Johanna Weir

Johanna Weir is a wonderful instructor. She really knows design. She's funny and intelligent. There are several projects and assignments that are required in the class. There are also peer reviews that are very constructive and helpful. I learned so much from this class--stuff that I can apply in real life. If you have questions, she doesn't make you feel stupid. She also jokes a lot in class, which is great because it keeps you awake in a 3 hour class. Overall, a great teacher and a great class!

Johanna is really a very kind and patient teacher. I really enjoyed learning what she had to teach about graphic design theories. I did find it very frustrating to be signed up for a class with a teacher that is unfamiliar with the software we are suppose to be learning from her. She makes no secret about her lack of knowledge in the programs we are being taught? Well, sort of being taught, her guess is as good as yours and at times, other students guesses are better and/or more informed than hers. Again, I will say that her knowledge of graphic design theories and concepts are strong, she might want to take a quick course in Adobe programs to get up to speed with the completly filled classes she's suppose to be teaching.

She is a nice person who teaches the basic concept of graphics in this class. The contents of the class and her teaching style will be frustrating for the student who desperately need to learn applied "COMPUTER" graphic design. Students will learn how to use major graphic software but just taking her lecture and doing the given assignment are not good enough to improve his/her computer skills. She knows about design but not much about computer.

I had a desktop publishing class in the TPW dept. with Johanna, and she's one of my favorites. She was very easy to talk to, and gave helpful suggestions. I learned a lot about how to attract readers. My only complaint is that we used PageMaker 6.0, instead of QuarkXpress, which is the industry standard. Unfortunately, she has an "anti-Quark" attitude, so I won't count on her to tell the dept. head to switch to Quark. But whether you learn PageMaker or Quark, you will be able to apply what you learn to either program.

Johanna Weir is probably one of the most disorganized instructors I have ever come across in my life. Her teaching style is, at best, chaotic. Although she possesses some knowledge of the fundemental concepts of graphic design, her knowlege abruptly stops there. Ms. Weir knows little about any of the more common computer graphic software. Ms. Weir demonstrates poor classroom control, students wander about, moving in and out of the classroom with little regard for the students attempting to actually gain something from the instruction, feeble as it may be. I would suggest to students seeking graphic design instruction to look beyond SFSU, there seems to be little of use to the more rigorous student.

I felt that the teacher has a lot to offer. But she does not have up-to-date computer experience. She only knows PageMaker--not QuarkXpress. The class is not advanced enough when it comes down to creating graphic design work. This class might be a waste of time for serious graphic design students.