Hello! Graphic design master degree?

matteobaratella

New Member
Hello I’m new on the forum !
I’m studying Product Design in Italy and I would like to specialize in Graphic Design.
I was thinking to get a master degree in Digital Arts and Publications and in Web Designing.

I would like to make you a little interview:
  1. In which country you work?
  2. How is your daily job as a graphic design? And your week?
  3. Which are your personal suggestions to a student for the future in this working field?
  4. Are there some Design master degree which you think would be very innovative and requested in the future?
  5. If (one day) my portfolio will be very good, will the master degree I wrote up there help me to get into the contemporary Graphic Design working enviroment?
  6. Where do Graphic Designers usually work? Comapanies, art and design colletives, at home (freelance)… and?
  7. Do you personally think there are more job opportunities as a PRODUCT designer or as a GRAPHIC designer?
  8. Do you know some very good innovative master degree?
  9. Do you know some professionals or students I could speak personally with?
Thank you very much for your replies I will be very happy to get all your thoughts about from everybody: professionals and not. You can even answer to some of the questions if you have answers for all… well you are a genius :)
Have a nice day!
 
1: Ireland

2: Get jobs in - do them - get paid - rinse and repeat

3: Annecdote: Twice in my early career I was told my design was not good enough to send to a client, and TWICE I ingored the "advice" and sent it anyway - and TWICE they loved it - BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

4: Nope - train in the basics and some advanced things - but teach yourself on the way, there's never a day that goes by that you shouldn't learn something new, even years after finishing your training

5: Probably - it wouldn't impress me - had an interview with a guy from a prestigious art school. A beautiful designed poster was in the portfolio, when asked how long he had to do the poster he told us 4 years... which we asked could it do it in 4 hours, and he said no way. That was end of that interview.

6: Web/Video/Audio/Print/Design/In House/Signage/ anywhere that print or digital media can be created - a graphic design career can range from anything to do with printing postage stamps to designing the phone book to desigining an artbook - to making videos, computer games etc.

7: Product designers is a different role altogether - they should work in tangent

8: I don't know any master degree personally...

9: You should check out local schools/universities/colleges/print/web/design places in your area.
 
A degree won't get you a job. A great (and diverse) portfolio and proven track record will.
 
Thank you very much for the answers.. I'm understanding that: academic basics are good but not enough + the most important things are personal experiences and achivements (by my own or in a "company"). Right?
 
Thank you very much for the answers.. I'm understanding that: academic basics are good but not enough + the most important things are personal experiences and achivements (by my own or in a "company"). Right?

I think the level of education would get your foot in the door to start with or even at a better company but after that then I think portfolio and experience soon take over.
Apart from my first roles I don't think I was ever judged on my education but then I'm a freelancer now so nobody gives a stuff anyway. ;)
 
I think the level of education would get your foot in the door to start with or even at a better company but after that then I think portfolio and experience soon take over.
Apart from my first roles I don't think I was ever judged on my education but then I'm a freelancer now so nobody gives a stuff anyway. ;)
Ok good to know!! I got it thank you very much ;)
 
As someone who studied product design (the designing new items for manufacture version not the interface design which now for some stupid reason uses the same name) at uni I can say with 100% certainty that crossing over to purely graphic design isn't going to be that easy unless you've covered a lot of the basics before hand.

While product design does utilise graphic design for the presentation of the work we do, it doesn't cover anywhere near the full spectrum of graphic design skills.


As to product or graphic design has more job options out there... I say become a plumber or electrician, they're supposedly the only jobs that aren't going to be taken by our AI overlords... and yes I am being serious about going into these jobs over design.
In all honesty both fields are incredibly oversaturated with people wanting to do it for a living, the companies out there can basically pick and chose whoever they want and that will ALWAYS be the best option for the least money when you come out of uni. It's made all the worse when people associate graphic design with 'owning photoshop' and expect people to do the work for free because it will look good in our portfolios or that they only have to pay if they like the end result... the sad thing is some people, usually amateurs with no training etc, actually do work like this and this basically causes issues for those of us who actually take the job seriously.

You NEVER get people asking plumbers/electricians if they're ok with getting paid if we like the end result of the piping or wiring... but it seems it's perfectly acceptable if you're wanting your business branding done etc...
 
I know someone who has a graphic design degree and they spend most of their time doing menu boards in pubs and working at Tesco. As @Levi suggested, many small businesses now get their imagery done on <<removed>> and other freelancer sites for a cheap as possible.

Consider also that many people don't want a graphic designer, they want websites, brochures, packaging, labels and so on. That's what they search google for.
 
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Here I translated the programs of the courses I am interested in. I guess the most complete is the last one and it answers better to the facts you told me before: have practical experience, "companies wants websites, brochures, packaging, labels..", teach yourself, make a good portfolio.
I guess it answers better all the contemporary needs of digital publications.

(Every bold title is a different course, the titles with same color are from the same school).

Motion graphic design: (8 months, around 4000 Euro)
01 Special effects and videos: 2D project, Adobe After Effects, Creativity and graphic design applied to motion, Typography, Sound design, Script and audiovisual language, Storyboard and animatics, Camera and lighting, Traditional animation, The science of presentations

02 Modeling and texturing: 3D project, Maxon Cinema4D, Sound design, 3D modeling and texturing

03 Introduction to mapping: Fundamentals and environment of mapping, Mapping: the project, Sound design, Interactive visual installations, Entrepreneurship and business opportunities

Art direction and graphic projects developer: (8 months, around 4000 Euro)
01 Corporate Visual Identity & Branding and Production Management:
Introductory Preview: Creation process, Identity Graphic systems, Naming, The science of presentations.
Conceptualization, construction and development: Art direction, The idea and synthesis, The management and creation of a brand, Branding and strategy
Project: corporate visual identity and branding, Approach, execution and standardization of the project. Individual creation of a complete system of corporate visual identity under specific parameters and specific communicative constraints.

02 Editorial graphics and approximation to typographic management and creation: Introductory preface, Visual communication, Visual culture, geometry and color, Caligraphy and lettering, Stroke and letter
Production of an editorial identity: Typography, Collection identity, Graphic arts and printing, Cover policies and editorial style
Project: design of publications and structures: Approach, execution and standardization of the quarterly project: design of publications and structures.

03 Comprehensive graphic campaign and visual disciplines: Introductory Preview, Creativity, Communication Techniques, Graphic Campaign, Visual Disciplines.
Information visualization, Infographics, Data visualization. Design for digital media, Interactive art direction
Integral project: creativity applied to communication techniques
Approach, execution and standardization of a comprehensive graphic project: creativity applied to communication techniques

WEB Design course: (short course, IDK price)
Planning and development of web projects.
Editing web pages with Dreamweaver CC and HTML.
Web design with CSS styles.
Web design with HTML5 and CSS3.
Programming with Javascript, Ajax and JQuery.
Introduction to website optimization through SEO.


Master in Advanced Graphic and WEB design: (less than 8 months, 3000 euro)
THE GRAPHIC INDUSTRY: Pre-press, Photomechanics, Photocomposition, Auto-editing, Filming, Printing.

PREPARATION: Color separations, Flat Inks, Bitmaps, Inkplays and Dedicated programs, Color Correction, Overprint

IMAGE: Imaging, Photomonics, Drum Scanner, Flat Scanner, Digital Camera, Image on computer, Information on an image, Color modes, Black and white, Grayscale, RGB, CMYK, Color on screen, Additive synthesis, Subtle synthesis, Color range, Most frequent formats, TIFF, EPS, JPEG, Color depth, Color quantity, Number of bits, Defective elimination, Image processing, Basics, Input resolution, Output resolution, Frames angle, Point shape

PDF creation

FINAL PRE-PRINTING PROCESSES, Work Output, Computer Output, Inkjet Printer, Laser Printers, Sublimation Printers, Film Shredders, Iron Shredders, (CTP) Material Processing, Photographic, Photographic Equipment, Systems of Taxation deposits, Test systems, Stages of the productive process

PRINTING: paper, paper pulp, paper making, paper characteristics, types of paper, ink, ink composition, ink characteristics, ink drying

PRINTING SYSTEMS: Offset, Definition, Reproduction, Advantages and Disadvantages, Gravure, Definition, Printer Form, Reproduction, Advantages and Disadvantages.
Screen printing, Definition, The screen, Reproduction, Benefits and disadvantages.
Flexography, Definition, Photopolymer, Reproduction, Advantages and disadvantages.
Digital, advantages and disadvantages.

FINISHES, UVI lacquer, Plastified, Split, Dry blow.
Parts of the book
QUALITY CONTROL: Photolithic testing, Stamping / Knit gauging, Fiber direction, Ink repainting, Ink shaking, Printing mud.

Introduction to Web Design, HTML + CSS course, HTML 5 Animation Course
Fundamentals web design
Color
Typography
Usability
HTML5
Advanced CSS Styles
Semantic tags
Audio / Video Tags
CSS3 News
Online Banners Campaign
Complex menus
Animations with Css
Use of non-standard typefaces
Design of mailing, newsletter, landing pages
Publication of a web project
Corporate website HTML + CSS
Publish a web project
Javascript / jquery resources (Galleries, effects, sliders ...)
Contact forms with PHP
Web design for touch devices: Smartphone / Tablet
Responsive Web Design
Bootstrap
Flexible boxes with display: flex
Adobe Brackets / Sublime Text

Introduction to WordPress
What is a CMS
Installation
Create content
Tickets, categories and labels
pages
Menus
Sidebar and Widgets
Customization of Templates with Css
Installation and use of essential Plugins
Online store with plugin: Woocommerce
Users
Adjustments
Migration


P.S. Sorry if some parts of the text are not really well transleted.
 
Uni course pages are usually pretty vague but in all honesty that sounds more like a jack of all trades, master of none set of degrees from reading that.... most of them are 'introductions' to the topic.

And there is no way that in 8 months you'll be at any competent level when it comes the first one with 3D and motion graphics imo.
 
Uni course pages are usually pretty vague but in all honesty that sounds more like a jack of all trades, master of none set of degrees from reading that.... most of them are 'introductions' to the topic.

And there is no way that in 8 months you'll be at any competent level when it comes the first one with 3D and motion graphics imo.

Yes it seems to me as well but anyway even during my 3 years Product Design degree they just introduced us to all the softwares and after they just left us using them to develop personal projects. I'am used to that way :) but I agree that it seems too short..
 
Planning and development of web projects.
Editing web pages with Dreamweaver CC and HTML.
Web design with CSS styles.
Web design with HTML5 and CSS3.
Programming with Javascript, Ajax and JQuery.
Introduction to website optimization through SEO.

Introduction to Web Design, HTML + CSS course, HTML 5 Animation Course
Fundamentals web design
Color
Typography
Usability
HTML5
Advanced CSS Styles
Semantic tags
Audio / Video Tags
CSS3 News
Online Banners Campaign
Complex menus
Animations with Css
Use of non-standard typefaces
Design of mailing, newsletter, landing pages
Publication of a web project
Corporate website HTML + CSS
Publish a web project
Javascript / jquery resources (Galleries, effects, sliders ...)
Contact forms with PHP
Web design for touch devices: Smartphone / Tablet
Responsive Web Design
Bootstrap
Flexible boxes with display: flex
Adobe Brackets / Sublime Text

Introduction to WordPress
What is a CMS
Installation
Create content
Tickets, categories and labels
pages
Menus
Sidebar and Widgets
Customization of Templates with Css
Installation and use of essential Plugins
Online store with plugin: Woocommerce
Users
Adjustments
Migration
Do you want to be a graphic designer or a web developer?

Very few of the things in those course will be much use to you. And in any case most of it is irrelevant and is some areas just plain wrong.
 
Do you want to be a graphic designer or a web developer?

Very few of the things in those course will be much use to you. And in any case most of it is irrelevant and is some areas just plain wrong.

Both if I have the opportunity.
There are some words in the translation which probrably didn't quite well translate.
Like what you think would be irrelevant?
 
Because websites aren't built that way anymore. You have front and and back end developers and full stack developers. Pretty much everything is built using a CMS and most of the functionality uses Javascript. Content creation is a specialist skills as is SEO. Bootstrap is less relevant now and flexbox is very limited. I could go on.

If you want to build sites for small businesses you don't need a course. You can learn everything you need to know by building sites. Choose a platform you want to specilize in and start experimenting. You will find there is very little graphic design needed at all, it's mostly PHP/JS plus CSS.
 
Because websites aren't built that way anymore. You have front and and back end developers and full stack developers. Pretty much everything is built using a CMS and most of the functionality uses Javascript. Content creation is a specialist skills as is SEO. Bootstrap is less relevant now and flexbox is very limited. I could go on.

If you want to build sites for small businesses you don't need a course. You can learn everything you need to know by building sites. Choose a platform you want to specilize in and start experimenting. You will find there is very little graphic design needed at all, it's mostly PHP/JS plus CSS.

Ok thank you very much!!
 
Consider this. A client contacts you asking about a website. You would enter discussions about the aim of the site, marketing plans, target customers and so on. You would build a wireframe showing the site structure and some basic page layouts. The content would be curated, images chosen and calls to actions agreed upon. You can then look at menu structures and other components. Once all this is done you can do the CSS to make it look pretty.

An effective website is not built by creating some layout in Photoshop or whatever then trying to make the content fit.
 
We had situation arise this year with an application from a student that had studied art years ago, had other educational pursuits in the meantime, and ultimately decided she wanted a MFA in design. As a faculty, we decided due to the lack of fundamental design knowledge to admit her as an undergrad, allow her to take a variety of design classes for a year, and then re-evaluate her MFA application at the end of the second semester. There is no guarantee that she will be admitted in our masters program, but her willingness to learn the fundamentals of design first shows a commitment to her education and the profession she wishes to pursue.

Link removed – Mod
 
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