Design students can be productive during COVID-19 social distancing

The official phrase is “social distancing,” but we can still be social and productive in different ways.

Take advantage of social media

You can attend online meet-ups organised in your field of interest. Last weekend I attended an insightful online session by Sudhir Sharma; head of design and marketing, Valuelabs; founder of Indi Design and Elephant Design; Editor in chief, Pool/Design India Magazine.

Similar free Knowledge Camp — Online meet-ups are organised by Interaction Design Foundation every weekend. On March 21st they have a open for all session on“Online connect: Collaboration during global crisis and probable solutions”.

You can also utilise this time to talk to your friends and family. Video apps like Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts to support each other, laugh together, and take care of each other until the virus is under control.

Find free weekly movies

Filmmaker Gary Hustwit is streaming his documentaries free worldwide during the global COVID crisis on https://www.ohyouprettythings.com/free. Each week they be posting different film here. This week March 17 to 24) they are surfacing Helvetica, a feature-length documentary about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It facilitates conversation about the way type affects our lives.

Free online courses.

You can choose from over 100,000 courses available in online platforms like Udemy and Coursera. Learn design processes, UX methodology, UI design, calligraphy, graphic design, adobe softwares, etc

Read and write blogs.

Free Knowledge. You don’t need to buy book. Just search on google. You will find amazing articles on “Medium” about design practices and process.

Work on your portfolio.

Your portfolio can also help demonstrate your talent and ability to produce high-quality work in your field. Take this time as an opportunity to document your work. Browse other designers work on platforms like Dribble or Behance.

Take note from “Tangled” star Rapunzel

It has an entire song called “When will my life begin” about how she’s spent her days alone in a castle.

Activities included in her ditty: Ventriloquy, read a book, a bit of ballet, Sew a little dress, chess, pottery, candle-making, papier-mâché and adding a new painting to her gallery and what not.

Rearrange your wardrobe.

If you are a student, you are bound to possess an overloaded closet with too many clothes piled into small spaces, shelves bursting with bags and shoes littering the floor. It’s the right time to rearrange them all.

Work on your health.

Gym closed? You still have home workout options. The fastest way to start an at-home workout routine is through instructor-led videos. Live or prerecorded the videos are typically 25–45 minutes and often require little to no fitness equipment making it easy to jump right in.

*Thumbnail illustration from Freepik