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Majors & Minors
Graphic Design
PROGRAM OVERVIEW The Department of Art and Design helps students develop their artistic and intellectual potential, explore new areas and discover career opportunities. Drake offers both intensive experiences in art and a solid liberal arts education. Students are immersed in a professional art and design environment, develop consummate technical skills and achieve formalistic and conceptual abilities in preparation for a rewarding visual arts career.
The graphic design program prepares graduates to work as professionals. Graduates have mastered a broad range of conceptual, formal and technical skills that allow them to plan and execute the design of visual communications creatively and responsibly. This is achieved through the study of fine art, craftsmanship, and design theory coupled with practical design experiences. The program allows students to develop a personally fulfilling approach to design by focusing on critical thinking and process-oriented design explorations. Students have 24-hour access to advanced computer graphic labs with Internet access and current industry software and hardware. Advanced students have the opportunity to work in professional internships.
FACULTY The Department of Art and Design includes nine full-time faculty; all hold the highest degrees in their field and are practicing designers, artists and scholars. All full-time faculty are engaged in teaching classes from the introductory to advanced levels.
ACADEMIC PREPARATION Students do not have to show a portfolio to be admitted to the design program. However, students must provide evidence of their work to apply for merit scholarships offered by the Department of Art and Design. A scholarship application form that requires applicants to submit digital images of their work is available on the Department of Art and Design Web site.
DEGREE OPTIONS
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in art: This degree recognizes that many students want a graphic design degree in combination with concentrated coursework in an academic field.
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in art: This degree is for students who wish to enter an intensive graphic design program. Professional skills and a personal aesthetic philosophy are achieved by students while concentrating in graphic design. Students must possess an exceptionally strong commitment to their work.
REQUIREMENTS FOR MAJOR The Department's first year program emphasizes fundamental skills in art history, drawing and 2D and 3D design. Students majoring in graphic design have the unique opportunity to minor in a traditional studio area and studio majors may also minor in graphic design. Faculty are accessible and classes are taught in comprehensive studio environments.
The B.F.A. in Graphic Design is a specialized four-year undergraduate program requiring 84 credits, which prepares students specifically in the common body of knowledge and skills required for a career as a graphic designer. It is a professional degree with the majority of credits dedicated to design or design-related course work. Faculty advising directs students to general studies that support their study in design such as mass communication, writing, psychology, sociology, anthropology and business. Beginning with the junior year, the students take part in the B.F.A. reviews that are held at the end of each semester. The senior capstone experience is a senior exhibition or a portfolio presentation.
DRAKE CURRICULUM The Drake Curriculum, required of all undergraduates, is designed to help students meet personal and professional goals as they acquire fundamental knowledge and abilities in ten Areas of Inquiry, including communication, critical thinking, artistic experience, historical consciousness, information and technology literacy, international and multicultural experiences, scientific and quantitative literacy, values and ethics and engaged citizenship. Students work closely with their academic advisers to craft a program of study in general education that prepares students for civic and professional leadership.
The Drake Curriculum also requires first-year seminars, which foster development of critical thinking and written and oral communication skills through a topical focus; and a Senior Capstone, in which students demonstrate the capacity to bring information, skills and ideas to bear on one project.
INTERNSHIPS & OPPORTUNITIES Students have 24-hour access to advanced computer graphic labs with Internet access and current industry software and hardware. Advanced students have the opportunity to work in professional internships.
Many nonprofit organizations and businesses in Des Moines, Iowa's capital, value Drake design majors as high-quality candidates for part-time positions. Design majors are in high demand for producing works for campus organizations, publications and events. Past graphic design internships include positions at Meredith Publishing Corp, David Sayles Graphic Design, KN Integer, Patee Design, Hallmark in Kansas City, Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C., Pentagram in New York, and the AIGA national office.
Drake provides students with many opportunities to engage in art outside the classroom. The Department of Art and Design holds exhibitions of work by students, faculty and invited artists during the school year, including the annual juried Student Art Exhibition.
Facilities in the Harmon Fine Arts Center include the 3,500-square-foot Anderson Gallery. Providing 1,800 square feet of exhibition space, rooms for handling and storing works of art, and a reception lobby, the Anderson Gallery is an exciting showcase for work by visiting artists, students and faculty. Annual assistantships are available through the gallery, providing students with a unique opportunity for hands-on experience in gallery management. Students also have the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with exhibiting artists from around the country. The Anderson Gallery is a visible and vital member of the Des Moines art community, attracting local and national visitors.
Adjacent to the Anderson Gallery is the Weeks Gallery, providing an additional 1,000 square feet of exhibition space. The Weeks Gallery is exclusively reserved for student exhibitions, from senior thesis shows to group shows by the student-led Art Club. Nationally and internationally recognized artists and other visual arts professionals come to campus each year to give lectures and workshops. In addition, field trips allow students to observe major collections and exhibitions in such cities as Chicago and Kansas City. Drake students also take advantage of the exhibitions and lectures offered by the Des Moines Art Center, internationally recognized for its collection of 20th century works of art.
CAREER OPTIONS Graphic Designer/Art Director/Creative Director for advertising agency, design studio, broadcast and film industry; Staff Designer for internal office of corporate, museum, educational or government agency, department store, newspapers; Package Designer; Environmental Graphics Designer; Interaction Designer - Web site and CD-ROM development and Book Covers; Publications Designer - books, magazines, trade publications and book covers; Freelance Designer; Illustration – Freelance; Staff position with magazine, newspaper, ad and design agencies, museums; Book, Poster, visuals for packaging, Greeting Cards; Computer Graphics specialist—Combination of computer graphics knowledge, design and media experience for positions in video/film studios.
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS AND ACTIVITIES Students benefit from activities with local and national professional organizations, such as the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Art Directors Association of Iowa.