# Any Graphic Design Major?



## inkywinky (Apr 16, 2010)

i've recently decided to go back to school to get a second bachelor degree. i graduated 1.5 years ago with an education degree and haven't used it at all. it was a bad choice and i think i will enjoy graphic design more. anyone here majoring in graphic design and can tell me how it is? Thanks.


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## timetopretend (Aug 6, 2010)

I plan to but my school doesn't start till September 13th. I did commercial art for three years at a tech school and its the same as graphic design. Its fun! But yeah, I don't know how it is in college just yet. Sorry for my failure to help.


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## 13lives (Aug 24, 2010)

I am a graphic design major. I just finished my first year. First off, it's a very competitive field to get into. There are a lot of people majoring in this, and art schools are getting crowded as is. There are a lot of components that go into graphic design : logos, packaging, etc. I say, if you're willing to work hard and have the determination and drive, I don't see why you shouldn't be in this major.
You should research the field more to see if it's something you'd want to major in.

I feel that sometimes people think any art related major will be easy. It's not. It's a really big misconception and really degrades any artist.


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## inkywinky (Apr 16, 2010)

timetopretend said:


> I plan to but my school doesn't start till September 13th. I did commercial art for three years at a tech school and its the same as graphic design. Its fun! But yeah, I don't know how it is in college just yet. Sorry for my failure to help.


thanks, it was helpful info. i didn't know tech school offer similar things to graphic design. could you tell me your experience with it? thanks.


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## inkywinky (Apr 16, 2010)

13lives said:


> I am a graphic design major. I just finished my first year. First off, it's a very competitive field to get into. There are a lot of people majoring in this, and art schools are getting crowded as is. There are a lot of components that go into graphic design : logos, packaging, etc. I say, if you're willing to work hard and have the determination and drive, I don't see why you shouldn't be in this major.
> You should research the field more to see if it's something you'd want to major in.
> 
> I feel that sometimes people think any art related major will be easy. It's not. It's a really big misconception and really degrades any artist.


thanks for the heads up on the field. i think i might have a passion for graphic designing so i'm up for the challenge. was your first year classes mostly lectures about the principles and history of graphic designs? i looked through the first year classes and it seems like it. there won't be any hands on until maybe 3rd year. is your school the same? thanks for the help.


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## timetopretend (Aug 6, 2010)

inkywinky said:


> thanks, it was helpful info. i didn't know tech school offer similar things to graphic design. could you tell me your experience with it? thanks.


Well the program I was in was called Commercial Art & Design. I probably wouldn't have paid to go there though since I realized mid-way second year it was just a BS class where no work was assigned. However, that doesn't apply to all technical schools! This one was just offered to high school students and adults could join but not many did. Anyways, the first year we did some color theory, worked with pencils, worked with paint and basically it felt like a fine arts class. Then the second and third year we were on Macs all day (if you didn't know, graphic designers primarily use Macs!) and did tutorials with Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and a little bit of Quark and Flash. We would get random local jobs for designing posters and bookmarks with these programs. Like I said though, there weren't many assignments so you could either do nothing and get a terrible grade or start perfecting your skills with using Macs and all those programs. That is pretty much what I did and it helped my portfolio which helped me get into a better, more stricter all-art school for college. Hope that helps ! (And yes, like I said earlier, it was fun but only if you enjoy doing creative things like that).


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## origami potato (Jan 9, 2010)

It's what I'm doing too. *nods* I'm going to a 2 year technical college to get my associates, then hopefully transfer to another college to get a bachelors.  

My first semester hasn't been too much though, just getting a couple pre-recs in and upping my math level to average. (I've always been terrible in it) :\


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## DI117 (Aug 13, 2010)

I'm going in to my senior year for industrial design, it's not the same but I go to one of the major art schools and I have some friends in graphic.

To echo what 13lives said, it is VERY competitive. But if you work hard, and it shows in your work, you'll do well. Be prepared to stay up all night. 

The curriculum's vary from school to school, my school does basic foundations first year (drawing, color theory) with a limited exposure to your major. The second year is foundations oriented toward your major, and the last 2 years are straight up graphic design projects and internships.

Start fooling around in illustrator, or if you have a portfolio already post some stuff on coroflot. You can go there and see what other people are doing too, its an awesome resource for designers.


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