Visual Communication: Graphic Design & Illustration | BFA |
Admission to the major of Visual Communication (Graphic Design and Illustration) is limited to 80 new students each year. This limitation is based on the size of the faculty and facilities in place at this time. There are 40 spaces available in the Fall semester for Graphic Design students. In the Spring semester, there are 20 spaces for Graphic Design students and another 20 spaces for Illustration students.
Typically there are nearly two applying students for every one space in the program, and so it is necessary to arrive at an impartial means of admission that will also ensure the continued quality of the program. To that end, a list of all Foundations students declaring the major of Visual Communication is arranged in a descending order according to their GPAs (students must minimally be completing Drawing II and Design II). The first 40 in each semester's list are allowed first opportunity to enroll in the major's two introductory courses, Visual Concepts and Typography. Those who do not exercise their claim to a space create an opportunity for the next student on the list, and so forth. Enrollment to the courses is controlled through "Closed Class Openers" which need to be obtained by qualified students during the advising period. It is important for students to know who their Visual Communications advisor is and schedule their advising period at the earliest possible opportunity.
BFA Program
In the graphic design program, students are introduced to the concept of design as a means of communication and visual persuasion. Towards this end, students must become adept in analyzing communication problems and developing creative visual solutions that accomplish the communication objective. Course content deals with a variety of design problems related to the community, society, industry, commerce and advertising. Emphasis is placed on the innovative use of typography in design. Particular attention is given to the development of a well-rounded, representative, quality portfolio. Career options for graphic designers include advertising agencies, art studios, corporate art departments, television, publication design and packaging design.
The illustration program provides students with the opportunity to become educated in communication and visual ideation and at the same time develop a personal style or statement within their own painting and/or drawing. Illustration serves as a bridge between the commercial application of art and the individual's need to express oneself visually. The illustration curriculum is structured to provide the time and instruction necessary to produce a high quality, competitive portfolio. First-year students begin with courses that introduce communication, media techniques and the history of illustration. The second year is spent developing visual ideas and concepts while searching for a personal style. The applied courses of the third year provide client-oriented projects with continued development of each student's strengths and interests, while considering career opportunities and alternatives.
After completing the coursework for Visual Concepts and Typography, students are allowed to proceed in the Visual Communications major based on the minimum grade of a C and a portfolio review of the courses' content. Those students who do not successfully pass the above criteria in either class will not be able to go on to the next course in the sequence. They may have options of either repeating the course work or transferring to another major. Those students passing the criteria will advance into the major and will remain there, as long as they stay in good academic standing.
