Daily Struggles Of An Interactive Digital Design Student

Interactive Digital Design is a major at Quinnipiac that teaches students how to become excellent graphic and Web designers. After graduation, this program will have prepared students for endless career paths in areas such as advertising, Web design, animation, app design and graphic design. IDD is a great major to choose at QU; however just like any major, there are some serious struggles.

Here is a list of struggles all graphic design students know all too well.

1. Having to explain your major to everyone you meet.

Whether it's a fellow student or your grandpa, people just don't seem to know what Interactive Digital Design is so you're forced to simplify it to just "graphic design," even though IDD entails much more!

2. People thinking that your major is easy.

"Oh you're not a health science major? You must never have homework!" They obviously never used the pen tool.

3. Purchasing Adobe Creative Cloud every year.

There is no way you can go without the Creative Cloud as an IDD major. It is a necessity, but a fairly costly one at that.

4. Having your roommates question why you've spent hours drawing instead of doing homework.

The drawing IS homework, and part of why IDD is the best major.

5. You notice typography and design flaws in posters around campus.

Comic Sans is never acceptable, and please, no centered text!

6. Spending hours on the same project and still not being close to done.

Most designers have a strong need for perfection and perfection can take hours, even days. But you'll do anything for that perfect portfolio.

7. When you FINALLY complete a project, and it doesn't save properly.

This struggle is definitely the worst. Always save your work in multiple places to avoid such a catastrophe. Also, don't lose your flash drive in the lab ... that is also the worst.

8. Having to carry your tool bag around with you everywhere on campus.

If you're going to class or working on a project, you will most likely need to bring your laptop, your charger, your external hard drive, your sketchbook, your ruler, your Xacto knife and cutting surface along with several pencils and colored pencils.

9. Balancing your IDD courses with the rest of your classes.

IDD work is very time-consuming and sometimes it feels like there is just not enough time in the day to get everything done.

10. Walking all the way from your dorm to the Center of Communications and Engineering.

Now that IDD switched from the College of Arts and Sciences (also a treck) classes are taking place in the Communications building, which just so happens to be the farthest building on campus.