students to have practical “hands-on” learning. I facilitate this experience by bringing real clients into the classroom. Through this process students learn about the intricacies involved in working to satisfy the needs of a client in a deadline driven environment that mirrors the real world. As the students strive to create a visual expression of the client’s ideas, they are better equipped to use design in a variety of settings and applications. I place value on “real world” experiences, but also feel it is important to emphasize personal creative expression without corporate limitations.
There is nothing quite as exciting as watching a student have a “break through” in their design work. That's when I feel most successful as a teacher.