"Design is a problem solving journey" -G.E. Colpitts

This concept was drilled into my classmate's and my mind every day of class with Professor Colpitts.

The more I learn and interact with design the more I find this to be true. It's not only a journey through your work but also in your life.

Here are five Confessions of a 20-something Design Student.

1. The printer struggles are real.

Trust me, I get it. Other majors have problems too... but sometimes when you have only one piece of paper to print your final on and the printer jams, you're out of luck and you're stuck tile printing your whole project. Or when the printer just decides to stop working and there are 20 other people, including yourself, who still have to print their final, three mock-ups, and an art history paper.

2. You have these great ideas but no money to buy the supplies for it.

Thank

"I know! I'll buy a bunch of mirrors and set them on fire!" — First off, where are you going to be doing this "setting on fire" and do you even have enough money to buy the mirrors, back-up mirrors, lighter, lighter fluid, and fire extinguisher to put it out (true story)?

3. Professors won't always like your favorite idea or concept.

Sometimes they won't like any of your solutions and you have to come up with 20 more ideas by the next class to show.

4. There are ridiculously long nights in studio.

One time I stayed up till 4 am trying to complete a project. I then had to wake up at 5am to get to cross-country practice on time. There are also several all-nighters scattered throughout the semesters. Those long nights with your fellow design students and friends in studio really do bring you together. It's a reminder that you aren't alone.

5. Sometimes, after many of those long nights, you have to scrap your whole idea.

Along with scrapping your idea comes with scrapping the work you completed for a better solution to the the design problem (but not actually scrapping because PROCESS!). That is one of the most frustrating but also amazing parts of design. It's amazing to look back through all of your process and see how far your design has come.

So yes... "design is a problem solving journey," and it is definitely not an easy one, but it is rewarding.