Lori Dersak

After graduating with a BA in Graphic Design, I was chosen to do an internship in the Netherlands at Decotype, an Arabic typography design foundry in Amsterdam. During my stay there, I had the opportunity to explore and learn about the rich Dutch culture and to meet leading pioneers in the design field.

My brief experience in the Netherlands created a passion in me to further my studies, especially because I have always been inspired by the design culture of this country—its history and above all its creative diversity. Before moving to the Netherlands, I worked at a creative design agency for a year, operating between Beirut and Abu Dhabi. I also did some collaborative and freelance projects on the side, which was a good experience to take on before diving into my Master’s studies.

One thing I have always remembered from my Bachelor’s studies is a teacher who really showed me what graphic design is and can be. From the first day I had class with her, I felt challenged, intrigued and most of all inspired. Going through her classes, I was always attentive of how she taught, which showed a deep passion for what she did. From that day on, I knew that this is what I wanted to do in the future: teach!

Chris Pullman says, ‘The goal of design education is resourcefulness’. Learning and processing new ideas, techniques and ways of thinking is an essential part of an education system, especially from different points of view. Having done my BA in Beirut and now completing my MA in the Netherlands, I have been fortunate enough to be exposed to different design backgrounds and disciplines. This has given me the opportunity to observe different methods and gain insight from the processes behind them. 

If I want to become a teacher in my discipline, how do I know what and how to teach?
There cannot be a specific and precise answer to the above question. Every art school, academy or university has a different system of education, and in addition to that, every teacher has a different point of view and vision for his or her students.

So how do I know what the correct way of doing it is? In order to find out, I—with the knowledge that I have gained and the different resources that I have collected from many teachers, critics and designers—will build an archive of all the information, systems, methods and, most importantly, crucial elements that form a good base for this practice. Therefore, my thesis focuses on building a personal, subjective curriculum of graphic design education from all the collected input, which I would like to follow in my future teaching profession.