Great designers do not necessarily make great teachers

I never went to design school, and I don't have a degree in graphic design. In fact, I never went to university.
I did attend a visual communications course, but specialised in audio and video production, got a job accidentally to experiment with then-emerging DTP technology, ended up running a large in-house design department for ten years, and did a degree and MA in the evenings while working full-time.

I say this because I was recently asked, rather rudely, to show someone my design work, as without it they couldn't determine if my views of design education were valid or not. This is actually a common view in design education - your skills as a designer are somehow linked to your skills as a teacher.

Believe it or not there is a view in some circles that if a student is in the same room as a "great" artist or designer, they will learn something. I think that's bullshit, to be frank.

I've met lots of well-known designers and artists, some who've won prestigious awards such as the Turner Prize and D&AD yellow pencils. Very few of them would have made good teachers, but were all in constant demand to go and talk to students.
Almost without fail, these people would address the students and undo years of work - one told a crowded lecture hall that sketchbooks were a waste of time. Several questions from students followed that suggested this one nugget of information was the most valuable of the day. Thank you very much.
Another told students to stop writing and start drawing, as no one was interested in a designer who could write. What fun we had after that one! (Fortunately quite a few students took him to task on that one).

Two years ago I was interviewing for a teaching vacancy on my graphic design degree programme. Before the interviews I told my boss that I would rather employ a teacher than a designer. In other words, I wanted someone with a teaching qualification (a rarity in UK higher education) who saw themselves as a teacher first, a designer second (if at all). It was a good decision, and one that students immediately commented on. Suddenly they were getting "teaching" rather than "art direction".

For the record, I have met good designers who were also good teachers!

The fact is I am an okay designer, I think. I've never won an award, but then I've never entered any. I did work for a company during a period in which they saw a massive increase in sales, some of which I'd like to think was down to my role managing their publications and web site. That suggests some sort of effectiveness.

But on the whole I don't think I will ever be viewed as a "great" designer. I stopped designing when I went into teaching - it's difficult to devote yourself to both without one suffering - though I've done a few web sites recently. And I wouldn't be keen to show anyone the work I was doing five years ago because it will look outdated and, to be honest, I've learnt far more about design through teaching it than I ever would have done doing it.

Does that mean I can't/shouldn't teach design, or write about it?