Teaching Taught Me Design

As both a teacher and a freelance designer, I’ve noticed how each role supports the other. Teaching has shaped how I design and design has reshaped how I teach. While they may seem worlds apart, there are so many shared skills between education and creativity: communication, reflection, adaptability, and empathy.

For creative businesses, this mix means you’re working with someone who can plan, explain ideas clearly, and approach design thoughtfully not just visually. Here’s what I’ve learned about how these two careers intertwine.

A bit of background

I’ve been teaching Design and Technology in UK state secondary schools for around 11 years. These days, I work part-time while building my freelance graphic design practice alongside it.

Feedback and reflection

Kids are honest (sometimes brutally) and senior leaders can be just as direct. Teaching taught me to handle feedback that can feel personal and to see it instead as a tool for growth. The same goes for design: clients may not see the work behind a project, but their feedback helps me refine and improve. I now approach critique as collaboration, not criticism it helps me create better outcomes for my clients.

The power of iteration

Teaching encourages constant reflection, learning, and experimentation. This mindset mirrors the design process full of research, development, refinement, and iteration. Both disciplines are built on curiosity and a willingness to evolve.

Communicating ideas clearly

Presenting is every teacher’s bread and butter, PowerPoint is LIFE! That skill translates beautifully to client work: I present design concepts through Loom videos and slides, these days made in Figma rather than PowerPoint. As teachers, we learn how to break complex ideas into something clear and digestible. That same clarity is vital when communicating design concepts to clients.

How design improves my teaching

Working as a designer gives me deeper empathy for my students as they navigate the creative process. I have a broader toolkit for generating ideas and feel more confident guiding students through problem-solving and design thinking.

Rest and rhythm

Teaching is full-on, tiny time slots, endless tasks, and constant movement. Design has taught me the value of rest: taking a walk, stretching, or having a tea in the garden often brings better results than hours glued to a screen.

Preparation is everything

“Fail to prepare, prepare to fail” applies equally to the classroom and client work. Whether it’s lesson plans or design briefs, preparation creates smoother sessions and better outcomes. Clients (like students) can always tell when you’ve put the work in.

Recognition and reward

In teaching, praise is rare. Most people don’t see what happens in those classroom hours, apart from the students and support staff. As a designer, I’ve been lucky to work with clients who are generous with their feedback. Hearing that they’ve enjoyed working with me really boosts my confidence, especially on the tough days.

Finding a new pace

Teaching is relentless; freelance life has a slower, more flexible rhythm. The freedom is refreshing, but without structure, it’s easy to lose focus. I’ve learned to balance that freedom with gentle routines to stay productive and creative.

Staying connected

Teaching is social, you’re surrounded by people all day. Freelancing can be isolating, so I make time for connection. Working from local coffee shops or chatting with other creatives online helps me feel part of a wider community.

Embracing AI

I use AI tools to streamline my design business, analysing website data, setting marketing goals, and editing Instagram captions (I’m dyslexic). This confidence has flowed into my teaching too. I now use AI to write exam-style questions, create true-or-false activities, and draft parent emails.

In summary

Teaching has made me more organised, adaptable, and confident in handling feedback. It’s taught me how to communicate ideas clearly and think on my feet. Design, in turn, has made me a more empathetic, creative, and open-minded teacher. Both feed each other — and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Why this matters for my clients

Working across these two worlds means I bring structure, clarity, empathy, and creativity to every project. I plan carefully, communicate ideas clearly, listen closely to feedback, and always aim to make work that connects and delights.