Awards, should these be something we strive for? Probably not. Afterall, we should be filled with altruistic purposes, self-guidance, and the purest of determination right? As much as we’d like to think that we have all that, most of us don’t. Especially the youngest of us. Most of us in our youth felt as if we were a bouncing pinball and hopelessly praying we didn’t fall into the gutter. Design awards are more than just goals, they’re an important affirmation.
In academia we have a lot of ulterior motives for why we encourage students to enter competitions, and affirmation is one of those, but the most obvious is the prestige it brings the design program, department, school, and educators. This prestige helps to create notoriety and strengthen a “brand” of sorts, which can be beneficial to students entering the job market by indicating how great their education is, but also for potential high school students looking to receive the best education. In many cases awards help a department get noticed by its own university, who like so many others, fail to fund or invest in the arts as they should.
One of the best motives, however, is the effect that it can have on the student. Art and Design isn’t like math. As stated in an earlier post, it isn’t quantitative. It’s almost purely qualitative. This qualitative nature creates a lot of doubt. Time and time again I have students who say “a lot of times I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing” or “I never know if I’m doing this right.” The amount of emails and text messages that make these statements is staggering. This indicates, confusion, a feeling of being lost, and most importantly a lack of confidence.
I firmly believe that confidence is just as important as software skills. What good is knowing how to use a hammer, if you’re afraid to hit the nail. Confidence gives the student the ability to take risks, and even more importantly fail (see previous post on failure). Confidence allows them to become comfortable in being uncomfortable. It could be said that confidence is the fertilizer for their growth and development and if that is the case awards might just be the best shit around (I’ve been waiting weeks to say that).
Like the opinions of parents, the opinions of teachers can lose value over time. When this happens it means a student no longer receives as much affirmation and confidence from a teacher’s praise. Awards not only give added affirmation from outside sources, but it also reinforces the value of the educator’s opinion to the student. Afterall it is usually the educator who encourages the student to submit to the competition. This in turn also adds value to everything the student has been taught and creates a desire for them to learn more. A desire that results in dedication.
There are risks in encouraging awards. Just like teaching to a test, students run the risk of only learning how to win an award. In some cases I have seen students make choices not because it was appropriate for the design or the client, but because they felt a specific style or gimmick would be favorable to a judge or juror. Because of this, as an educator, I only encourage awards after a project’s completion and only after the student has met the goals of the assignment. It should also go without saying, that an assignment should be created for the purpose of teaching specific outcomes, not receiving an award.
In closing I’d like this post to be a big shout out to the twenty-one University of Southern Mississippi design students who brought home a record sixty Addy Awards, including Best in Show and Judge’s Choice this year. I could not be more proud of their hard work and dedication. I am honored to be their teacher.
