Fashion Mode

It would be hard in this day and age to find any applicant to web design courses who does not already have familiarity with Instagram, the nostalgia-fueled photo-sharing tool, which allows users to apply a filter to photos, giving them the appearance of an old fashioned Polaroid, that can then be easily shared with friends and family via social networking sites.

Instagram has made a lot of headway in very little time. As ubiquitous as these artistically faded sixties/seventies-esque snapshots may now seem, computer schools remind us that this program only launched in October 2010, and it only became available for non-Mac users this past spring.

It is emblematic of how frequently computer schools need to refresh their course content! Teachers must teach students tools that they themselves are only just beginning to discover. For some, this is the whole appeal of teaching web design courses. To teach technology and design is to always be on the cutting edge.

But wait, you say. Instagram, isn't that primarily a personal tool, the kind of thing proud parents use to post photos of their growing brood, bathed in a wholesome, golden light? At web design school, aspiring designers learn that it is in their best interest to master a wide range of tools, from a professional software suite, to knowing how to take a decent photo with their own camera.

The best computer schools know that the most important skill that they can transfer to their graduates is adaptability. Graduates of web design school will need to have strategies for rapidly integrating new technologies into their work as their careers progress.

A graduate of web design school may discover a social media design tool like Instagram from a purely personal perspective, for instance, to share photos of their summer vacation, but may quickly discover that it has professional uses as well.

An interesting case study for web design courses would be the use of Instagram-like filters on photos in the most recent annual report by a Canadian shelter for victims of domestic violence, Interval House. This is an annual report that has attracted international attention by industry experts for its simple, yet innovative design. By showing very warm, personal snapshots of the Interval House community the designers seem to be saying that these are ordinary people with a special glow, the glow of giving to a good cause. This publication is an example of how graduates of web design school can adapt everyday tools to professional applications with big results.

Not only must students in web design school learn how to master such tools as Instagram, they must also become aware of the growing number of tools available to support this application, for example, that allow carefully doctored photos to be arranged into artistic slide shows once the desired filters are carefully put in place. (One could envision this being integrated into a digital annual report, for a charitable organization, or for a company, to tell a story of growth of triumph in a way that strikes an emotional chord with the readers and suggest innovation and mastery in a constantly changing world.)

This is just one recent tool in an exciting industry. Web design courses must be approached, above all else, with a spirit of curiosity.