Thoughts on Lupton

I think all of us can take something from Ellen Lupton's article and apply it to our own experiences. I believe our programs at UB address some of the issues she's presenting. With regards to social skills, the weekly critiques and mandatory blog participation creates social interaction. Especially with regards to UB, most students work and have busy lives outside of school, so even though we only get to meet once a week, the blog is a convenient way for us to interact and discuss design and even give feedback on current design projects. The design business link class along with other classes that address promotional strategies, copyright law, and portfolio development integrates the business skills that so many other programs lack. I would like to see the Integrated Design program offer a portfolio development class for MFA students, much like the one that's required of the Pub Design students. Finally, I understand that most graduate level design classes don't spend a lot of time on software and technical instruction, however, some of the hypermedia classes need to implement more technical instruction. These classes are very technical in nature and need that extra teaching component. I'm personally dealing with that this semester.