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Mr. Swanson and Mr. Giard: How does one make it to the critical thinking side of design instruction without bleeding to death? In the art-centric realm of graphic design education in the United States, the glass ceiling in academia reflects the art world's obsession with form rather than content. Even greater than this barrier is the poor preparation most students have before they arrive in our programs. Most cannot think independently because of the constant placation by our schools and media. It is my humble opinion that the average student will never reach the level of critical thinking that makes the practice of design worthwhile if we do not have a methodical and comprehensive effort to incorporate the instruction designers need into the educational system here in the US. It seems rather obvious to me that future academics, designers and clients would all benefit from truly comprehending design sooner in their life. Is the resistance to change so great that the design aristocracies will continue to protect the status quo no matter the cost? How much longer will it take for other design disciplines to fully usurp the role of the traditional graphic designer? Alas, I find myself troubled over the future of the profession I find so phenomenal. Jason -- Jason W. Howell, AIGA Assistant Professor, Communication Design School of Art and Design Allyn Building - Mailcode 4301 Southern Illinois University Carbondale 1100 South Normal Ave. Carbondale IL 62901 Design Barracks 112A C: 618 303-1825 O: 618 453-7598 F: 618 453-7710 http://mypage.siu.edu/jwhowell/ http://www.artanddesign.siu.edu > From: "Swanson, Gunnar" <[log in to unmask]> > Reply-To: "Swanson, Gunnar" <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2007 07:29:58 -0500 > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Conversation: An important research challenge > Subject: Re: An important research challenge > > Jacques, > >> When asked why he replied that designers, >> unlike scientists, are not trained to be skeptical > > The problem is not just the grand level but on a relatively mundane scale. <snip> > I see all of that as being on a practical/vocational/practitioner level. > That's not even close to the skepticism that a researcher ought to have. > > Gunnar > ---------- > Gunnar Swanson Design Office > 1910 East 6th Street > Greenville, North Carolina 27858 > USA > > [log in to unmask] > +1 252 258 7006 > > http://www.gunnarswanson.com > > at East Carolina University: > [log in to unmask] > +1 252 328 2839