Want to stand out from the crowd in an art & design school?
I help you become part of the top 10% of students in no time. Read it now to find out how!

• TIP 1 Build your Growth mindset
• TIP 2 Master the Basics of sketching early
• TIP 3 Build a remarkable Portfolio
• TIP 4 Create new projects with love

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You aim for an interior, architecture, fashion, transport, or product design school…

Great!

But when you sign one of these schools of art and design, you know you will sleep less… and you will face plenty of obstacles on the way to graduation, plus the competition is rude!

Let me show you in 4 tips,
how I survived my design school and target being among the top students. 

More than that, how I boost my motivation
and get my Master’s degree in Product Design with honors. : )

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#1 Build your Growth mindset

A degree in Industrial or Product Design is 3 or 5 years for a Master’s degree.
It seems long, but also quite short to learn new skills for a new job. 

Being a designer is a fantastic journey. 

You wake up every morning with a “Growth mindset”.
Ready to learn your whole life long.

If you are someone curious, you will never get bored in life!
You never stop learning, and that’s the beauty of it.

A bit of timeline to consider for your growth:

However, don’t take the 3 or 5 years for granted
as a comfortable timeframe to learn.

I recommend you start having a professional level
in your 2nd year (yes, already) and start preparing your portfolio. 

Your first internship may be in your 3rd year,
and I recommend you start applying early.

Give yourself less than 2 years to get ready for your portfolio.
Don’t tell yourself: “Oh I got time.”

For example, I am now writing this article in early March.
It means 2020 has been already completed at 25% or 1/4 of the year! 

You may ask yourself what have you already accomplished till now.
It helps to better visualize your timeframe (and how time flies!).

So roll up your sleeves! : )

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#2 Master the Basics of sketching early!

In an art and design school, there is so much new stuff to learn we become overwhelmed. 

You will have to learn plenty of skills at the same time:

• Drawing,
• Innovation,
• Modeling,
• Ergonomy,
• Visual communication,
• Verbal communication,
• Digital software
• …

While the school will help you develop your design sense and creativity,
they may not always be the best at teaching you how to sketch.

That’s a reality you may face at your design school.
So keep up x 100!

Don’t skip your basics of sketching.
And do not replace 3d software to sketching. Ok?
It would become counterproductive in the long run.

Earlier you master the basics of Product design sketching,
earlier you’ll activate your exponential growth. 

If you skip your basics, you’ll stagnate forever low. 

If you are a beginner, I invite you to download the Designer Starter Kit to make your first steps in perspective.

I will then send you a sketching challenge for you to get confident and professional linework.

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#3 Build a remarkable Portfolio

When I was a student,
I couldn’t do great in all my classes. 

I was weak in some of them. I couldn’t give the same motivation to all of them equally.
And the projects I struggled with the most drained most of my energy. : /

I was physically and mentally tired…

It’s not easy to focus as a Student Designer.

• There is a big pressure.
• You have to learn to become both creative and productive at the same time.
• You want to get things done and be ready to become a creative professional.

But, like Elon Musk says anyone ordinary can become Extraordinary.
That’s what we wanna target during your school time.

One of the productivity TIP to succeed with extraordinary results for your portfolio is to set up your priorities among all your school projects. 

Learn all the things you can.
Listen carefully to your teachers.
There are plenty of things they won’t repeat twice. 

However, focus on the main projects that resonate the most to you. 

You can’t possibly be great in ALL your projects. (If yes then great!)
Instead of being average in all, make a selection and outperform them!

At first, I felt guilty to do not succeed in all projects.
But the day I started to set up my priorities, I performed much more on the projects I targeted! And my ambition also went up!

I would “sacrifice” some projects for others to shine.

Productivity is not only about producing more.
But also bringing up quality projects that stand out. 

I know in theory, you should get great marks in all.
But in reality, you must keep your end goal in mind and practice real-life strategy. 

Always remind your end goal:
Become a great designer with a great portfolio and reach your dream job. 

Trade average for greatness.
What matters in the real world is to become Remarkable. 

In real life, companies don’t look at your grades.
But your Product Design Portfolio.

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#4 Create new projects with love

You know how as creative people, you need passion to succeed.
Passion gets you out of your comfort zone and pushes your limits.

When your heart pumps, you’ll get amazing ideas for your project.
You know when you feel excited about an idea and you can’t wait to note or sketch it.

That’s the success mindset. 

It is similar to when a kid got a new toy and can’t wait to unpack it. : P

To make an outstanding portfolio, create personal projects you feel the excitement. 

Look for a passion you have.
Maybe you love ice skating, wakeboarding, dancing, or yoga… and create a new product about it!

Your interviewers will feel your “double-passion” when you will present your project.

For example, I loved sneakers.
But there were no footwear courses at my school.
So I learned myself. It took me a while and a lot of sweat.

I created sneaker design projects for my portfolio, had the chance to do internship and job interviews then get hired by footwear sports companies such as Airness (Paris )and Adidas Performance (Germany).

Yahoooo! One of my dreams became true!! 

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Make your portfolio “Talk your personality”.

It is gonna be extra hard work, but it will be done with plenty of love. 

While other students will all propose the same school projects in their portfolios.
You create your own style.

More important, you will propose personal projects in your design portfolio and stand out from other students.

(Creating personal work besides homework will be time-consuming.
You may be ready to “sacrifice” some of your school projects and double-roll your sleeves!)

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In a few words, you decided to join a school of creativity, because you decided to live your passion for life.

To succeed in your art school, organize your time and projects to study with high enthusiasm. Follow your heart to create amazing projects.

Even though some moments may get tough, you won’t remember the pain, but the passion you put in.

Cheers,
Chou-Tac

Extra content:

• To learn more about how to build an effective design portfolio: How to Turn your portfolio into a marketing weapon.
• A precious and rare interview with Art Center, with David Salow on How to apply to a design school with a portfolio