Artigo:

This qualitative, exploratory research aimed to register a panorama of the teaching of graphic design within the scope of technical schools in the city of São Paulo in 2018 and 2019, with regards to aspects of the students' universe, instructors' profiles, available material and physical structures, content and pedagogical processes, elements of design project methodology used with students, and visual languages present in student work were included, in addition to even more general issues intrinsic to the very nature of technical design education in the Brazilian professional and academic reality. The fieldwork was carried out with the use of semi-structured brief interviews (six) and in-depth interviews (32) with students, alumni, instructors and coordinators at two of the ten technical schools of graphic design (in a school in the state network of Technical Schools in São Paulo, the Etecs, and in a course at Senac-SP). Given the limited literature on the studied subject, the methodological strategy prioritized primary-data collection in a total of 38 interviews. It also employed the technique of direct observation of classes, as well as graphic and semiotic analyses of the visual language of worksheets done by students. The systematization of raw data, followed by the fragmentation of relevant data and its later regrouping within conceptual categories, allowed for the identification of abstract patterns of association through the associative data-analysis technique. Findings suggest that former graphic design technical students developed only a partial comprehension of the actual identity and nature of graphic design. This may be due to the fact that some of these technical education programs include a significant proportion of subject matter not strictly related to the discipline, as they aim to develop a “creative vein” in their students. The research identified, in this regard, both conceptual and methodological components mainly associated with the field of visual arts and, secondarily, with that of publicity. Another noteworthy aspect was the patent and genuine commitment of a portion of the teaching staff to providing their students with transformative technical training that can broaden their professional and personal horizons.