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High School planning for future Graphic Designer


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My daughter is in 9th grade. And she has recently decided that IF she does go to college (she is not really keen on college :glare:), that she would probably be most interested in being a Graphic Designer.

 

How would you plan her high school courses? I have no idea what Graphic Designers would need knowledge in. :confused:

 

What maths? What sciences? :bigear:

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My daughter is in 9th grade. And she has recently decided that IF she does go to college (she is not really keen on college :glare:), that she would probably be most interested in being a Graphic Designer.

 

How would you plan her high school courses? I have no idea what Graphic Designers would need knowledge in. :confused:

 

What maths? What sciences? :bigear:

 

 

My husband majored in philosophy and basically taught himself most computer software he needed to know. Most of the designers we know learned from mentors or on their own. He would recommend a solid background in drawing, painting, and etc. and he hated his university art classes because they focused on the "message" rather than on mastering classical skills. For computer design, a solid understanding of algebra and geometry are very important. Honestly, building a portfolio of her design work (paper, logo, websites, whatever she's interested in working on) and mastering the standard digital programs (Illustrator, Photoshop)are going to matter so much more than a specific degree. The best designers we know read broadly, have a good grasp of different art and design periods, and know how to communicate ideas with images.

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My husband majored in philosophy and basically taught himself most computer software he needed to know. Most of the designers we know learned from mentors or on their own. He would recommend a solid background in drawing, painting, and etc. and he hated his university art classes because they focused on the "message" rather than on mastering classical skills. For computer design, a solid understanding of algebra and geometry are very important. Honestly, building a portfolio of her design work (paper, logo, websites, whatever she's interested in working on) and mastering the standard digital programs (Illustrator, Photoshop)are going to matter so much more than a specific degree. The best designers we know read broadly, have a good grasp of different art and design periods, and know how to communicate ideas with images.

 

Agree with everything Jami said, but especially bold parts. My husband has been in graphic design for over 25 years, he now owns his own ad agency. He quit college and went to an art school. Obviously he began back in the day of marker comps :D Learn as much of the Adobe Creative Suite as possible as deep as possible. He hires interns and their lack of speed is frustrating.

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I agree that the design field is changing so rapidly that the best thing to do is focus on basic background knowledge and skills. Someone suggested learning the Creative Suite software, and if you can afford it, that would be an excellent plan. Lynda.com has some good courses that teach the software. But the software is just a set of tools, and just like knowing how a wrench works doesn't mean you know how to fix plumbing, knowing how software works doesn't mean you know how to design things. I agree that focusing on basic drawing skills and art concepts like composition, line, texture, light, color theory and whatnot is of great value. A good foundation in art history is a definite bonus, because new art does exist in relationship to past art, and the general art "culture" in which it exists, whether the artist is aware of that background and culture or not.

 

As far as high school math and science, I would recommend at least algebra I and II and geometry. Design software does a lot of the math for you these days, but you do still need to understand mathematical principles in order to create solid design work. Science-wise, I think I'd likely focus on gaining a broad knowledge base rather than specializing in one area. A solid understanding of the way things work in the world is useful information for anyone. As a designer, you never know what kind of design you may be asked to produce, or what the subject matter might be, and if you have a basic working knowledge of whatever the subject is, you have a better chance of coming up with an appropriate, or even clever design that plays on some aspect of the subject matter in a way that charms your boss/client. (An example of this that made me giggle a few years back was a tv ad for "quilted" toilet paper in which several motherly cartoon women were seated around a giant square of cartoon toilet paper "quilting" it--but they were using knitting needles and knitting motions, not quilting at all. A basic understanding of the difference between knitting and quilting by ANY ONE of the designers, marketers, or executives that thought up, created, or approved the design would have saved them a lot of embarrassment, not to mention time and money--the ad was later redone showing the women actually quilting instead of tickling the "quilt" with knitting needles.") So understanding a broad range of science (and other) concepts is a very good thing for a designer. However, knowing THAT accelleration can be mathematically calculated, knowing generally what dna is, and that certain chemical properties of substances affect their usefulness in certain ways in various circumstances is probably more important than memorizing specific mathematical and chemical formulae or developing stellar laboratory technique. And most colleges do want applicants to have at least 2-3 years of science.

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My 16yo is looking at graphic design as a career as well. Our community college system offers a 1-yr certificate and a 2-yr associate's degree in graphic design. She is planning to go to a 4-yr college and get a degree. I don't know if she'll go straight to college after high school or if she'll do one year at the cc to finish up the Core Curriculum and then transfer to a 4-yr college.

 

My dd took Drawing I last semester at the cc and is taking Drawing II this semester. She's going to take Digital Imaging I this summer and wants to take Web Design I next schoolyear.

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My husband majored in philosophy and basically taught himself most computer software he needed to know. Most of the designers we know learned from mentors or on their own. He would recommend a solid background in drawing, painting, and etc. and he hated his university art classes because they focused on the "message" rather than on mastering classical skills. For computer design, a solid understanding of algebra and geometry are very important. Honestly, building a portfolio of her design work (paper, logo, websites, whatever she's interested in working on) and mastering the standard digital programs (Illustrator, Photoshop)are going to matter so much more than a specific degree. The best designers we know read broadly, have a good grasp of different art and design periods, and know how to communicate ideas with images.

 

I agree.

 

I am not a designer, but I did work in publishing for a number of years. The very best designers I knew were those who had both strong art skills AND strong computer skills.

 

I remember one designer whose art skills were abysmal--he just couldn't sketch at all, so his rough presentations were hard to follow, and the stages after the roughs often didn't look anything like what we thought they would based on his sketches. He couldn't be fired because he was doing "enough" but no one wanted him in charge of covers for our favorite books/authors.

 

I also have a friend who does NOT have a graphic design degree but built a portfolio doing freelance work abroad. When he emigrated to the US he was able to get a job based on that portfolio. Once in a good company he was able to continue to prove himself and is thriving in his career now, several years later. Do not underestimate the value of a good portfolio (though I still highly recommend a graphic design degree from an art school as that is more the industry standard).

 

One other picky note to keep in mind--as editors we continually had issues with graphic designers and artists who could not seem to keep the details of the book straight. For any fiction work, for example, the editor submitted a thorough description to the designer of the major characters, settings, etc. The editorial description might clearly say a character was blond with a beard but we might get art that showed someone with dark hair and clean-shaven, for example. The moral of the story is to pay careful attention to detail--any commercial art/design whether for marketing, books, or whatever absolutely depends on accurate detail.

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I wouldn't base a high school program on what a 14yo thinks she wants to do as an adult. I'd provide a good all around education regardless of what anyone thinks the future holds. In fact, with my children, I actually require more intensive work in areas that are *not* related to their areas of interest because I'm pretty sure that high school (at home) is going to be the last time those particular subjects get studied.

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I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but I was talking to a friend who was an editor w/TIME magazine. He really liked these classes from CreativeTechs & thought they were better than some others that were more $$. He suggests anyone interested in photography, editing, print journalism get as much computer graphic design experience as possible as that's were the jobs are now.

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