iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

As students begin producing a plethora of digital work – and connecting and sharing that work with the world – we need to take a step back and teach them to think a little more about typography and design. This was not important when I was in school because I either wrote everything by hand, or used a computer with less ubiquitous font choices.

Today, anyone with a computer can basically take a stab at typography and design. I have personally been the recipient of papers that were barely legible, despite the fact that they were typed. I have sat through presentations with font so small and unpleasant that it was hard to  make out what is being said. This has to stop!! In this digital age, we must all become connoisseurs of design, able to understand it, teach it and model good use. Beth Holland, a colleague of mine, used to tell students that Paul Rand – a famous graphic designer asks two questions – “Is it appropriate? And Is it legible?”