Abstract:

Technology has significantly altered how both students and teachers value core design
principles. In teaching design today, the computer has almost replaced the basic tools of the
trade. New technology does provide simultaneous control over different components of a
design, but computers are nothing more than a calculator, a machine, and if operated on
properly yield quick results. Computers are not designers. Currently, one misconception in the
design field is to use the given template of a software to complete a design. In reality, a
template is only a guide/grid that aids in reaching the final outcome, merely a tool for sculpting
the masterpiece. And designers as well as design teachers should keep that in mind.
In teaching design students must be encouraged to delve into their own creativity instead of
relying on computers to do so, and should learn when and how to use computers. Students
must be taught visual literacy and must be able to recognize true creativity as opposed to the
‘fad,’ because just knowing how to use a particular software program does not make one a
designer. The design teacher should show respect for technology and its ever-changing
advances, but moreover, should foster creativity that respects the design processes and
principles.
Change is an inevitable process. One must respect change. Changing technology has
advanced beyond expectations within a matter of years. The challenge lies within incorporating
both technological and traditional design values into the curriculum so that students can learn to
respect both. Adapting technology into teaching methods is essential in learning the design
process, but we should not ignore the time-tested traditional rules of design because they are
upheld no matter what technology is in current use. And we must not forget that the prime
objective is to communicate, and to communicate clearly.