Workshop Two:
Education

Two years at a good commercial art school, no matter what the tuition is, beats five or more years hacking around on the fringes of your chosen profession. The hills are filled with talented designers who barely scrape out a living because they lack the fundamental education that will transform their lives and their careers.

There are many people of all ages who would love to have a successful career in graphic design, but simply "don't know what they don't know."

Graphic Design offers a rich tapestry of print, broadcast, web and multimedia opportunities. With the proper training, you can work in one or all of these areas. Education is about giving yourself options, and options equal FREEDOM.

I have prepared a short list of items that require graphic design; it is by no means complete. For those new to the profession, you can understand very quickly that there is no shortage of things to do. For those of us who have been around for awhile, here is a brief reminder of how wonderfully varied our field is:

Corporate Identity
Annual Reports
Brochures
Magazine and Catalog Design
Retail Advertising
Business-to-Business Advertising
Newspapers
Environmental Signage and Directories
Typography
Direct Mail
Packaging
Posters
Manuals
Invitations
Broadcast Graphics
Movie Campaigns
CD Covers
Animation Graphics
Web Sites
Multimedia
Billboards
Wallpaper
Point of Purchase Displays

The trained professional can freelance or find staff positions at any or all of the following companies:

Advertising Agencies
Architects and Builders
Cartoon and Feature Syndicates
Consulting Firms
Computer Companies
Design Firms
Education Facilities
Engineering Firms
Fabric Design Companies
Government
Greeting Card Companies
Medical Companies
Motion Picture and Film Companies
Newspapers
Non-Profit Organizations
Packaging Companies
Print Shops
Public Relation Firms
Publishing Firms
Retailers
Sign Companies
Television Stations

You see? Options. There are many art schools that offer both two-year and four-year degrees/programs. What in the world will you learn? Below are the curriculums for both the two and four year programs at The Colorado Institute of Art. There are many other schools with fine programs; I use CIA as an example because I am a 1976 graduate of that fine institution. When I owned my agency, I hired several of their graduates, and I can vouch for their quality and reputation.

***Courses in the Major - Associate Degree Program
Art Direction
Color Theory
Corporate Identity
Digital Illustration
Digital Imaging
Electronic Design
Fundamentals of Design
Fundamentals of Drawing and Perspective
Graphic Design Applications
Layout
Life Drawing
Print Production
Product Graphics
Typography
Career Development
Portfolio
Computer Applications
History of Art & Design

***Courses in the Major - Baccalaureate Degree Program

DESIGN & DRAWING
Advanced Print Production
Advanced Typography
Advertising Design
Art Direction
Collateral Design
Color Theory
Corporate Communications
Corporate Identity
Digital Illustration
Digital Imaging
Electronic Design
Fundamentals of Design
Fundamentals of Drawing and Perspective
Graphic Design Applications
Layout
Life Drawing
Package Design
Print Production
Product Graphics
Promotional Design
Publication Design
Senior Project Typography

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Business Law
Career Development
Entrepreneurship
Fundamentals of Business
Group Dynamics
Portfolio Project Management

APPLIED RELATED EDUCATION SUBJECTS
Computer Applications
Fundamentals of Computer Animation
Fundamentals of Multimedia
Fundamentals of Video
History of Art & Design

May I see a show of hands as to how many of you think you'll be able to cobble together this kind of education from reading newsgroups and surfing the web??? An education of this caliber is valuable far, far beyond what you'll pay for it. For our impatient youth who are tempted to "just skip it" in favor of diving right in — two years or four years isn't that long, and it will make an enormous difference in who you can work with and for.

Fred Did It — So Can You
For those of you who think it's too late, I still take classes to improve my skills, and I see people in their 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's and even 70's who are right there with me. An anecdote: Before I attended The Colorado Institute if Art, I completed the two-year Commercial Art program at the Community College of Denver. There was a man in his early 40's (I'll call him Fred) who was a photography major. He had spent 20 years of his life raising a family and working as a chemical engineer. He was a quiet, uptight guy with a beige station wagon and a crew cut, and he stood out like a sore thumb (in art school in the early 70's everyone had hair down to their ass). Still, he was a nice guy and we liked him. Apparently, his family was "mad" at him for chasing his dream. He had been doing photography as a hobby for quite awhile with little support from them (according to him). It was fun to see him blossom. In two short years (and people in their 40's know how fast two years go by), Fred had annual report clients and he had quit his chemical engineering job, he had hair down to the middle of his back, a neck full of gold chains, a white Pontiac convertible GTO and never less than two little cuties in the front seat with him. ART SCHOOL, baby!!! OPTIONS. FREEDOM.

Let's assume your "design skills" education is in place, or soon will be. Let's move on to your portfolio...