graphic design schools

I have a question for you older and more experienced artists. I know I'm a little young to be choosing post-secondary schools but I still need to start thinking about it, right? Good to kinda get in the mindset, especially since I'm living way up here where there's not too much university counseling at my school.

I found this site:

http://www.graphicdesignschoolreview.com/

and it looks really cool but I showed my dad it and he said that they were 2 year schools. More like schools for the semi-uneducated that need something to do with their lives. Since they're not so great at conventional subjects, why not teach them graphic design? Sort of like community college I guess? Learning Photoshop instead of learning to drive a big CAT dirt-mover.

I don't like to brag but I am a really good student and I wanted to do something productive with my life. I want to learn about graphics and design but I also want to study mathematics and science and technology. Like a back-up plan if the graphics doesn't work out. I actually want to have a challenge at college. Would these schools be for me? Or should I look towards a more major college or university where I can do graphic design and still be recognized by any company I want to work for, be it in graphic design or not?

Thanks for any input you may have.

You can do what I am planning. I am going to Christian Brothers University which is a really good engineering school. I am a Computer Science major and am getting all of my "life skills" from there. Then... when I get some more money saved up... I'm gonna take some night courses from my local community college in CG or something like that. That way I have the best of both worlds. Just a suggestion

I plan on going back to school eventually, but I won't be going for design. Probably business or management or something boring like that, with a Minor in design. In my opinion only having a graphic design degree can kind of limit you. Sure it can help you get a design job, but so can having a college degree and a good portfolio. If the design career doesn't work out though, then what else is that degree going to be good for? Just about nothin'. That's why I plan on going to take a more general degree, so that I can get many more jobs. And maybe take some good design classes for a minor.

But other people may see it differently than that, that's just what I plan on doing eventually. I mean I think you can teach yourself a lot about design and programs and technology. I actually think it is necessary to be able to teach yourself. The computer world changes so fast by the time you graduate everything you learned will be obsolete if it wasn't already. But psychology, business, marketing, management, etc., is pretty standard stuff and will last you the rest of your life. So will basic design classes, teaching you about color, type, design fundamentals, etc. Paying to learn about photoshop seems silly to me, since there will be a completely new version in a year, and it might not even exist in 10 years.

What I hear you saying deker is that maybe I should go to a big university or college and get a major degree in business or something I'm interested in, with a minor in graphic design.

That way I will have the major from a respected university, which is a really good thing to have for a respectful, well-paying job. Then instead of having a degree from a 2-year design school, I can have a minor from a big university, which is still impressive to design firms. Is that true?

On a side note, what I really want to do is work in a magazine or do some advertising for a corporation or advertisting company. That would be really good.

Anyone else that has any comments ... spit 'em out.

tom

*edit* You mentioned that paying to learn how to design or use Photoshop was useless, but (I'm guessing that) since there are so many people that want to do graphic design, companies will pick people that went to design school. They might be "more committed" or have learned specific things that the company knows and approves of. You may know those things, too, but since you graduated from "So-and-so School", its not as easy to prove as someone with the diploma. Just my opinion about how it might work.

Well think about if you were hiring a designer yourself. Are you more concerned with what university they graduated from, or how good their portfolio looks? There are a lot of really terrible designers out there with design degrees from major colleges. And there are a lot of great designers that have no college at all, or have a degree in something completely different.

Of course there are also good designers with a design degree.

I just personally feel like having only a design degree will be limiting. No one outside of the design field really cares about or knows anything about design. But if you have a general degree like business, you can use that to your advantage anywhere, even in a design firm.

I've had to hire designers and programmers in the past to help with this or that project for a client, and I always looked at their portfolio more than anything else. There was one guy that had graduated with an art degree, but his work was really boring, completely uncreative, etc. I would much rather hire someone that has a good creative portfolio than someone with a subpar portfolio just because they have a degree from university x.

to answer your question deke, i see it differently

you are correct tho, in that your portfolio is what counts, plain and simple. you can have the most prestigious education possible but if your stuff isn't good then you won't get hired by a quality firm. some places may be particular about the type of graduates they hire but its no different than any other field in that respect.

at the same time i would die before having to do a degree in business or something close, there's no way i could hack thru something like that (well, i could, but i wouldn't enjoy it in the least). i'm a creative, not a businessperson, and while i won't argue that the education would be useful in certain respects its just not what i do nor what i want to do.

design is something you need to have a passion for, and if you don't you're not going to succeed in this field. if you don't know if you really want to be a designer or are worried about the money then give it up now and go do a business degree, you'll be happier in the long run.

that being said, there are alternatives. i've got a degree in architecture and i've worked for a firm that was featured in HOW, i lot of my design skills were learned on my own after i graduated from college. i did, however, get a basis for creative thinking, problem solving, and the creative process while studying architecture. so architecture is one option, others are fine arts, film, animation, art history, industrial design, etc. all encourage the creative process and help you learn the value of design and aesthetics while giving you a different kind of education than you might experience in a graphic design program.

with all that being said, one of the most important things in getting a degree is simply getting a degree. people rarely actually work in the field they were aiming for when they graduated and often have degrees that don't apply in any way to what their doing. there's lot of career options in sales, business, etc. that just require that you have A degree, not a certain one. so if you want to do design, do design. take some business courses or a business or comp sci minor if you want to keep some of your options open. just don't go thru school in a field you don't really like just to play it safe, you'll probably end up regretting it in the long run.

chris

fig: I understand what you're sayting. But...

If someone were looking for an advertiser, they would want someone that knew about business and marketing, not just graphic design. There are probably other fields like that, too. Or am I wrong?

tom

You should have other classes at that school related to marketing. That was you graduate with a design degree and minor or still have education in marketing.

I’d go to a graphic design school, preferably one that offers a Bachelors and one that’s geared toward your portfolio. (I’m currently going to one now.)

By the time I’ve graduated I’ll have a BA of science in graphic design, a portfolio, and an internship.

Anyone who tells you that only rejects go to these schools is full of ****. I’ve been to S.F state, and Diablo Valley community college and my design school is by far much more intense. You get the same type of people where ever you go. Meaning no matter where you go there will be the unmotivated and the motivated.

Another thing. Yes some schools are only 2.5 years. But there 5 classes a quarter 4 hours each with 4-6 hours of homework per class and their year round. Don’t mistake the amount of time it takes to graduate with the level of education your getting. It’s hell of intense. My schools has a 66% drop out rate.

If you want to study specifically graphic design, you don’t get the level of education at a University in this field as you would at a private specialty school.

Just make sure its not a school just offering a certificate or something. There’s lots out there. The good ones are offering actual degrees.

not really, consider what your job duties are going to be. as a jr designer you're going to be either doing concepts based on an art director or creative directors ideas, or you may be more of a production artist, simply assisting a senior designer execute a design. sure, you'll probably have a chance to do some brainstorming and concepting on certain projects, but for the most part you're not going to have a lot of input on the business/marketing side of things. if you end up running your own firm or want to move into that kind of position later on then it wouldn't hurt to take some classes in those areas, but if you want to get into design i wouldn't make them my major focus of study, stick with a creative major and have business or marketing as a minor.

flack, i think the point was aimed at two-year art institute-type schools that are high dollar and low content, not community colleges and the like. imo community college is a great option for starting out if you can find one with some decent creative programs or at least solid equipment, its a great cheap start to figuring out what you want to do and a good stepping off point for any one of a variety of creative majors you might pursue.

as far as university vs art school just do your research and find out about the programs, some universities do have really solid programs. i've worked with a lot of folks that went to the university of houston and they do some killer work, i've heard good things about their program and i'm sure that's true in other areas as well.

chris