How to Be a Design Student (and How to Teach Them) (-) Paperback – March 7, 2023

Great information for the first time art student. I wish that I had read this book when I first attended college.

Mitch's experience, wisdom, wit and comedy offer a thoughtful, direct perspective on design education and challenges long-established clichés of how to inspire new designers, and senior ones as well. If you're committing to design school or are there now, this is a must-have book. If you're an educator, this is also a book for you. It's 1000% worth your time and will inspire you with a smile.

Mitch Goldstein wrote a book perfectly geared toward design students and teachers. Lots of valuable information on how to get the most out of learning.

I’ve followed Mitch’s work on Twitter for quite a few years now and I was excited to read his book. Having been a design student and now working to become a teacher, I adored every page.First, I WISH I had this book when I was in high school deciding on college. I would have gotten so much more out of my college design experience so much quicker.Second, this is a great resource for teachers. It has great insight on how to be a compassionate educator who still helps push students to explore.Third, when’s the next book coming out? 😉 I’d love to hear even more about your teaching philosophy and classroom experience.

I’m a current graduate student at Rhode Island School of Design studying graphic design. Mitch’s book was recommended to me by one of my professors at my school. I have to say, even after more than 4 years of design practice and education, I found the knowledge and information in this book to be enlightening and sensational.If you are someone considering pursuing a graduate degree or a bachelor's degree in design, it will help you make the most out of your education, and discover a way to find your voice and identity as a designer.I concluded three takeaways from the book that were helpful for me as a practicing designer and design student:1. Embrace making mistakes.In graphic design, where it’s incredibly hard to create original work, one of the most important things is to develop a personal style and identity in your work – something that makes you “you”. At the same time, it’s incredibly easy to make work that looks like “good design”, by going on Pinterest, are.na, or Behance and copying what others have done before. That’s why it’s so important to have your own ideas and try them out, and make mistakes. Eventually, after experimentation and failures, you have a unique creative output and that establishes your own voice – something that companies and studios look for, and hire you for.2. Designers have to be lifelong learners“How to be a design student” reminded me that designers are cultural workers, and are continuously fueled by what is happening around us. To create relevant work, you have to stay relevant to what’s going on – read the news, talk to your coworkers and fellow students, and participate in the design discourse. Being relevant also has to do with constantly learning new skills and software - something that I sometimes resist and try to be better at.3. Have a life outside of designI had my share of all-nighters and unhealthy habits that I’m still battling with, and I know it’s simply just not worth it. People joke about designers and especially designers (and specifically students at RISD!) that we don’t sleep, we just work. Social media forces us to think that the only way to be productive is to pump out work constantly, and it’s so not true. Mitch’s book reminded me that being a healthy and good human is equally if not more important than doing design. Eventually, having a healthy lifestyle, hobbies outside of design, and a curiosity to learn and engage in conversation will also fuel your design practice, in the long run.Overall, I’m just really grateful that I came across this book and even after finishing the book, I am rereading it constantly to be motivated, comforted, and reminded of what’s truly important. Mitch’s writing is accessible, fun, and easy to read, and if I was teaching a course on design, I would include it in my curriculum. In a field that’s, to be frank, quite toxic, Mitch’s book is a beacon of hope and a guide to gaining agency and inner stability as a designer.

This is an excellent book. It offers keen yet unapologetic insight into college-level design education and teaching. Yes, it covers the big, expected topics - critique, grading, process, curiosity. It also stealthily offers lessons on the meta-experiences that we all engage in - collaboration and group projects, failure, discomfort, inspiration. The text is frank and has a conversational tone - it's like you're sitting with Mitch, in the studio or in a booth at your favorite diner at 2 am, and you are talking design education as a prism for experiencing life.If you teach design, or are a design student, or have kids considering a design major for college, this purchase is worth it. I wish I read this book before my 7 years as a design student in college, and 10 years teaching design in college.

I’m an a level photography teacher and I found this really useful, found lots of new approaches and ideas that I can’t wait to try