Hey new students! You’re about to have the best semester of your college career! This is my favorite class that I’ve taken in Newhouse, and the one I’ve learned the most from. But it’s not easy—it’s a lot of work, but the work is fun and rewarding.
Some tips to get you through it:
- Start assignments as soon as you get them. I’m not a procrastinator, but I still found myself wishing I had started some assignments earlier. Design takes a lot longer than you think it will!
- Don’t settle on your first design. Even though it seems like the design you’ve done is working, there’s probably an even better solution. Find it, you won’t regret it!
- Design a prototype you know you’ll have plenty of photos for. Nothing’s worse than picking a great magazine to design and then realizing it’s too hard to find good photos for it!
What I learned:
- Claudia Strong is an angel, and professors can teach you all about life outside of class as well as in school.
- Design isn’t easy.
- While some elements of design are subjective, most is not—some things either work or they don’t, not dependent on personal preferences.
Good luck and have fun!!!
