THE ACMEOLOGICAL PARADIGM FOR FORMING THE SYNERGY OF PROFESSIONAL SKILLS IN GRAPHIC DESIGNERS AMIDST THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF EDUCATION

Abstract

The article examines changes in the system of graphic designers’ training occurring under the influence of rapid digital technology development and the convergence of various creative industries. A contradiction is identified between traditional academic training and modern labor market demands, which require not only executors but design strategists capable of complex thinking, adapting to changes, and creating new values. This necessitates a transition from narrow instrumental training to a model of developing the future specialist’s integrated personality. The article substantiates the acmeological approach as a methodological foundation that orients design education toward achieving an individual «acme» – the peak of professional mastery and personal maturity. Within the study, a triune skills model (hard, soft, self skills) is proposed, where internal self-reliance skills (self skills) are defined as the «core» of professional identity. It is proven that the driving force behind the synergy of these competencies is a metacognitive growth mindset, which allows the specialist to transform environmental challenges and professional errors into a resource for self-actualization. The work presents the author’s linear model of acme-ascent, covering stages from potential (the applicant’s initial aptitude) to acme (the highest point of mastery). Special attention is paid to the stage of professional maturity, which first manifests during work on the portfolio and the qualification project. A «professionalism formula» is outlined, based on the cyclicity of experience and constant skills renovation, ensuring professional longevity. The acmeological vector in designer training is defined as a transition from reproductive knowledge replication to the productive generation of meanings that possess social and humanistic value. The implementation of the proposed principles allows for structuring education as a holistic path of a specialist’s continuous professional formation amidst the existential challenges of modernity.