LilVixen27
05-18-2006, 04:39 PM
I hope I am putting this in the right area. Forgive me if I am not. I am starting school in Aug. Just getting generals out of the way just yet but I would really like to know what sort of class's to take. I want to go into Layout and Design, setting up mag. and newspaper layout and such. What did you all take?? What did you start with. What careers are you in? Is photography a big part?? Do I need to sit in on some class's to see if I like the teacher or is it a take it as is and deal type thing?? I dont want to flounder around in things that I'm not going to use. Please tell me anything you can. Any info will help so much!! Even if you are self tought let me know what you did to prepare.
THanks
Cathy
05-22-2006, 03:19 AM
Welcome to the forum! I am finishing a BFA in Graphic Design at a local University in St. Louis. With this type of degree, as I'm sure you know, you'll get a little of everthing: general education (most of which is stuff that doesn't seem to pertain to your future career... some of which does - writing courses and public speaking for example), foundation art courses (basics, like different courses which teach you the principles of design, drawing, color theory... stuff like that. In my opinion, these are very important to any career in art & design.), then there are the courses that pertain to the core of your major - like graphic design.
At the university I attend, this meant four semesters of graphic design courses (which teach things like typography, layout, design concepting and idea generation, image creation techniques, and, of course, using computer design programs... and so on). I also took two Advanced Problems courses, which went into more depth and concentrated on larger multi-design projects, and the last year was dedicated towards Senior Seminar courses where we researched and executed a design thesis project, worked on refining and perfecting work for our portfolio, and learning about the job market and how to prepare for interviewing.
On one hand I feel like I did spend some time taking courses which weren't all that relavent, but overall, I do feel like I'm benefiting from the time and effort spent on all my schooling.
You mentioned that you're interested in layout & design of magazines and newspapers... I actually started in the newspaper industry and currently do freelance design for a local magazine. Personally, I feel like if I would have choosen to stick with newspapers, I could have learned most everything from simply working in the industry (as long as you find you learn pretty well on your own). I feel like designing for magazines is different enough and spills over into the creative side of things a little more... therefore, I do think that more schooling would do some good. Whether or not you decide to get a four-year degree is one thing, but I would suggest foundation design courses and mid-to-upper level graphic design courses.
Overall though, I would think about where you plan to be in 10 years. If you ever decide to try and get a job at a firm or agency, you will probably find that they would perfer you have at least a four-year degree, BFA or BA. Though, depending on the job market in your area, this could differ a bit. I'd suggest looking into things a little more and thinking about at least working towards an either an Associates in Arts or an Associates in Graphic Design. This way, you will have a formal degree, and, if you ever decide to continue your schooling, you have your gen. eds out of the way and, typically, everything transfers a bit easier to a four-year school. This is what I did, and it seemed to work fairly well for me.
Anyway, I'm sure I'm going into way too much detail, but I figured it's best to cover more than not enough. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions!
Good luck with everything! :)
where are you going to school? wouldn't your advisor help you with these questions?
LilVixen27
05-27-2006, 04:37 AM
Thanks so much Cathy!!! good stuff.
EC I am going to a local collage here in utah. If I could get ahold of the adviser that would really help... Plus I really wanted to get the advise of people in the field. What they did and would do different and such. Knowing what is needed in the field rather then just getting the general of all. Besides its a great way to see what you all do all day right?
morea
05-27-2006, 04:38 AM
check this!
http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16612
LittleBlu
05-30-2006, 03:13 AM
Lil V,
Applying for courses is so exciting --I totally miss that. If you are going to go mainly into the print industry, along with some traditional design-type stuff, make sure that you take a Typography course if it is available to you. It can be a huge asset in the newspaper biz, as not all schools consider such tedious training essential (hence so much evil "justified" text cramming up the universe...).
Photography, I found to be incredibly helpful with anything from page layouts to HTML table-building. The techniques that they teach you such as: lighting, internal framing, capturing movement, etc, etc, can have an incredibly strong influence on how you edit images, draw, flow text in a layout --everything. They can teach you a whole new way of looking at the world. (And besides, the camera is a great excuse to get out and leave the screen for a bit.)
Take your time with decisions on courses, talk to as many people as you can who have had a zillion years of experience in a variety of graphic industries, and most importantly: find out what you might enjoy doing --what you can picture yourself being passionate about. Those of us who have found our crazy-passion (along with a huge pot of coffee) can spend 24+ hours straight on the same project, and cry out for more...
...geez, graphic designers are a strange breed... Glad to be one ;)
Hope this helped a little... -Blu