Nope. First, the ideas that students think are great are often things that people with the technical skills have had, and realized are flawed.

Secondly, if you could make money with ideas (and not the execution of them) I would be a rich man.

Learn the technical skills, and then the ideas can be realized, and you will discover the many that don’t work, and can start to build your reputation with the few that do.

But do they have people in the design industry who come up with concepts and concepts only and then pass over to the technical person. The problem I’m having is execution. I have immense creativity when it comes to ideas but lack execution skill. I am a student and can not pay a professional photographer to take great pictures or actually make a product because of not being able to mould a product out of plastic etc. What happens then? There are certain restrictions being a student.

Perhaps you should look into marketing. That’s kind of what you are describing when practiced correctly. Unfortunately most of the time it isn’t…

…which means there are very good opportunities there if you really have the goods. Just like any field.

pbc

You’re confusing execution with production, and you’re also not learning to work within your limits. Most designers don’t do their own illustration, or photography, or molding of plastic packages; they pay productions specialists to do it. For school projects, don’t try to do that stuff—do other stuff instead. When I want great photos, I scan them or use stock, when I have to design a package I reuse existing components. But I don’t worry about ideas that I can’t produce—I just think of something else instead.

aah I see. Like for instance, I have a project at the moment about fruit and veg. I have seen many photographs but my work looks bad because of the photos. I cant do them well. The concept is good. Isnt that bad using someone elses photographs?

Isnt that bad using someone elses photographs?

Not at all. A graphic designer’s job is to communicate by bringing various sensory elements together in a way that works technically and aesthetically. Nobody expects a designer to do her own photography—after all, just getting good at one area of photography can take years, much less being able to photograph everything from still life to portrait to urban architecture. If I wanted to do really great outdoor photography in downtown DC the camera alone would cost me tens of thousands of dollars and I wouldn’t even know how to use it—so using other people’s work is the only option!

There are plenty of photographers who understand this and post their work on sites like Flickr and sxc.hu just for student (and low-budget) designers to use. And in most countries there are “fair use” exceptions in copyright law that allow students to use other works for non-commercial purposes.

In the commercial world, all these specialists are pretty well compensated for their work. They also often get credit (ever notice the name of the photographer alongside an image) or get paid extra to leave their name off the work. So it’s really a win-win situation.

first of all, learn never to make excuses for your work. that right there is a separation between those who can and those who think they can’t. guess which one will get hired ?

second : as a student you can employ all sorts of tricks and appropriation that will not be acceptable as a professional. it’s understood that students needto experiment with ideas on limited budgets. when showing these works in an interview it can actually speak very well to your integrity if outside sources are properly credited.

third : most creative directors and “idea people” have risen in the ranks thru positions where they learned the skills that they now direct.

fourth : be resourceful ! make a mock-up or a multi-view illustration if you can’t produce the actual object.

fifth : investigate the skill sets of your fellow students and consider collaborating or trading services. taking advantage of available resources is another attribute that will recognized in an interview. try to get into a “can do” mindset. make things happen.

Thanks James, I do understand it is ok but my tutor expects me to take great shots when I’m not even a photographer. I know someone who can take them for me but it feels wrong but now you have said it is ok, maybe I should ask him to.

Ch: I know who will get hired and where there’s a will, there’s a way attitude is a must but maybe my tutors expect me to be an all rounder which I’m not. She said I have to take the photography shots and I have spent ages in the studio doing them but they are not as good as photographers make them out to be of course. I guess in industry, you have a photographer doing it so its much easier.

my tutor expects me to take great shots when I’m not even a photographer. I know someone who can take them for me but it feels wrong but now you have said it is ok, maybe I should ask him to.

Is the course about photography, or editorial design (or the like)?

It is graphic design but the quality of shots I take and the quality produced by photography students is obviously different. Maybe I should join a part time photography course in the evenings to enhance the quality of my work. It will hopefully help in the future.

Does your school have a photography department? You might be able to swap a photo student design, food, or cash to light and shoot stuff for you.

okay since edits are moving to the end and drawing ire :

2nd P, end of 2nd line : need to
5th P, start of 3rd line : will be

ah that felt good. smiling emoticon.

Yes we do have a photography department and finally, after much looking, I have found and befriended a student from photography. Wish me luck. Thank you James, thank you all.
PS Ch: What is it about all them P’s? Hmm...I wonder.

It’s easy to get someone else to do the things your not skilled in but I think you will lose control on the total outcome of the project because a lack of understanding what that person is doing for you. Especially because you are a student (you have the time and space) I think you should do it yourself but ask help from someone that has the knowledge and can guide you during the shoot. (like a befriended student from photography)

I’m sure your tutor doesn’t really expect you to be a great photographer. He or she is just trying to encourage you to try many different things so that you have an appreciation of what goes into design. A broad set of skills is useful, and so is resourcefulness. The more work you do as a student in different areas of design will eventually give you a better idea of what you want to specialize in.

Nick Cooke