Soft Skills and Creative Activity: Analysis of Interconnection in the Education of Future Graphic Design Professionals

Authors

Kateryna Vitchynkina University of Wales Trinity Saint David, United Kingdom; School of International Education, Wuhan University of Technology, China. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2955-8158

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34142/2709-7986.2024.29.1.15

Keywords:

China, Educational Program, Educational Standard, Great Britain, Higher Education, Personality Traits

Abstract

The purpose is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the correlation between soft skills and indicators of creative activity among future graphic design professionals, utilizing methods of theoretical analysis of educational standards. The relevance of this research is determined by the necessity to develop soft skills and creative activity in future professionals in graphic design within the framework of the contemporary job market.

Methodology. Theoretical methods involve a review of scientific literature to understand existing perspectives and research on soft skills and creative activity, aiming to elucidate key concepts and theories. Analysis and synthesis are employed to scrutinize educational programs, standards of People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the United Kingdom (UK), and industry-specific criteria in graphic design, identifying key elements related to soft skills and creative activity.

Results. The study characterizes and clarifies that educational standards recognize the importance of cultivating “soft skills” in future graphic design professionals. It highlights the interaction and complementarity of soft skills and personality traits, which define specific knowledge and abilities and reflect distinctive characteristics and values. The research compares soft skills (communication, creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, and time management) with specific personality traits (interest, originality, independence, initiative, and energy) in the context of their interrelation in the field of graphic design.

Conclusions. Soft skills and indicators of creative activity are interconnected and mutually reinforce each other in the process of graphic design projects. Soft skills provide the foundation for the effective utilization of indicators of creative activity. It is pointed out that further research is needed to determine the levels of development of creative activity among future professionals in graphic design concerning the identified indicators.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Kateryna Vitchynkina, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, United Kingdom; School of International Education, Wuhan University of Technology, China.

University lecturer, International Education Program at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, United Kingdom;
School of International Education, Wuhan University of Technology, China.

References

Bazyliuk, Y. V. (2015). Osoblyvosti vykladannia dyzainerskykh dystsyplin v konteksti novoi paradyhmy osvity [Features of teaching design disciplines in the context of a new paradigm of education]. In Kontseptsiia suchasnoi mystetsko-dyzainerskoi osvity Ukrainy v umovakh yevrointehratsii – The concept of modern artistic-design education in Ukraine in the conditions of Eurointegration (pp. 5–7). KhDADM. https://ksada.org/doc/confer-15-oct-2015.pdf [in Ukrainian]

Bohdan, Z. B. (2023). Teoretychne obgruntuvannia modeli hnuchkykh navychok osobystosti suchasnoho fakhivtsia [Theoretical justification of the model of flexible skills of the personality of a modern specialist]. Naukovyi visnyk KHDU. Seriia Psykholohichni nauky / Sektsiia 2 Pedahohichna ta Vikova Psykholohiia, 1, 20-30. https://doi.org/10.32999/ksu2312-3206/2023-1-3 [in Ukrainian]

Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Frankiewicz, B. (2019, January 7). Does higher education still prepare people for jobs? Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/01/does-higher-education-still-prepare-people-for-jobs

Design Council. (2020). Design perspectives: Design skills 2020. Design Council. https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/fileadmin/uploads/dc/Documents/Design%2520Perspectives-%2520Design%2520Skills.pdf

Dubberly, H. (2011). Input for updating the Icograda Design Education Manifesto 2011. In A. G. Bennet, & O. Vulpinari (Eds.), Icograda Design Education Manifesto 2011 (pp. 77–81). Villorba, Italy: Grafiche Tintoretto. https://www.theicod.org/storage/app/media/resources/Icograda%20Documents/IcogradaEducationManifesto_2011.pdf

Fan, C. S., Wei, X., & Zhang, J. (2005). “Soft” skills, “hard” skills, and the black/white earnings gap. SSRN, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.827387

Freitas, A. P., & Almendra, R. (2021). Soft skills in design education, identification, classification, and relations: Proposal of a conceptual map. In H. Grierson, E. Bohemia, & L. Buck (Eds.), Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (pp. 1-6). https://doi.org/10.35199/EPDE.2021.11

Fursa, O. (2013). Fenomen dyzainerskoi osvity u konteksti rozvytku dyzainu i systemy profesiinoi pidhotovky dyzaineriv. [The phenomenon of design education in the context of design development and the system of professional training for designers]. Naukovyi chasopys Natsionalnoho pedahohichnoho universytetu imeni M. P. Drahomanova. Seriia 16: Tvorcha osobystist uchytelia: problemy teorii i praktyky : Zbirnyk naukovykh prats – Scientific journal of M. P. Drahomanov National Pedagogical University. Series 16: Creative personality of the teacher: problems of theory and practice: Collection of scientific papers, 19(29), 164–168. http://enpuir.npu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/13564

Gavrysh, I., & Dotsenko, S. (2021). Critical thinking development of primary school pupils by means of inventive problems. Educational Challenges, 26(1), 28–40. https://doi.org/10.34142/2709-7986.2021.26.1.03

Guilford, J. P. (1962). Creativity: Its measurement and development. In S. J. Parnes, & H. F. Harding (Eds.), A source book for creative thinking (pp. 151–168). New York: Scribner’s.

Hadiyanto, H., Noferdiman, Moehamin, & Yuliusman, Y. (2017). Assessing students and graduates soft skills, hard skills and competitiveness. PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences, 3(2), 1885–1906. https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2017.32.18851906

Hendarman, A. F., & Cantner, U. (2017). Soft skills, hard skills, and individual innovativeness. Eurasian Business Review, 8(2), 139–169. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40821-017-0076-6

Icograda. (2011). Icograda design education manifesto 2011. Icograda. https://www.theicod.org/storage/app/media/resources/Icograda%20Documents/IcogradaEducationManifesto_2011.pdf

Jiàoyùbù gāoděng xuéxiào jiàoxué zhǐdǎo wěiyuánhuì [Ministry of Education Higher Education Teaching Guidance Committee]. (2018). Shùjù pǔtōng gāoděng xuéxiào běnkē zhuānyè lèi jiàoxué zhìliàng guójiā biāozhǔn [National standards for teaching quality of undergraduate majors in regular higher education institutions, vol. 2]. Túshū zài bǎn biānmù Xià cè. Beijing: Gāoděng jiàoyù chūbǎnshè [Beijing: Higher Education Press (in Chinese)].

Kunrath, K., Cash, P., & Li-Ying, J. (2016). Designer’s identity: Personal attributes and design skills. In International Design Conference – Design 2016 (pp. 1729-1740). Dubrovnik, Croatia. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303751399_

DESIGNER%27S_IDENTITY_PERSONAL_ATTRIBUTES_AND_DESIGN_SKILLS

Lima Rua, O., & Maia, A. R. (2023). Do creativity techniques enhance employees’ soft skills? Revista de Gestão e Secretariado (Management and Administrative Professional Review), 14, 11674–11699. https://doi.org/10.7769/gesec.v14i7.2499

Lobosco, M. (2019, January 28). LinkedIn report: These 4 ideas are shaping the future of HR and hiring. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-strategy/global-recruiting-trends

Lopes, D., Correia, J., & Machado, P. (2022). EvoDesigner: Towards aiding creativity in graphic design. In T. Martins, N. Rodríguez-Fernández, & S. Rebelo (Eds.), Artificial Intelligence in Music, Sound, Art and Design Lab: Computational Design and Visualization (CDV Lab.) (pp. 162–178). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-03789-4_11

Malouf, D. (2011). Design education for the future. In A. G. Bennet & O. Vulpinari (Eds.), Icograda Design Education Manifesto 2011 (pp. 99–103). Icograda. https://www.theicod.org/storage/app/media/resources/Icograda%20Documents/IcogradaEducationManifesto_2011.pdf

National Soft Skills Association. (n.d.). The soft skills disconnect. https://www.nationalsoftskills.org/the-soft-skills-disconnect/

Nohara, K., Norton, M., & Kawano, E. (2017). Imparting soft skills and creativity in university engineering education through a concept designing short course. International Journal of Engineering Education, 33(2A), 538–547. https://www.ijee.ie/latestissues/Vol33-2A/05_ijee3434ns.pdf

Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. (2019). Subject benchmark statement for history of art, architecture and design. https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/subject-benchmark-statements/subject-benchmark-statement-history-of-art-architecture-and-design.pdf?sfvrsn=53e2cb81_5

Rovida, E., Gianotti, A., & Zafferri, G. (2022). Soft skills teaching proposal for “designers”. In S. Gerbino, A. Lanzotti, Ma. Martorelli R. Mirálbes Buil, C. Rizzi, & L. Roucoules (Eds.), Advances on Mechanics, Design Engineering and Manufacturing IV (pp. 1541–1551). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15928-2_134

University of Wales Trinity St David & Wuhan University of Technology. (2013, November). BA(hons) art and design program document.

Visser, I., Chandler, L., & Grainger, P. (2017). Engaging creativity: Employing assessment feedback strategies to support confidence and creativity in graphic design practice. Art, Design and Communication in Higher Education, 16(1), 53–67. https://doi.org/10.1386/adch.16.1.53_1

Wang, Li (2022). Lùn yìshù shèjì lèi réncái péiyǎng fāngmiàn cúnzài de wèntí jí gǎigé cuòshī [On the problems and reform measures of talent cultivation in art and design]. Zhōngguó kējì qīkān shùjù kù kēyán [China Science and Technology Journal Database Research]. https://www.nstl.gov.cn/paper_detail.html?id=6e44c164f665a0830226c2a034823223 [in Chinese]

World Economic Forum. (2018). The future of jobs report 2018 / World Economic Forum. Retrieved from https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2018.pdf

Wǔhàn Lǐgōng Dàxué. [Wuhan University of Technology] (2017). Shìjué Chuándá Shèjì Zhuānyè [Visual communication design major]. Zài běnkē péiyǎng fāng’àn [Undergraduate training program], (Dì 23–33 yè) [(pp. 23–33)]. [in Chinese].

Yan, Liu. (2020). Jìsuànjī píngmiàn guǎnggào shèjì jiàoxué zhī tǐhuì [Reflections on teaching computer graphic advertising design]. Xiàndài Jiàoyù Lùntán [Modern Education Forum], 3(7), 1. https://doi.org/10.32629/mef.v3i7.2588 [in Chinese]

Yin, Li Ming. (2021). DI Xuéxí fāng: Ràng chuàngxīn sīwéi huódòng shēndù fāshēng [DI learning workshop: Fostering deep innovation thinking]. https://www.ncpssd.org/18419db1-f713-4c88-a694-a13b33a18928 [in Chinese]

Zeegen, L. (2009–2011). What use is design education? Iridescent, 1(1), 48–51. https://www.theicod.org/storage/app/media/resources/Publications/Iridescent/Vol%201%20Issue%201/ICO_Publications_Iridescent_V_1_1_2009-2011.pdf

Downloads

PDF (English)

Published

2024-04-21

How to Cite

Vitchynkina, K. (2024). Soft Skills and Creative Activity: Analysis of Interconnection in the Education of Future Graphic Design Professionals . Educational Challenges, 29(1), 214-225. https://doi.org/10.34142/2709-7986.2024.29.1.15