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quattrokid73 · Jan 2, 2007, 10:44 PM

looking to transfer for industrial design to a reputable school...i think i will apply to the following:

let me know what you think about these choices and any personal experience you might have.

i don't have a dynamite portfolio as i just started the drawing thing since i got into art via digital/new media standpoint. i am an excellent student though, a talented writer, and have excelled in all of my new media courses.

rhode island school of design
parsons, the new school of design
pratt
academy of art university*
art center college of design
philadelphia university

*looks the most sympathetic to students in my position and i love the campus. id love to know especially what you think about this place.

centerchannel68 · Jan 3, 2007, 12:23 AM

I'm an ID student @ miad, in Milwaukee. I transferred here last year, and received a pretty good scholarship. The school is generally pretty good, ID is its strongpoint, but the job market around here sucks unless you want to design POP displays, or work for Harley Davidson. However, you can nail a good portfolio and get a good job anywhere by going here... the guy who penned the porsche boxster went to Miad.

Over the summer, I scanned in about 1000 entries to the IDHA international housewares competition. From scanning them, I've learned a lot about all the schools that competed.

Miad, though weak on computer rendering, had solid IDEAS behind the renderings. Other schools (COUGH NOTRE DAME COUGH) had very nice renderings of absolutely HORRIBLE ideas. Art Center is really expensive, and really badass, and DEFINITELY the place you want to go if you want to get into transportation design, as they offer focused ID programs specifically geared for designing cars. Academy of Art is also decent. Philly was okay, but it seems like they're all over hte place in terms of ID. Some concepts were really polished, others were downright horrid, in terms of presentation and the idea itself. Pratt & Parsons, I have no idea about. Rhode Island is a good art school, but I have heard absolutely NOTHING about their ID program... is it good? I didn't even know they had one.. .maybe it's new? I thought they were just an art school.

Anyway, let me know. I have a lot of friends in the industry.

btober · Jan 3, 2007, 12:26 AM

savannah college of art and design?

i'm a current graphic design student - transferred in january 2006.

portfolio is "encouraged" but not necessary for admission. i didn't have one and got in fine.

quattrokid73 · Jan 3, 2007, 07:07 PM

philly just started their ID department, so its not so developed. i know art center is excellent and would love to get in there, but they require a portfolio, and mine is rather week since ive basically taught myself to draw over the last year.... i hope i get in, but who knows. thats why i was really looking into academy of art because they dont require a portfolio but have a very solid department. and for that tpye of school, it seems like the harder you work the more you get out of it.

ill let you guys know how the app process goes. im finishing a port piece for RISD right now actually... an outdoor landscape...

adam

centerchannel68 · Jan 4, 2007, 01:45 AM

Originally Posted by btober

savannah college of art and design?

i'm a current graphic design student - transferred in january 2006.

portfolio is "encouraged" but not necessary for admission. i didn't have one and got in fine.

Wow. High standards.

centerchannel68 · Jan 4, 2007, 01:46 AM

Originally Posted by quattrokid73

philly just started their ID department, so its not so developed. i know art center is excellent and would love to get in there, but they require a portfolio, and mine is rather week since ive basically taught myself to draw over the last year.... i hope i get in, but who knows. thats why i was really looking into academy of art because they dont require a portfolio but have a very solid department. and for that tpye of school, it seems like the harder you work the more you get out of it.

ill let you guys know how the app process goes. im finishing a port piece for RISD right now actually... an outdoor landscape...

adam

You mean you didn't draw until last year? Dude, seriously, don't waste your cash at any design school right now. You're going to be outgunned. Really badly. Spend a year going to a tech college and taking drawing, perspective, color & design, 3d design, and figure drawing classes. As long as it's credited, migth as well take basic english and whatnot too. Then transfer in, and save major $ because you'll only have to go for 3 years.

quattrokid73 · Jan 4, 2007, 02:40 AM

my drawing prof said im ready to do it, its just weak because i dont have a lot. ive done quality work and my best pieces are figure drawings. i dont have as much formal instruction as many people, but not everyone that goes to RISD went through an art specific highschool curriculum, they were just interested in art and dove head first into it. im planning to go in as a freshman to take the intro courses and figure out what type of design i want to specialize in most. i got a full scholarhsip for the last two years so id rather just start fresh at a full on design school and make my way up.

IceEnclosure · Jan 4, 2007, 03:25 AM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

Wow. High standards.

SCAD is a great school.

btober · Jan 4, 2007, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by IceEnclosure

SCAD is a great school.

Yeah, it is.

And for someone who transferred from a program completely unrelated to art, like myself (business administration and mathematics), and had no previous opportunity to develop a portfolio, SCAD provides a valuable opportunity by not explicitly requiring one for admission. Now I realize that is not quattrokid73's situation, but I felt it was worth mentioning.

For what it's worth, I've been quite successful in my studies at SCAD thus far, in case anyone doesn't believe it's possible to make a complete change in educational plans...

scottiB · Jan 4, 2007, 08:22 AM

College for Creative Studies in Detroit may not be a bad choice: very good transportation program (all automakers donate to the school or provide sponsorships), and they've been building new buildings like crazy.

It's relatively close to Pennsylvania, cost of living in Detroit can stretch a broke student's dollar, and my childhood friend owns a brew pub/microbrewery 6 blocks away.

quattrokid73 · Jan 4, 2007, 11:13 AM

thanks for helping guys. and please dont poke fun at other peoples educational choices.

im pretty set on the places i am applying to not only for their reputation, but for their locations as well.

centerchannel68 · Jan 4, 2007, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by IceEnclosure

SCAD is a great school.

For animation and other things it is, but honestly their ID program seems a little weak.

centerchannel68 · Jan 4, 2007, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by quattrokid73

my drawing prof said im ready to do it, its just weak because i dont have a lot. ive done quality work and my best pieces are figure drawings. i dont have as much formal instruction as many people, but not everyone that goes to RISD went through an art specific highschool curriculum, they were just interested in art and dove head first into it. im planning to go in as a freshman to take the intro courses and figure out what type of design i want to specialize in most. i got a full scholarhsip for the last two years so id rather just start fresh at a full on design school and make my way up.

I thought you said you wanted to do ID? If you already know what you want to do, and you're SURE about it, just take classes at a tech school. You'll save over 15 THOUSAND dollars by going to a school like that for a year, versus a design school. The first year of many design schools is a very 'broad' curriculum, sweeping over aspects of almost any design related field, similar to the first year at the bauhaus. If you know what you want to do already, it's really pretty pointless.

sknapp351 · Jan 4, 2007, 03:09 PM

I looked at SCAD before going elsewhere, but they do not have the greatest reputation. It is my understanding that they have lost their accreditation more than once as well. RISD is well known for their ID program, and it is a good name to have on your resumé ( sadly, that helps more than it should ). My friend recently left SCAD, he said he felt that the school was more concerned with money and its image then with education. That is, of course, to be expected but only to a certain degree.
SAm

quattrokid73 · Jan 4, 2007, 03:21 PM

but i love art and i dabble in all aspects of it. sure i want to do design, but itd be awesome to take some other courses too. i can see myself being happy and successful in many fields. i dont want to go to a tech school, thats not the aspect of design i want to have.

centerchannel68 · Jan 4, 2007, 03:36 PM

You're not understanding me.

The first year of any design school =

Basic drawing, perspective, maybe a painting class, a bit of 3d working class with foamcore, balsa, and wood, a figure drawing class, and other boring very general stuff.

You can take these SAME CLASSES at a tech school for peanuts, and then transfer to your dream school to save a boatload of cash. I wish I would have done that, but unfortunatley all my credits transferred so funky from engineering and animation and drawing classes that I still have to go 4 years.

When you say 'you want to do design', that isn't the same as saying you want to do industrial design. Do you mean you'd like to dabble in interior design, graphic design, communications design, etc? Because your first post sounded like you wanted to do I.D. and that's it. If you really don't know what you want to do, I guess go for the first year.... but honestly, I've seen so many kids who don't know what the hell they want to do totally suck at everything, because they don't have a goal or reason or direction to try to head.

quattrokid73 · Jan 4, 2007, 06:09 PM

sorry i meant i want to do industrial design, but im an all around art head otherwise and would love to take some higher level courses in the digital arts as well. i understand your comment, but that one year is part of what im looking for. maybe that year i WILL decide to do soemthing else, but i doubt it. i also really dont want to deal with going to three seperate institutions for undergrad. i know exactly what you are saying but my concern lies mainly in what ART DESIGN school to go to.

centerchannel68 · Jan 4, 2007, 06:14 PM

Okay. well, I'd avoid scad. As others have said, it's pretty weak. Start checking core77.com regularly too.. they had a video about scad, and it was really really sad.

IceEnclosure · Jan 4, 2007, 09:38 PM

Sucks for SCAD. For what it's worth, SCAD and RISD(among others) came to my Portfolio class in high school, they were both seemingly very impressive. Of course, this was a while ago.

Also, I've got a couple of friends that were in the Graphic Design and Illustration programs at SCAD and I recall them enjoying it, and they're doing well in their respective fields at the mo.

I'm not debatin', just sayin'.

centerchannel68 · Jan 4, 2007, 09:48 PM

No no, I agree that Scad is pretty strong in graphic and illustration and animation. I have a friend of a friend there, and he's working on post production of Pirates 3. Their animation and stuff is impressive, but the I.D. department is lacking.

residentEvil · Jan 4, 2007, 10:11 PM

i was going to go to SCAD after high school; to play soccer for them (and oh, go to school for architecture). hurt my knee in the traveling budweiser league and well, there went that.