school question (don't worry, i read other posts first!)

[ersatz]

hey folks, im new here, and quite excited to have found you all. what a fun and interesting place. i was going to post my long boring story here, but after reading around for the past 2 days i see my "story" is shared by probably half the people in this community! (except i dont have a cat) so i wont waste your time with background, just straight to the heart of the matter:

ive been monitoring the conversations about education, experience, portfolio, etc etc etc, its been great seeing all the different opinions and experiences. so my question: can any of you (or several of you) please tell me which US schools are considered "leaders" in graphic design? i dont mean trade-style schools like katherine gibbs (and i dont mean to suggest theres anything wrong with those, i just mean thats not what im looking for). i mean schools like RISD and Yale School of Art, etc. im (obviously?) in the northeast, and those are two that seem to have pretty big names around here, but beyond those two i dont know where i should be looking. i imagine there are good schools in other parts of the country too, etc etc etc. I already have a BS and have been working a few years (math teacher), and i want to go back to school, at the graduate level i suppose, and really get my head on straight with design. i just want to make sure i start in the right direction, in the right places, and check out the "better" programs that are out there before i take the plunge.

thanks in advance. your discussions so far have been very enlightening. have a great thursday --

:ers<SUP>atz

[morea]

Welcome, ersatz... I've heard that SCAD is a good school, but I believe it is in Georgia.

Check out this link, maybe it will be helpful. graphicdesign.about.com/library/schools/blschool.htm (http://graphicdesign.about.com/library/schools/blschool.htm)

We are one, our cause us one, and we must help each other if we are to succeed. ~ Frederick Douglass

[D-Zine]

Welcome erastz!

As far as the Southeast goes I would tell you SCAD and Atlanta Art Institute, also SCAD Atlanta.

I myself don't know much at all about the art Institute. I went to SCAD and graduated in '97 (located in Savannah, GA) and they are ranked one of the top art & design colleges. I thought they were great about teaching the old and the new ways of design. I wish there would have been more education on printing and prepress but that was my only problem with them. They are a great school. You can check em out here www.scad.edu (http://www.scad.edu)

I'm sure there are members here who attended the Art Institutes that will be able to help you some.

Good luck!

'No more yanky my wanky! The donga need food!!' - heh

[morea]

I understand that the Art Institute also offers online degrees, although that is another discussion altogether...

it has its pros and cons just like anything else. I think that there has been some discussion about the value of an online degree in the links to frequently discussed topics.

We are one, our cause us one, and we must help each other if we are to succeed. ~ Frederick Douglass

[Drorain]

north east you have a ton of schools...

Mass Art
Art Institute of Boston
New England School of Art and Design @ Suffolk University (where I went)
New England Institute of Art (part of Art Institute International)
Boston College
Boston University
School at the Museum of Fine Arts

http://www.grivakisgraphics.com/images/img_logomark.jpg

"OH what a big man you are!...Let me buy you a pack of gum, I'll show ya how to chew it..."

~Al Pacino, Glen Gary Glenn Ross

[morea]

A friend of mine went to SUNY New Paltz... she said that they have a very good fine arts program.

We are one, our cause us one, and we must help each other if we are to succeed. ~ Frederick Douglass

[CamGP]

Hello all

I have just joined the forums and am happy to be here...I have been working as a Designer for 4 years, 4 years previous as a freelance painter/sculptor. I am mixing teaching and Designing at the moment ....and am loving my new found enthusiasm in the Graphic Design Arena...a lot to learn personally/creatively...plenty of research to be had.........

One thing that I have learnt over the years is that advice from your colleagues is soo valuable...a lot of it can be taken on board...a lot can be useless babble...but nevertheless...all of it is worth something..................

Look forward to communicating with all of you.

Cam Allen - Solace Design

[DivineDesign]

morea said...
I understand that the Art Institute also offers online degrees, although that is another discussion altogether...

it has its pros and cons just like anything else. I think that there has been some discussion about the value of an online degree in the links to frequently discussed topics.


this is true....though i take 90% of my classes on campus..i have taken some courses thru AI Online...they can be time consumingb/c you have to complete a course with 6 weeks rather than 10, bt they are just as easy or hard, and the teachers expect just as much as if you were in a on campus class with them.

"BAN!"

Today I begin to understand what love must be, if it exists.... When we are parted, we each feel the lack of the other half of ourselves. We are incomplete like a book in two volumes of which the first has been lost. That is what I imagine love to be: incompleteness in absence.

[DivineDesign]

oh..and i attend the Art Institute of Atlanta if you want to know anything. I'm 2 qtrs away from graduation so ask away!

"BAN!"

Today I begin to understand what love must be, if it exists.... When we are parted, we each feel the lack of the other half of ourselves. We are incomplete like a book in two volumes of which the first has been lost. That is what I imagine love to be: incompleteness in absence.

[D-Zine]

I knew DD would be here - YAY!

Also, SCAD offers online courses as well. I have this thing about wanting to be in a classroom for the studio classes but its diff for everyone I guess. I think that in class experience can only help you with your studio classes. Acedemic wise ...well I would prolly have to be in a classroom for that too - discipline!! LOL!

'No more yanky my wanky! The donga need food!!' - heh

[steve-o]

These are a couple of top schools for GD:


http://www.cranbrook.edu


http://www.schoolofvisualarts.edu/

[shellebelle]

I go to the local Art Institute down the street in Santa Ana. Officially, it's The Art Institute of California-Orange County 'cuz there's other campuses in CA and no one cares about Santa Ana :-D The education is good (I'm half way through), but it's more about design. They don't always get into the nitty gritty of how different settings in the program affect what you're doing, nor is a lot of attention spent on printing and prepress.

Anyway, if you're up for traveling I've heard many good things about Art Center in Pasadena, CA (is that what it's called?).

TBH, I wouldn't bother with the online degrees. Taking a GE or two online is fine, but I just finished my 7th class online and I haven't learned a darn thing. I adjusted my work schedule around this quarter so I wouldn't have to take any. AiO is sneaky and charges an extra $100 for online classes. Actually being in class with a living, breathing instructor works best for me.

I want a refund. My life didn't come with an owner's manual.

[ersatz]

great stuff to dig through-- thanks for the leads you guys. http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/DesktopModules/dotNetBB/emoticons/worshippy.gif

i dont think i have the kind of mindset required for online courses, something about the physical structure of a classroom does a lot for me, the change of scenery etc.

a-surfing i now go....

:ers<SUP>atz

[ersatz]

ok folks, all this information has been very helpful. thought i would press my luck and ask: anyone aware of any design schools in/around washington dc? searching online i found Corcoran school of design... and it appears GWU, Georgetown, Catholic, and American don't have much happening in design. any info?

thanks again

[morea]

check here?

www.graphicdesignforum.com/desktopdefault.aspx?f=36&m=84720&tabid=137 (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/desktopdefault.aspx?f=36&m=84720&tabid=137)

'They say time is the fire in which we burn.'
- Dr. Tolian Soran</font>

[DivineDesign]

Ai of washington www.artinstitutes.edu

"BAN!"

Today I begin to understand what love must be, if it exists.... When we are parted, we each feel the lack of the other half of ourselves. We are incomplete like a book in two volumes of which the first has been lost. That is what I imagine love to be: incompleteness in absence.