Paula Scher to launch graphic design course on BBC Maestro
The course looks to Scher’s own practice as well historical and contemporary works and is intended for both professional designers and people with a general interest.
Graphic designer Paula Scher has created a graphic design course for the BBC Maestro platform, which will teach lessons in typography, logo creation and collaboration with clients.
BBC Maestro offers courses across breadth of subjects, from poetry writing and comedy to dog training. When the BBC approached Scher, she says that she was “impressed with the calibre of the other teachers”.
Scher believed that the course “could be something of value” and explains how the BBC allowed her to “design the course in a way that was appropriate for the medium”. The lessons she designed “show examples from history and contemporary works, touch on the breadth of graphic design practice and can be inspirational”, according to Scher.
“I think it is as far as you can take a design lesson without being in the room or on Zoom with a student”, she says. Lessons are intended “for people who are interested in graphic design, are studying graphic design in college, or who are professional designers”, Scher adds.
The course will reveal elements that Scher has found to “lie at the heart of good graphic design” throughout her career, she explains. Scher believes that “whether you’re working on a corporate rebrand, magazine layout, promotional poster, book cover, or website, visual language is more important than ever”, as contemporary designers begin to work on a global scale more regularly.
Her goal is to “inspire and enrich someone who already has interest in the subject”, she explains. The course will be accompanied by pointers of what learners can follow up with, based on the content as well as unmarked assignments.
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While going through the techniques central to successful visual communication, Scher will draw on experience from her own career, giving insight into her vision and practice. As well as being the first female partner to join Pentagram in 1991, Scher has collected many awards and honours during her career, most recently a Royal Designer for Industry title in 2021 and a D&AD Special President’s Award in 2022.
Scher has also been involved in teaching for the last two decades, primarily at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She has also taken teaching positions at the Cooper Union, Yale University and the Tyler School of Art.
Her hopes for the BBC Maestro Graphic Design course are that it will “inspire a young designer or renew interest for a practicing designer” and be used as “a resource and a tool for inspiration”.
The course will be made available on the BBC Maestro platform later this year. Individual courses can be purchased for £79, with annual subscriptions priced at £120 (payable via monthly plan).
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Hello, Abbey Bamford
Have you seen the course? I have, and it is very, very poor.