Graphic design is a practice that is often viewed through a lens of commerce and consumerism. The role of a designer, to echo the work of Ellen Lupton, is to act as a producer of ephemera, both tangible and virtual. In pedagogical models, the role of producer guides young graphic designers’ education by historically emphasizing the development of technique and craft. Emerging graphic designers are equipped with the ability to produce works that serve clients. But beyond the necessary skills to organize layers in Photoshop or the appropriate context for the use of smallcaps, how are young designers prepared to understand their own work from a critical perspective? lessons beyond Design is a visual manifesto in the form of a printed book. It is a personal exploration of the author’s relationship to Design; simultaneously, it is a starting point for other young designers to understand the function of their craft and form an understanding of design as it is practiced and experienced.