Design Education Talks ep. 68 – Justus Theinert

Lefteris Heretakis

The Education of Attention: Esen Karol on Design, Publishing and Joy Teaching Designers to See: A Conversation with Esen Karol – Design Education Talks

In this episode of Design Education Talks, I am joined by graphic designer, publisher, editor and educator Esen Karol for a thoughtful conversation about what it means to educate designers in an age of distraction, artificial intelligence and accelerating change. Drawing on her experience at Pratt Institute in New York and through her independent cultural criticism journal Manifold, Esen reflects on the changing role of the design educator, the importance of editorial thinking, and why the future of design education depends on cultivating attention, curiosity and meaningful human relationships rather than simply teaching software or preparing students for employment.Together we explore the value of studio culture, deep reading, writing, publishing and critique as essential components of creative education. Esen argues that students need more than technical skills or polished portfolios; they need opportunities to experience the world directly, develop confidence in their own actions, and discover their unique voice through making, reflection and dialogue. The conversation examines how joy, discipline and slow observation can become powerful teaching methods, and why publishing remains one of the richest educational frameworks for developing critical thinking, collaboration and cultural awareness.More than a discussion about graphic design, this episode is an exploration of the future of art and design education itself. We consider how schools can resist standardisation, rebuild communities of learning, and create spaces where students learn not only to communicate, but to perceive, question and think independently. It is a conversation for educators, designers, students, researchers and anyone interested in how creativity is formed, how culture is transmitted, and why the most important work of education may still be helping people learn how to see.Since its inception in 2019, Design Education Talks podcast has served as a dynamic platform for the exchange of insights and ideas within the realm of art and design education. This initiative sprang from a culmination of nearly a decade of extensive research conducted by Lefteris Heretakis. His rich background, intertwining academia, industry, and student engagement, laid the foundation for a podcast that goes beyond the conventional boundaries of educational discourse.See all of our work on on https://linktr.ee/thenewartschoolFollow us on twitter at @newartschoolRead our latest articles at https://newartschool.education/and https://heretakis.medium.com/Equipment used to produce the podcast:Rodcaster pro IIRode NT1 5th generationElgato Low profile Microphone ArmMonster Prolink Studio Pro microphone cableThe rest of the equipment is here 👉https://kit.co/heretakis/podcasting
  1. The Education of Attention: Esen Karol on Design, Publishing and Joy Teaching Designers to See: A Conversation with Esen Karol
  2. Simon Collins – What Design Schools Get Wrong About the Real World
  3. Graham Fink – Why Process Matters More Than Finish in Creative Work
  4. Dan Vlahos – Dynamic Media, Critical Thinking, and Design Pedagogy
  5. Jan Kubasiewicz on Teaching Design as a System of Meaning

After graduating as Industrial Designer Justus Theinert carried out a one year field inquiry on “Methodology and didactics in European design education”, visiting the leading design schools in Europe. Later he participated as Research Fellow in the project “Design quality of engineer-buildings” at the University Stuttgart, investigating the phenomenon of Gestalt-quality in engineer buildings. He then became an Assistant Professor at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart where he was in charge of the development and establishment of the “Master of European Design” program and project manager within the design network “Four Motors for Europe” (Baden-Wurttemberg, Catalunya, Lombardy, Rhône-Alpes). At the same time he became Senior Designer and Partner in the studio “Prof. Wulf Schneider & Partner” with focus on the development of office furniture, interior and transportation design. In 1996 he founded the “Studio for innovation-management and product development.” After several projects for Mercedes-Benz, he was offered the position of Senior Designer at corporate design studio of DaimlerChrysler AG, where he was responsible for three dimensional aspects of corporate design such as POS furniture, accessories as well as brand strategy. In 2001 Theinert was appointed Full Professor for Industrial Design and Design Theory at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences where he managed the faculty as Dean from 2007 to 2010. 2004 consultant for design promotion and design education development in Jordan in collaboration with Yarmouk University, Irbid and the German Research Foundation (DFG). International teaching and consultancy in design didactics in Europe, Egypt, Taiwan and at more than 30 Chinese universities. Various visiting professorships and publications on aesthetic education and design didactics. 2014 Justus Theinert was nominated DeTao Master at DeTao Masters Academy Shanghai.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/prof-justus-theinert-27577b50/

https://design.h-da.de/justus-theinert

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Published by Lefteris Heretakis

Navigating you through the disruption in #art, #design and #designeducation.

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