Formal Design Education: Structure and Immersion

Designers who attend college often benefit from:

• Structured, foundational learning

• Exposure to design principles, history, and theory

• Real-world design critiques and juries

• Time spent working on long-term, multi-layered projects

These years also come with challenges — sleepless nights, jury prep, tight deadlines — but they form a strong base for creative thinking and professional practice.

Self-Taught Designers: Flexible and Focused

Self-taught designers learn in a very different way:

• They often use online courses, books, and community platforms to gain skills.

• Their learning path is customized — tailored to their interests and goals.

• Many are driven by passion, curiosity, and hands-on experimentation.

With the right resources, self-taught designers can match — or even exceed — the skills of those who pursued formal education.

Where I Stand

I’ll admit, I might be a little biased — I spent four years studying design in college.
But I’m also thankful to live in a time when knowledge is accessible to anyone with curiosity and drive.

What Really Matters in a Designer

In the end, the title or background doesn’t define the value of a designer. What matters more is:

• The ability to solve problems creatively

• A strong sense of adaptability

• Collaboration and communication skills

• A constant desire to learn and grow

Whether you're degree-holding or self-taught — if you can create work that connects, inspires, and solves real problems, you're doing it right.

The Real Value of a Designer

It’s not about how you learned design.
It’s about what you bring to the table.

Fresh ideas. Meaningful execution. Work that resonates.

And that’s the true value of a designer — wherever their journey began.