Taking Design Seriously

Since beginning college in May 2007, it has been an interesting and satisfying journey of discovery for me in the creative arts field. I realized becoming a designer requires so much more than just an aptitude for art and drawing.

PJ College of Art and design chief executive David Liew says that traditionally, people who opt for art and design courses are perceived as firstly, not good at anything else; secondly did not do well in their SPM exams and thirdly, good in drawing. Why the perception of “good in drawing” does come in third place? There is no denying that the first two perceptions that were mentioned by David Liew are true. As I have observed, this is sadly the case of some of the students in my college. So what separates a good designer from a bad one?

Liew emphasizes that being good in drawing does not mean you’re good in design. Designers are problem solvers who need to use both their creative and analytical faculties, that is, both their left and right brains. “A designer is actually a fusion of creative skill and business sense.” he says.

It is not talent alone that will get designers ahead in the game. Liew says the power of language is very important in design. If u can design well but you cannot sell your design, it is useless.

Other factors that would make a good design student is being discipline and responsible. This means spending enough time working on assignments and handing it up on time. A good designer will always respect the given datelines. A good creative idea takes time to develop, and some designs need a good amount of research and survey, so starting to work on your assignment at the eleventh hour is never a good idea.

Aspiring designers have to ask themselves whether they are willing to put in the effort to think long and hard to come up with something innovative or will they just settle for a satisfying design. “Designing is all about changing perception to make the world a more pleasant place” says Liew.