Why Design Still Matters
Our first class began with a question bigger than software: what does a designer still need to know when technology can make polished things very quickly?
A little about your instructor
I’m Magdalena Lezama-Escalante, and you can call me Mrs. Escalante. I taught graphic design at The Potter’s School for 10 years and taught more than 300 students there. Since then, I have continued working with roughly 200 more students and adults through graphic design, business, teaching, and creative projects.
I stepped away from long-term online teaching because I wanted to give more of my time and attention to my own children’s education. I continued designing and teaching in other ways. After joining homeschool co-ops again, I saw a place for a graphic design class that teaches more than how to use an app.
That is a big reason this class exists. I want you to understand the thinking behind visual work, not only the buttons used to make it.
Why learn graphic design when AI can already design?
What becomes more valuable when making becomes easier?
AI can make things. That does not end the problem.
AI can already generate logos, images, layouts, websites, advertising ideas, writing, and many variations very quickly. Sometimes the results are poor. Sometimes they are generic. Sometimes they are surprisingly strong.
So here is the harder question: If a tool can make something polished in seconds, what is left for a designer to learn?
When a tool can give you many options, somebody still has to decide what deserves to be used, what should be rejected, what fits the purpose, and what they are willing to stand behind as the final design.
That is one reason this course is not built around memorizing one program. Technology will change. Your judgment has to grow with it.
“But what if I can’t draw?”
You do not need to be a great illustrator to succeed in this class. You will sketch, but most of our early sketches are directional. Think boxes, lines, circles, arrows, rough words, shading, and simple marks showing where an image or headline might go.
We use sketches to think before we build, just like someone may draft an essay before writing the final version.
Thumbnail sketches are small planning drawings. Boxes can stand in for images. Lines can stand in for text. The goal is to test placement and direction before building the design.
What is a thumbnail sketch?
A thumbnail sketch is a tiny, fast layout idea. It is not meant to be beautiful. It helps you make your thinking visible before you spend time building the final design. If you can draw a box and a line, you can make a useful thumbnail.
This is a graphic design course, not a Canva tutorial.
We will use Canva.
Our class work will be based on using Canva as the main digital design tool. A free Canva account is enough for the work we are doing in class.
Create or open your Canva account here.I know Adobe Illustrator and have used Adobe tools professionally, but Adobe can be expensive and I do not expect families to buy it for this class. Affinity is another professional design option and is now connected with Canva. We are not adding another program to learn right now. The point is not to collect software. The point is to learn enough design knowledge to make good decisions inside the tool you are using.
Why Did We Take the Starting Point Quiz?
The Designer’s Starting Point was not a personality test, and it was not a grade. It gave me a beginning look at how you currently see a visual problem, think through a choice, and approach creative work.
Some questions had more than one answer that sounded reasonable. That was intentional. I was not trying to catch you. I wanted the answer closest to what you would really do right now.
Next class we will begin talking about the quiz and looking at some of the patterns that showed up across the class.
Come ready to use your own device.
- Bring your laptop or iPad. A laptop is preferred, but an iPad is fine if that is the device available to you.
- Bring the charger made for your device.
- Bring an extension cord if you have one available for your setup.
- Create access to a free Canva account before class.
- Keep note of which email you plan to use for class. It should be an email you can access for Canva and for class messages.
- Make sure your device can connect to the co-op internet if you already know how. If you cannot, we can work through that together in class.
- If your device needs a major operating system update, complete it before class, not during class.
- Come prepared with what your own device needs so you do not have to depend on another student’s charger, cable, or account.
Do not ask only, “Can the tool make it?”
There are many useful tools online, and new ones will keep appearing. They can help us create faster, try more ideas, and handle parts of production. But being able to make something is not the same as knowing whether it works.
As you begin using design tools, also ask: Does this communicate clearly? Does it fit the purpose? Will the right person notice what matters? Is this a result I would choose and stand behind?