What course am I looking for?

Blue_Seas

Hey all, hope this is posted in the right place. In short, I am lost as to what I'd like to do when I finish my Leaving Cert. and start college. I'm going to apply to an art college but in all honesty I don't know what course... at first I thought Fine Art, because I want to learn how to create images and work with colour.

After that I was looking for something that also used photography as I began to gain an interest in it, so Visual Communications looked good. However, from what I've gathered this is Graphic Design based. I would enjoy learning about Typography and different shapes and all that but it's just not as interesting to me as other things.

I enjoy life drawing a lot, and the use of colour and light fascinates me. I enjoy looking at good photographs and one thing that really put me off Fine Art was the prospect of Art History... I'd much rather study the history of Photography, but careers wise? I'm wondering whether I'd enjoy Art Direction. I don't really know what's out there once I finish college, career-wise.


Basically, if anyone can understand all that, I'm not sure what course would suit me best. I live in Dublin, in 5th year currently and I could have a career in Photography if I enjoyed it. Yet I'd like to learn how to create drawn images, illustrate things.

In short: I'm LOST!

flanree

When I was in fifth year our Art teacher took us into NCAD to look around and talk to the faculty heads about what each faculty/course covers. This is well worthwhile, you should suggest this if you are doing Art for the leaving.

hamstercrusher

Well, some art colleges such as NCAD do a core year in the first year which is where you get to try a bit of everything so you can figure out exactly where you want to go from there. The main thing that you need to start working on at the moment is your portfolio as that will be your key to getting into any of these places, without a good one your not going anywhere. And in a portfolio there would be a mixture of all things to show your broad range.

As picking a course as to what you may be able to work in afterwards there are supposedly more marketable skills like design or photography, but, as we all know, its a gamble no matter what we do as to wether we will have a job at the end of it or not.

I went straight from school to do animation, but, I didn't make it past first year. So, I went back and did a portfolio course out in Stillorgan. I did it backwards but I have to say this by far is the best thing to do. In the portfolio course you basically do a core year like NCAD, but you get to figure out what you like or don't like and the lecturers are helpful in directing you.

From doing this I ended up doing a degree in Design which I loved, and took awhile but I'm working away at it. So, thats my two cents, if you really are that lost, put together your portfolio, and try for a portfolio course where it'll give you time to figure out what you do and don't like. It'll also ease you into the way college works, which is completely different to school. Looking back I wish I had done it that way first, but sure it all worked out in the end :cool:

Hope that helps a little.

FlashD

OP, just reading through your post. You don't sound lost at all to me. It's great that you're on here looking for advice. Way ahead of the curve.

A plus for you is that you already know what area of study you are interested...'Design'. Many 5th year and LC students can't even figure this much out...a general area in which they would like to work.

You seem to have a lot of different interests in design and I think this is normal too. Like the previous poster says, there are art degrees that start off with broad range of subjects and you start to narrow this down as you work out what you are interested in, so maybe a degree course like this may suit you.

I spent over 12 years working in Architecture and i'm now studying Graphic design and Illustration. Looking through different students work I can see where each one has a focus for their communication. Some focus on drawing, painting or photography for their image, others focus on typography to communicate.

I think once you begin a course and start working through the modules you will naturally find out what interests you most and concentrate more on that.

Blue_Seas

Thanks for all the help! I guess Design is the field that I'm looking for Now I just have to figure out my courses and the subsequent career options! DIT and IADT both look good for Visual Communications, although I don't really know what other Graphic Design careers entail. All I do know is that they both do photography which I'd like to have a go at!

Does anyone have any information on other course options?

DHennessy

im currently in WIT in my final year of Visual Communications, i like it. its a good course but i would say you might be better off going to one of the dublin colleges because i think there you will learn more media and digital based stuff.
at times in my course ive felt like i was wasting my time there, for most of first year it was like being on blue peter with all the art and craft stuff we did, i felt we could have spent more time on learning technical stuff. ive heard the dublin courses are better for this.

Blue_Seas

Thanks for the reply. I am sincerely hoping there will be a lot of technical learning, I believe that's where the industry is headed and I'd like to be taught as much as possible in that regard

p

Blue_Seas wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. I am sincerely hoping there will be a lot of technical learning, I believe that's where the industry is headed and I'd like to be taught as much as possible in that regard.

Technical knowledge is good, and way too many good designers ignore digital & web skills especially which is a waste, however, they're easier to acquire in your own time, so in college focus on core design skills (or equivalent photography skills) such as typography, layout, composition, illustration etc.... as those are core skills that will stick with you your entire career, whereas technical skills, while important, are the icing on the cake.

Blue_Seas

p wrote: »

Technical knowledge is good, and way too many good designers ignore digital & web skills especially which is a waste, however, they're easier to acquire in your own time, so in college focus on core design skills (or equivalent photography skills) such as typography, layout, composition, illustration etc.... as those are core skills that will stick with you your entire career, whereas technical skills, while important, are the icing on the cake.

http://www.iadt.ie/en/ProspectiveStudents/SchoolsCourses/SchoolofCreativeArts/BAHonsinVisualCommunicationDesignDL043/#d.en.1956
That's why I was looking in to IADT, their Visual Comminucations course ^^^ does web design and HTML/CSS, as well as storyboarding and some animation.

However, in DIT there seems to be more photography going on? I don't know where I got this idea though, just that a Visual Communications student there won a photography award a while back.

EDIT: Saw that IADT do an elective in 2nd year for Photography. So I need to keep researching it seems :P

FlashD

The industry is creative not technical and it will always be like this, everything starts with a creative idea.

The technical side of things are just tools to communicate your ideas.

Learning to be creative and to communicate your ideas in your own style whatever that medium (paint, pencil, digital, photography, typography etc) are more important than any technical skills. Technical skills can always be improved upon later.

padraig_croke

hey man.
I was in your position when i left school, knew that i wanted to do something creative but i didnt know how to get a job doing something I love. i applied for Vis Com in IADT, not really knowing what i was getting myself in to. I now have 9 months left of college and i can honestly tell you its the best thing i could possible have done. Graphic Design, (or vis com) allows you to work the way you want to. of course you will have to learn technical things like HTML, photoshop and illustrator, after effects, traditional screen printing, dark room developing of your own photographs, typographic rules etc! however by the end of your second year and on into 3rd year you will be able to work in your own style. in
like you, i love working with imagery and photography, as well as video and motion. i recently did a website for a charity for people with learning difficulties. and sure alot of the work was in the HTML, but the photos i took were the key element to the website, and thats just one example.
take it from me, if you're like me, which it sounds like you are, then do Vis Com, and do it in IADT not NCAD! we are known for having a higher standard in Graphic Design than any other IT or college in the country.
hope this helps

Blue_Seas

Thank you for the input! It really does help a lot Luckily I don't have to decide right now, just starting on a portfolio and I'll keep working. Hopefully everything will soon become clear as day!

squareballoon

I was in the same position as you and knew that I wanted to do art but not sure what course. I did a portfolio year (sallynoggin) and during that year we visited the art collages. I thought animation in DunLaoghaire looked most interesting so I went for that.
After I completed the course I started work animating for computer games, then started 3d modelling as games started heading that way. After 5 years I got a job doing 3D modelling and graphic design learning as I went along. 11 years ago I set up as a freelancer doing design/3dmodelling/illustration and then in 2007 starting teaching myself photography. Now I work (still for myself) as a photographer and illustrator.
If you're creative you will figure your way and there's always the option of changing course once you're in college.