Design
Ethics in Design: What 2020 Taught Us
Join GA and the design community to discuss how 2020 has brought to light how ethics in design is more challenging than ever.
27 Times
Nick Anderson
450+ UX students taught
Online
Nick Anderson is a designer and educator based in Denver. Recognized as a leading expert in the field of Design, Nick has been chosen to serve as a subject matter expert at industry conferences and other thought leadership events on behalf of GA, including events for Adobe, Google, and Barkley's Rocket Science Initiative. Nick’s passion project is working as Co-Founder and Senior Lead Dad to his daughters Quinn & Maggie, alongside his wife Katy and their two cats Gin and Tonic.
IN CONVERSATION WITH NICK:
What is your favorite technical skill to work with on your own projects and why?
I've been making album covers for each class I teach since I started almost 9 years ago, and have created over 30 now. It's hardly the most practical skill I have, but I love print design and need an excuse to practice it these days. I also love taking inspiration from different genres and decades and committing to learning new styles for it.
What is your favorite technical skill to teach to students and why?
I love teaching basic frontend coding to designers - just HTML and some light CSS. You get to see their eyes light up as the pieces fall into place and they begin to understand the most basic elements of what they've been designing all this time. It always leads to a flood of questions about how the web works, and enlightening talk for as many days as we have to discuss it.
What is most important to you about teaching technical skills at General Assembly?
Simply to show that technical skills are the means to an end, but not the primary skill of a designer. Once students feel comfortable with the tools, we get to start asking the real questions - like why design this way, for what community, to who's benefit? Learning to create a rectangle is such a small part of the process.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to learn technical skills to reach new career goals?
This is such a huge field - consider something like the culinary arts, where you have a chance to do just about anything from baking pastries to managing a restaurant to learning to farm. Don't try to go in with an idea of where you'll end up - follow what moves you the most, where you feel yourself doing the best work, and start by practicing your skills with your local community. There are small business, nonprofits, and charities everywhere that will give you the freedom to learn and grow in a way that's mutually beneficial.
What would you like to highlight about your experience in your technical domain outside of teaching?
Despite the many illustrious clients I've worked for, I've never been a "natural" at this, and have a long history of failure leading up to - and in many cases surpassing - my more notable work credentials. There is no right way to do this, and no specific type of person destined for this industry. We need more people with diverse histories bringing their lived experience to the table.
WHAT NICK'S STUDENTS ARE SAYING...
“Nick is an absolutely wonderful instructor and he is easily the best instructor I've ever had. Every single lesson was backed with professional experience and he was always quick to offer support and help if you needed it. I have nothing but good things to say about the learning environment he provided and I would definitely take another course with him in the future.”
“He is just an all around great educator and colleague. He made learning this rather intense material so fun and engaging. He always made sure everyone was comfortable and understood what was being asked of us. I couldn't have asked for a better instructor these past three months.”
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