I’ve decided that I want to teach one day.

Teaching is important. And no, you don’t have to have a professional degree, or credentials in teaching in order to teach someone. The simplest ways to teach are just as valid whether that is helping a classmate, colleague, or client in order to understand anything.

I had an impromptu brainstorming session with a classmate Jim James recently. The exchange of ideas is a powerful thing and we got things done by simply playing racket ball with our brains. I find that most of the time, the ideas at my school are protected, like a precious porcelain egg. Like Mel and Mikio say, “Ideas are cheap!” There are plenty of them. A lot of the students see other students as competition, which is not bad; it actually raises the awareness and quality of work. But another important hurdle to get over is seeing each other also, as colleagues.

So I found it quite refreshing to come up with ideas together. And later that night I pointed out a simple street sign that had a good example of good design. Sure, its not a prada-esque design you would see in CA or Archive, but it holds weight, even to get its simple, civic message across. I would point out that this NO PARKING sign was designed to inform in the most uniquest of ways, with its primary, secondary, and tertiary significance or art direction; how each element was carefully planned in order for the viewer to completely understand its significance immediately. He seemed quite amazed.