--Anyone here in graphic design/web design etc?--

haffajappa

I'm a "wandering" university student who has contemplated everything from a geography degree to architecture to animation to digital media to......
fml.


Anyways... of my fellow art students in our high school i was the one most in to graphic design and web design (and animation i suppose). I did a bit in post secondary but wasn't sure if I could or should try and make a career out of it. I'm pretty proficient at photoshop, I really enjoy sitting and using it... thats why I've always thought some sort of career would be ideal. And can draw well enough I guess.

Now after a couple years of trying different things in Uni i'm thinking of just sayin' "fuck it!" and diving into some sort of program (well, diving in so to speak, i plan on researching some schools first)

Anyone out there in the same position as me or actually in the industry?
I swear i'm going to be in school for 16 years and never come out with a degree or job of anything.

LikeAnOcean

I graduated from UIC in '04 with a graphic design degree.. I would say, go for it, but jobs in the field are pretty slim picking. I did a few free lance projects, but have been in IS ever since.

You won't be using much Photoshop in the field. Mostly Illustrator and InDesign, but don't worry about being proficient in them because the first year of the program they don't even let you touch a computer. All cut outs, glueing, pasting, painting, getting a visual feel for the space and flow of designs.

UIC is one of the better schools in the country for graphic design. I was fortunate enough that it was affordable and close to me. One of my teachers was good friends with Paul Rand, which I thought was cool.

haffajappa

I guess i should have put in the title like interactive design and web design. I dno if those are all the same things or what... every schools program seems different.

I have a friend who finished her communication design degree (graphic design/communication design? can't remember what she called it) at Emily Carr... but she said it didn't really prepare her well for the industry - which is kind of surprising since its one of the best art schools in Canada.

I was in a program at my school called interactive art and technology which gives you a bachelors degree and you can focus in specific fields of design.
I might give it another chance ... :?

Besus

I used to be a graphic designer but I found myself doing lots of corporate stuff and spent most of my time repositioning logos and changing font sizes. I really hated it so made the jump to animation which I love. I must've sent out a million showreels before I got any kind of work though so be prepared for lots of rejection and grow a thick skin. It's a really tough industry to break into but it is, on the most part, an incredibly satisfying career. I've been working solidly now for the past five years and have worked on some great projects.

If you're unsure what you want to do then maybe give some local animation/design companies a ring and see if you can go in for a week or two and get some experience on the job.

I did a degree in illustration/animation followed by a post graduate course in 2d character animation at Central Saint Martins in London, but I have no idea what to suggest in the way of Universities in North America. A mate of mine did something called 'animation mentor' (http://www.animationmentor.com/) and went more or less straight into feature film work when he graduated. The good thing about both of those courses is that you're mentored by actual professionals working in the industry. It's a great advantage to have a professional perspective on your student work.

Whatever you decide, good luck with it.

LikeAnOcean

haffajappa wrote:

I guess i should have put in the title like interactive design and web design. I dno if those are all the same things or what... every schools program seems different.

I have a friend who finished her communication design degree (graphic design/communication design? can't remember what she called it) at Emily Carr... but she said it didn't really prepare her well for the industry - which is kind of surprising since its one of the best art schools in Canada.

I was in a program at my school called interactive art and technology which gives you a bachelors degree and you can focus in specific fields of design.
I might give it another chance ... :?

Ahhh.. maybe "graphic artist" would be the better term? My field can apply to web design, but training in it was not required. There were a few optional classes. It dealt more with the design aspect rather than the technical.

haffajappa

Sweet_Cheesus wrote:

I used to be a graphic designer but I found myself doing lots of corporate stuff and spent most of my time repositioning logos and changing font sizes. I really hated it so made the jump to animation which I love. I must've sent out a million showreels before I got any kind of work though so be prepared for lots of rejection and grow a thick skin. It's a really tough industry to break into but it is, on the most part, an incredibly satisfying career. I've been working solidly now for the past five years and have worked on some great projects.

If you're unsure what you want to do then maybe give some local animation/design companies a ring and see if you can go in for a week or two and get some experience on the job.

I did a degree in illustration/animation followed by a post graduate course in 2d character animation at Central Saint Martins in London, but I have no idea what to suggest in the way of Universities in North America. A mate of mine did something called 'animation mentor' (http://www.animationmentor.com/) and went more or less straight into feature film work when he graduated. The good thing about both of those courses is that you're mentored by actual professionals working in the industry. It's a great advantage to have a professional perspective on your student work.

Whatever you decide, good luck with it.

I'm lucky enough to live in the Vancouver area which is really well known for its movie and animation industry. There are some really really good schools here (Emily Carr, Vancouver Film School - where Kevin Smith went -, VanArts, etc) only they are SUPER expensive.
If i was 110% dedicated I would take out a student loan and do a program there for 40-60k but I'm worried I'll do it and then change my mind and all that money and debt would be wasted

haffajappa

LikeAnOcean wrote:

haffajappa wrote:

I guess i should have put in the title like interactive design and web design. I dno if those are all the same things or what... every schools program seems different.

I have a friend who finished her communication design degree (graphic design/communication design? can't remember what she called it) at Emily Carr... but she said it didn't really prepare her well for the industry - which is kind of surprising since its one of the best art schools in Canada.

I was in a program at my school called interactive art and technology which gives you a bachelors degree and you can focus in specific fields of design.
I might give it another chance ... :?

Ahhh.. maybe "graphic artist" would be the better term? My field can apply to web design, but training in it was not required. There were a few optional classes. It dealt more with the design aspect rather than the technical.

i'm dumb. lol