Excerpts from the book: Heller, S., Talarico, L. (2009). Design School Confidential: Extraordinary Class Projects From the International Design Schools. United States: Rockport Publishers.

1. DESIGN
SCHOOL
CONFIDENTIAL

2. DESIGN
SCHOOL
CONFIDENTIAL
Extraordinary Class Projects from International Design
Schools. By: Steven Heller & Lita Talarico. Rockport, 2009

4. “from International Design Schools”
¯_(ツ)_/¯
https://www.mapchart.net/world.html

5. Introduction
“Extraordinary class projects that, for years
after they are done, students discuss and
teachers imitate are essential to a successful
design education.
• truly challenging projects
• can be both frightening and tantalizing
• known to cause sleepless nights and
stressful days
• conceived in various ways to suit different
needs: some are offered just once, while
others are assigned year after year until their
educational usefulness comes to an end”

6. “The result of any class
project is to elicit class
critiques that will
stimulate and educate.”

7. “A few seminal projects stand out, usually
associated with preeminent teachers. These
“branded” projects evolved over time and
belong to their creators much as their
individual styles or manners are key to their
design personas. Yet the most successful
projects are not just ego trips for the teachers.
It’s important to listen to great students,
respond to their ideas, and build on them. In
the end, the teacher always learns the most. A
well-conceived project is packed with
opportunities for growth.”

8. “The best briefs lay the foundation for
solid professional behavior. [They] impart
lessons that can be used in future practice.
A project should not be seen as an end in
itself, but as a steppingstone leading to a
larger experiential goal.
It is not enough to solve the problem
simply to receive a passing grade. The
outcome of a project has more value;
communally speaking, it enables everyone
in a class to learn from the successes and
the failures.”

9. “So understanding how
and why design schools
and programs develop
their projects is critical.”

10. “Design School Confidential surveys over
fifty astute and eclectic projects emanating
from as many international schools.”
USA
Maryland Institute College of Art
Art Center College of Design
Boston University
Illinois Institute of Technology
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Missouri State University
North Carolina State University
The University of the Arts
Portfolio Center
Rhode Island School of Design
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
State University of New York
School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
Temple University
University of Hawai‘i at Manoa
The University of the Arts
University of Washington
School of Visual Arts
Australia
RMIT University
Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology
University of New South Wales
University of Technology
University of Wollongong
UK
London College of Communication
The Arts Institute at Bournemouth
Royal College of Art
University of Ulster
Italy
Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna
Fabrica
University IUAV of Venice
Germany
Berlin University of the Arts
Folkwang University Essen
South Korea
Hongik University
Kookmin University
South Africa
Red and Yellow School of Logic and Magic
Stellenbosch University
Turkey
Istanbul Bilgi University
Yildiz Technical University
And one school from 15 countries: Austria, Brazil, Canada,
China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, France, Iceland,
Mexico, Poland, Qatar, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates.

11. “Different countries may have their own cultural or
commercial reasons for how design is used, but
the fundamentals are the
same the world over.
However distinctive the project, it has the potential
to bridge cultural differences.”

12. “No matter where
in the world a school is located, most type classes
teach the same fundamental skills and knowledge
-it would be foolish to do otherwise.”

13. “The class projects chosen [here] have
one thing in common: social context.
Many educators agree that teaching
type and image without providing a
real-world context is like driving a car
on a long stretch of straight highway—
it is safe and boring, and the driver
learns very little.”

14. Section 1:
“A dozen design teachers all agreed on three
desired outcomes:
1) Challenge the student: Offer sufficient
variables and serendipity that students can test
their skills and talents [and] surprise both their
teacher and themselves.”
2) Inform the student: Provide enough
unanswered questions that students are learning
something new by doing something new.
3) Elevate the student: A project can propel
students in two opposing directions—either
through success or failure.”

15. “Only through failure can a student get
the best critique and truly absorb the
right lessons. Although failure will not
produce a great portfolio piece, it can
have a longer-term influence.”

16. “Challenge, inform,
and elevate are the
building blocks of a
solid education”

17. “From a teacher’s perspective, there is a
further outcome: a uniquely absorbing
project that is talked about and
anticipated over time, becoming
legendary among students and
teachers alike, and a veritable
signature for that teacher. Legendary
class projects are perennial (they never
seem to become dated) because the
process and results are so enlightening.”

18. “Even the most routine assignments can
indelibly affect a student’s understanding or
appreciation of design.
What ultimately determines whether a project is
highly effective is how it best shapes the collective
design experience. Ideally, it should follow the
equation:
skill or talent + conceptual acuity = increased level of performance
If well planned, a project will encourage interaction
and collaboration so that students learn from each
other.”

19. “A teacher must provide the parameters
and then critique the result”
A good class project is combustible, it is the fuel that powers the
creative engine. It is the beginning, not the end, of an experience. It
must lead to other results beyond the scope of a particular class; it
must lead to the next educative level.

20. Designing a great class project
“One of the most difficult jobs a teacher faces—in
addition to imparting knowledge, which is no
small feat—is to design an inspiring class project.
It is akin to writing a scenario with a beginning,
middle, and end. The teacher must anticipate the
response while allowing license so that students
can interpret or reinterpret the brief.
If the project is nuanced enough,
surprise
is built into the end product.”

21. So how is a project conceived?
“The most important questions are How
will the project encourage learning? and
What lessons are essential to learn?
The project must allow the students to tap
into the theoretical knowledge they have
acquired and transform that into practical
action.
The intended outcome dictates the
demands of the project.

23. The Pooper Scooper Project:
“A great project to assign as an icebreaker at the start
of the semester. It’s silly and irreverent, and appears
to be easily solvable. It’s a dumb little problem with
huge possibilities.
This project is a real Trojan horse: a relatively
unsolvable problem —it’s very hard to beat a plastic
bag. I am forever stunned at the solutions that come
out of this problem.
It’s important never to pigeonhole a student’s work,
even if it’s something you’ve seen before. My
expectations are consistently surpassed by students.
That’s one of the best things about teaching.”

24. The Urban Studio:
“It has actually turned into a class about
bravery. We push the students into situations
where graphic design alone won’t serve them
—they have to interact with the public, and it
changes the intention.
Since part of the class is out of the classroom,
very unexpected things happen.
My expectations are really high. Maybe I need
to wait and see what kind of professionals
these students become.”

25. Visual Storytelling and Narrative Form:
“When I first saw the play as well as read the poem, they
immediately influenced the way in which I related to, and
valued, the written word as a designer. I knew that at
some point I would be using these narratives for class
assignments, hoping my students would have a similar
response.
My main objective is for each student to develop a deeper
appreciation and set of values for the written word.
Each student, while initially challenged and sometimes
overwhelmed. The assignment has not changed over
time, only my students’ interpretations, approaches, and
ultimate solutions. [Students design] unique and exciting
ways that I had not considered previously.

26. “Think again! Often a project
will not be approached the
way the teacher wants to
see it done.”

27. “Another challenge for the teacher is
to make certain that the student
commits to the project.
How this is accomplished may be as
difficult as the riddle of the Sphinx
or as easy as throwing a dog a bone.
It comes down to presentation.”

28. “It is the teacher’s job to
promote the project with
fervency and passion.
If the presentation of the project is vigorous, it doesn’t matter
how routine (or even mundane) the problem is.

29. The student’s perspective:
“The first attribute of a great design project is that it
promotes critical thinking.
Students learn to come up with solutions to problems
that most people believe are too big to tackle.
First and foremost, students value projects that
demonstrate how to be a design problem solver; they
also rank high assignments that address social
issues.
The second attribute of a successful project lies in the
faculty critiques.”

30. “Students consider the “crit” an
essential part of the process.
Some students actually see
being “ripped apart” in a crit
as integral to their growth.”

31. “The third attribute of a great project is that it
engenders personal growth. Students overwhelmingly
agree that the best class projects are those that force
them to develop in the most personal of ways.
“A valuable class project is one
which takes you through every
possible emotion”

32. “Projects that force you to think strategically,
creatively, and rapidly are the ones that help you
prepare for the future. Great class projects
keep students on course and provide structure.
Class projects are often cut and dry, but the best
demand a modicum of individual
interpretation. While being open ended has
its drawbacks, problems that encourage
divergence from the standard are most
valuable. “I learned that the way you interpret
the project brief,” a student explained, “has a
dramatic affect on how you do real-world work.”

33. “Students also learn from their
fellow classmates, especially
how diverse everyone is.
Classmates can help set
standards for pace and quality.”

34. “Doing a project requires
a lot of listening, to the
brief, the teacher, and
other students.”

35. “Students routinely consider the worst class
projects to be those that do not provide
enough time. Yet time constraints are part of
the design process.
Students often equate a failed project with a
lack of passion for the assignment in question.
Good projects give them the confidence to come
up with solutions to seemingly unsolvable
problems or to leave their comfort zones.”

36. “For some students, the
word nightmare
precedes success: “It was
a total nightmare, which
is why I loved it.”

37. “The answer to what makes for an
interesting class project will always vary
because every teacher and every student
addresses a different set of agendas and
priorities. Interesting and boring are two
sides of the spectrum, but even in a
single class they may overlap, depending
on the students’ needs.”

38. “The creative process is often more important than the final
product itself. Often, you learn far more through informal
conversations with classmates than in the final critique.”
“This project had a personal connection with something that
meant a lot to me. I want a class project to make me scared. I
need it to go beyond my safety zone and force me to suspend
my feeling of security and disbelief. I want the class project to
make a difference. It has to be personal.”
“What is the most significant aspect of a class project? All
you can learn from the various stages—not necessarily the
final result itself, but the whole process that leads to it.”
“We had to carry around a six-inch piece of lumber
throughout the day, and as we went through our routine we
analyzed the situations. The personal success of the project
was the result of this new method of research providing me
the opportunity to think in a new way”

39. “Ultimately, students may enter a
project with a healthy amount of
skepticism, and if it piques their
interest, they leave with desired
results. Success and failure are not
necessarily mutually exclusive.”

42. “What can we learn from these projects?
Aside from seeking fluency and expertise,
the teachers are attempting to instill a sense
of wonder in their students, and the
students are trying to use their design
talents to convey narratives as well as to
explore forms that they will use later in
their careers.”