tailoring one's design "education"

Design Discussions students and schools
1

hello all…

i’ve been on a search for many months as to how i will fit into the design world.

the niche for me is anything related to: (in order of importance)

furniture design / commercial interiors / product

now, i’ve thought long and hard about going back for a BS in product design, and no matter how i slice it… i just don’t feel comfortable about the school “system”.

i’ve talked to countless professionals over the last couple of months, asking them their path, what they consider important, etc… and surprisingly, many of them never even had the traditional education package.


so far, here’s what i’ve discovered are the most important TECHNICAL factors that need to be addressed for my area of interest:

  1. sketching
  2. 3d renders
  3. CAD

so the big question is, what do you guys think if I were to develop all of those, through night classes at art center / books / and whatever else that needs to be done?

of course all of this is worthless without any creativity or good ideas. i’m confident in that area, and thats not something that can be taught. i just don’t have the technical tools.

would love to hear what you guys think.

thanks!

2

I think having no education in design is the exception not the rule… it is also less and less likely…

think of it this way, it’s down to you and another guy, you have similar technical skills, but the other guy has an education in which he took classes in design history, art and architectural history, design philosophy, color theory, sculpture, ergonomics…