PSU GRAPHIC DESIGN POWER HOUR TALK

It’s always an honor to be asked to talk to students, but this was even more meaningful because they are studying at my Alma Mater.

I always learn so much from conversations with students. What’s on their minds is most frequently heard and completely understandable. "Will there be a job for me when I graduate?"

It’s a real fear. But it’s also the wrong place to focus first.

Look at these happy PSU Design students who were in one room. The others were Zooming.

What truly sets designers apart isn’t software mastery or trend fluency—it’s their humanity. Their point of view. Their ability to think, question, connect, and make meaning.

Before anything else, designers must learn how to think conceptually and strategically. That foundation outlasts tools, platforms, and algorithms.

And it's what the great Lanny Sommese, founding professor of the PSU program, taught many of us. Yes—often with really tough love, but it stuck. And decades later, it still works.

Jobs come and go. Tools evolve.
But designers who can think? They endure and never go out of style.

It was delightful to share my journey with you. I hope it was helpful!

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#teacher
#franklyspeaking
#designstudents