The majority of us have done it already - gone through school to obtain some sort of design or art degree. The grueling days of classes, projects, and tests are over. We're out in the work world and, hopefully, have a job that we like. In school, we've been trained on the latest design software applications and feel pretty proficient in ...

So, the shock of being back in school is over, and now we’re actually *gasp* LEARNING STUFF. Can I really complain when my homework is taking pictures, drawing, and playing with construction paper and glue sticks? (Yes, I am a university student. Yes, my homework involves gluing construction paper to posterboard using glue sticks and scissors. Is there anything wrong with ...

I recently came across a book that is all about graphic design for "non-designers". At first I was a little offended. How can there be such a book? Don't they know that we designers have to go to school for quite a while to learn the basics of design and how to apply these basics to our work? How can a ...

I’ve found that there are two types of designers; those with a traditional education in art or design and those who are mostly self-educated. Design is unique in that it is one of the few professions where you can teach yourself the basics in the comfort of your own home without much formal training. I, for one, consider myself a self-educated ...

College may seem a long way away to high school seniors who are focused on that next big test or big football game. But the time to think about choosing and paying for college is now. Some early-admissions and scholarship deadlines are right around the corner, if they haven't passed already. That's not to say that students without a college pick ...

Storytelling As far as I’m concerned, all design is storytelling. Brochures and books tell stories in a very familiar way; they have covers, chapters and pages. Posters tell stories in three acts (act one from afar, act two as you approach, act three up close), even logos tell succinct moral tales. Thinking of design as an act of storytelling may help ...

A Bachelor of Fine Arts is a professional degree that will prepare you to sell you work in galleries, graduate school or a variety of art related careers. The first year of your program will give you a foundation of visual art skills such as drawing, sculpture, color, and composition. In the second year you will typically explore different artistic media ...

Opinions of Online Study Changing - With Time Among Polk's major employers, online degrees are warmly accepted, but the public's perception is still evolving. But the climate seems to have changed in the past couple of years. A recent survey by the Distance Education and Training Council found more than 70 percent of corporate supervisors rate online degrees as "just as ...

Red is usually regarded as a color which visually leaps out. Red stand out. Red jumps off the page. But does it really? I found two interesting pictures on Flickr. Both contain a red button. [widget:9_steps_guide_design_benifits] [photo:59478] The one button is highly visable, the other is almost hidden in its surroundings, even while it takes up a large part of the ...

So you want to go to art school? Getting an art degree can successfully turn your passion for art into a career. Not only do you get a well-rounded education and an opportunity to hone your artistic abilities, but an art degree stands out on your resume and boosts your chances of getting hired. So how do you get your foot ...

There's no such thing as the perfect internship. But you can figure out which one aligns best with your career goals, and then tap your own initiative to turn that internship into an experience that will grab the attention of future employers. *Take It or Leave It?* How do you judge the potential value of a particular internship, especially when you're ...

h4. WHAT'S AN MFA? The MFA (Master of Fine Arts) is a specialized, terminal degree available on the graduate level in both fine arts and design. The same aspects that distinguished a BFA from a BA, distinguish an MFA from an MA. The MFA is a concentrated "professional" degree for students seeking advanced education prior to becoming practicing artists or designers. ...

Just to have a little fun, I tried reconstructing the Google color scheme. Just to see if I could improve it in only half an hour with a bit of Photoshop magic. Here's what a Google results page looks like, these days. (see below) If I throw out all the details and just concentrate on the blocks of color in the ...

In my last post I wrote about the importance of teaching design as a process, rather than an outcome. I touched on some of the core principles and considerations of my teaching process, including workload, assignment structure, and the importance of exploring new (i.e. unfamiliar) media. 4. First There Was the Word Each of my assignments begins with writing. Designers are ...

First project we have done so far was learning how to adjust the ISO, aperture & shutter speeds to get a correct, yet creative, exposure. Our main objective was obtaining a deep/shallow depth of field in our photographs as well as explore a variety of compositions. For this particular project, I walked around Forest Park and Chicago shooting in the negative ...

What Do You Charge? As a freelancer, or at a design firm, there comes a time when we have to figure out what to charge for our services. We are worth payment. But, what do we do to set our rates to make sure that we're getting what we're worth? In our experience at Creative Core Design (.net), we go through ...

I was thinking back at some of the iconic figures of graphic design through the years. Our design team has been involved in researching some the past styles of design for a huge project we landed. So, naturally, we went to some of these figures to brush-up on what their styles were and what they have done. I have chosen 3 ...

This is the time of year when students of all types have winter break. It's a nice and well-deserved reprieve from the papers, projects, and other studies of the school year. I haven't been a student in a while, but I still remember the anticipation for the break and the relief when it finally came. During the time off, it is ...

Most fine arts students used to exist in a bubble - running to class in paint-splattered clothing and practically living in their studios, channeling their muse and honing their craft. Once they graduated, those who were driven enough to try to make a living off their talent still had a lot to learn about running a business. But now many universities ...

Two more grants were made available as of the 2006-07 school year for first year college students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2006 and for second year college students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2005. Click here for additional information. h4. We can help make your education affordable! The Department's Federal student aid programs are ...