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I was just wondering what were some good public universities/colleges for Graphic Design. I ca'nt afford a school like RISD, or CalArts and was looking into University of North Texas, and San Diego State (although SDSU is no longer an option). I know RISD is rated the #1 art school in the country but i'm trying to keep my budget under $20,000 a year.
I don't have too much advice on those particular colleges. However, I have this advice:
Graphic design is similar to art in this respect. You can go to a no-name school and get a job in graphic design. However, you have to have the talent for it, work hard, and go the extra mile so you can beef up your portfolio for employers because there is a glut of graphic design.
Any number of really good state schools will have excellent graphic design programs. Heck, as someone who has been in the biz for years, I saw amazing portfolios from the most unexpected places. Mississippi State University, for example, has an incredible graphic design program. Go figure.
The entire point of a graphic design curriculum is so that you can exit college with a smoking hot portfolio. Your books is what's going to get you hired, and how you'll feed your family. Protect your book at all costs. To be honest with you, you could have a prison record or a GPA around 1.2, but if your book shines, you'll get hired.
The other thing. You're really better off going to a good state school in graphic design and the, upon graduation, make a beeline to some place like the Creative Circus or the Portfolio Center, private institutions that are not degree-driven, that are taught by people who are actually in the biz, and are constantly having big-name shops showing up to recruit likely-looking talent. Going to one of those places will shave a good 7-10 years off your career path. I never hired a Portfolio Center art director who didn't do outstanding work.
The other thing? It's a business of specialists. So make sure that the curriculum really allows you to perform a deep dive into your area of interest. If you want to concentrate your efforts in web, go for it. If you want to be an agency art director, do that. And then go as deeply as you can in that discipline, learning as much as you can. Get an internship at a good agency. Wrangle an invitation onto an agency TV shoot and talk to the DP as much as you can without being a pest. Talk to the grips, the gaffers, and everybody else under the sun about what makes a good shoot. Read everything you can and don't walk out the door at 5 p.m. for drinks. Ask 5,000,000 questions, but do it in a way that shows you're building on your knowledge.
One other thing. Make sure you understand the difference between a Graphic Design curriculum and an Art curriculum, for they are not the same. The problem with a lot of liberal arts programs is that they try to be more art-driven than graphic design driven. To be sure, if your interests lie in the realm of photography or illustration, then by all means go that direction. But if you want to be a graphic designer, you will likely get a more useful degree for a lot less cash at a state institution.
One other thing. Make sure you understand the difference between a Graphic Design curriculum and an Art curriculum, for they are not the same. The problem with a lot of liberal arts programs is that they try to be more art-driven than graphic design driven. To be sure, if your interests lie in the realm of photography or illustration, then by all means go that direction. But if you want to be a graphic designer, you will likely get a more useful degree for a lot less cash at a state institution.
Yes a school that offers a BFA is better than a school that offers a only a BA.
There's CCS in Detroit. A little pricey at $30k, but they average between $5-15k in scholorships per student.
I've got a friend who got his BFA in Graphic Design from CCS, and used to design shoes for DC and now designs shoes for another company in LA.
You might want to search for the term "visual communications" degree rather than graphic design... it is a more new and accurate term.
BTW: stay far away from print design, print is dying and there many talented and award winning designers who are getting what work that is left and those people are freelancing because they can't find full time work... stick with interactive, packaging or web design/development.
I would not spend a lot to get the degree as you will not be making much... there are state schools that will offer this degree. What matters is your book (like others have said) and you will have to be merciless on yourself and really ask yourself if it is good or just OK - and the CDs who look at your book will also be merciless on you. only the best will get the jobs. Good luck!
Okay well let me clarify a few things people have said:
1. Visual Communications and Graphic Design are two different things in the world of academia. Visual Communication is more geared towards.... Communication. Graphic Design is much much more broad than that.
2. Print is not dying at all and won't die for a very long time. It's almost funny that you say print is dying and then say stick with packaging which is one of many aspects of print design.
Do you have any idea what you want to do with Graphic Design? Different schools have different strengths. RISD and Yale are both very good programs as you know but they're also "arts" programs. University of Cincinnati or University of Minnesota for example have much better "design" programs. In fact I would look at University of Minnesota if for no other reason but to see what I mean - compare the following:
University of Minnesota Experimental and Media Art through the School of Art: Experimental and Media Arts : Department of Art : University of Minnesota (http://artdept.umn.edu/areas/experimentArts.php - broken link)
University of Minnesota Graphic Design through the School of Design: College of Design-Prospective Students
If you have a very clear idea of what area of Graphic Design you want to get involved in I can probably recommend a school or two for you. I'd be very cautious to take anyone on here's advice that has already named a school because they're basing it on their own objectives since thus far you haven't stated yours. If you want to get into Interactive Media you could go to school X, if you want to get into the history of fonts and eventually design your own fonts you could go to school Y, if you want to get into Advertising you could go to school Z and so on.
You might want to search for the term "visual communications" degree rather than graphic design... it is a more new and accurate term.
BTW: stay far away from print design, print is dying and there many talented and award winning designers who are getting what work that is left and those people are freelancing because they can't find full time work... stick with interactive, packaging or web design/development.
I would not spend a lot to get the degree as you will not be making much... there are state schools that will offer this degree. What matters is your book (like others have said) and you will have to be merciless on yourself and really ask yourself if it is good or just OK - and the CDs who look at your book will also be merciless on you. only the best will get the jobs. Good luck!
Not many colleges offer a degre in visual communication, most still call it graphic design. are you refering to places like Art Institute? or ITT Tech? etc?
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