Why Designers Must First Become Artists

We have become remarkably efficient at teaching students how to produce design, but have we forgotten how to teach them to see, think and feel? Before designers can solve problems, they must learn to observe, question, imagine and exercise independent judgement. These are not simply technical skills; they are human capacities cultivated through artistic education. In an age when artificial intelligence can generate convincing outcomes in seconds, the distinction between producing something and becoming someone capable of meaningful creation has never been more important. Art is not an optional introduction to design. It is its intellectual, moral and imaginative foundation. My latest essay challenges the increasingly instrumental nature of design education and argues for something far more ambitious: we must educate artists before we train designers.