Student Q&A

Sarah Barber

Graphic Design Bachelor’s Program

What do you find challenging about taking this program online?

I think the most difficult part of taking any classes online is willpower and determination. You’re comfortable at home and you have to really have drive and focus on the end goal. I thoroughly enjoy most of my classes, so it’s not like it’s hard work. That helps a lot.

What have you done to make it easier?

I used to have to lock myself up in my room to work, or stay up late at night. But now that my daughter has started school, I have the pleasure of working during the day. I still sometimes have a hard time focusing, but in cases like those, I send myself to the library. It’s a better study environment. It forces me to focus.

How does the instructor give you feedback on your work?

Getting feedback from an instructor is usually attached to weekly homework. All the instructors are very helpful, and willing to give feedback if you only ask.

Do you feel that the critiques and feedback are comparable to being in a face to face classroom?

I’ve taken classes online and taken classes in a classroom environment. I find that taking classes online is more difficult and there is often a lot more work involved. I think the feedback might be a little more individualized online as the instructor makes the attempt to connect with each student.

How often do you see work from the other students in your class?

The great thing about the art classes and some of the writing courses is that we are encouraged to share our work. This helps with fine-tuning something, and gives positive reinforcement.

Has this been helpful to you to improve your design ability?

Yes, I think it has. Although you won’t always please everyone, I have learned to listen with an open-mind to my fellow students’ ideas.

 How does your major fit into your professional goals?

My professional goals are pretty open at this point. I would love to do something in the scrapbook industry, but I’m willing to do just about anything to do with layout design. I love art and the creative process.

What has been your greatest challenge during your studies?

Finding enough time to complete everything. Some of the classes are more intense than others. The hardest class I’ve taken to date was a math course. The reason it was so difficult to me was not the material itself, but the time-consuming nature of practicing and learning all these new concepts in such a short amount of time. I guess we can’t excel at everything.

What have you learned from other students?

This may seem small, but I’ve learned to always use the spell-checker in the forums. I always try to type my responses in the forums in my word processing program first, check for errors, and then copy and paste. There’s nothing more unprofessional than a typo or bad grammar by a student. It makes them look uneducated.

What has been your favorite subject area or class?

Layout design! I absolutely enjoyed creating pamphlets, annual reports, and catalogs for a recent class I took. It was the most fun I’ve had so far in my classes.

Tell us about an experience from Herzing that has changed you.

I’d have to say that receiving my Associates Degree in Graphic Design has changed me. I never thought that would ever happen, and it has only confirmed my faith that education is the key to becoming successful in my field. I’ve never been more proud.

What is your ultimate design goal or ambition?

To become a financially independent graphic design artist. I want to be able to support my family doing what I love. We’ve all made a lot of sacrifices over the past two years for me to pursue my dream, and we will continue to sacrifice as I finish over the next two years. I’m excited, scared, and humbled.

Is there anyone or anything that has been a big influence on your decision to go into the design field?

I’ve always been an artist, but the decision to go into graphic design was an easy transition from my self-proclaimed obsession with scrapbooking. I’ve been scrapbooking for 10 years, digitally for 5, and it was like, one day a light bulb went off. I suddenly knew what I wanted to do, at the age of 30. I’m so happy I figured it out. It has given me a focus in my wandering life.