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contributions:

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Teaching

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Lesson Planning

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Class Management

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Lab Management

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Therapist

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Print

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Web

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Mobile

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Software

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Production

PRATT INSTITUTE

Role: VISITING INSTRUCTOR

Dates: AUGUST 2009 - August 2012

Location: BROOKLYN, NY

Pratt Institute is a private university in Brooklyn specializing in architecture, design, fine arts, and liberal arts with a focus on creativity and hands-on learning.

my chance to train future competitors give back

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“There's learning afoot!” - Principal Skinner

For three years I had the privilege of adequately preparing future industry competitors as a Visiting Instructor at Pratt. It was a memorable experience getting to interact with so many promising students and experienced faculty members (and on such a lovely campus).

 

When this opportunity arose*, I leapt at the chance — it was something I had never done before, which was an exciting prospect. It also gave me the opportunity to share my career experience with a new generation of designers navigating an industry landscape far different from the one I had prepared for. I remember how disorienting it felt to start school with little understanding of what lay ahead and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information coming my way. That sense of empathy, paired with the lessons from my industry adventures, became valuable assets in shaping my approach to teaching.

Know the rules, Learn the tools.

ENGAGING PROJECTS, fun GUESTS

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One of the most effective ways to learn creative tools is through hands-on exploration. Just like traditional media, mastering these tools requires practice and repetition. Instead of pressuring students to produce immediately functional or substantive work, I designed flexible frameworks that allowed them to integrate their personal interests, making the assignments more engaging and meaningful.

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Additionally I could bring in fun, industry-relevant guests like the Onion editorial graphic staff who would give tutorials on image editing in Photoshop. Students were also given the opportunity to have their headshots taken for use in future Onion articles. (Yes, they had to sign a form).

 

*A firm handshake and another round of Mexican Radio Lava Lamps (she knows) to former Onion colleague and Brooklyn's own Kelly Shea for pointing me in the right direction for this experience and for all the subsequent support and advice provided along the way.

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My tenure at Pratt consisted of a steady diet of lesson planning, class/lab management, objective evaluation and, at times, extreme patience.

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the takeaway

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My three years at Pratt were an incredible experience that inspired me to explore how I could apply my design expertise to education. This curiosity ultimately led to my next adventure—helping kids discover science at Amplify.

A reasonable design career occurs at the intersection of understanding the principles of design and the ability to wield them via a competent understanding of design tools.

 

I taught Design Procedures 1 & 2, classes that familiarize students with the role that design tools will play in their career. Students learn the fundamentals of industry standard software (in my instance, largely Creative Suite) while also covering concepts like: 

  • understanding the differences between print and digital design

  • preparing files for digital production

  • preparing pre-press files for commercial printing

  • best practices for common file types

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Fig. 1 Gross Oversimplification

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