Advising is done during my scheduled office hours as indicated on the Schedule page. Scheduling for advising sessions before pre-registration is done on line at Google Documents. A link will be posted here at that time.

I welcome any design concentration students to meet for advising, even if I'm not the assigned advisor. Advisees must bring to the meeting an up-to-date curriculum sheet and a proposed schedule (as much as you can).

I'm unable to lift advising holds without meeting with students nor will I schedule sessions via e-mail or telephone.

About our program:
Graphic design is the signal contemporary creative discipline in our culture—our most current art form. Graphic design is the first contact we have with visual art of any kind, making it the ultimate intermediary and definer. To engage art, literature, information, or any representation in print or on screen, we must pass through graphic design and its means. Residing at the intersection of culture and commerce, its activity is distinctly modern, evolving from and utilizing the most advanced methods of production and distribution.

While commonly described in terms of its commercial artifacts—e.g. packaging, advertising, logos, brochures, web sites—graphic design is best explained as a process of representation (form-giving) arising out of the opportunities offered by modern technologies, and the practical, cultural, and economic demands of society.

The Studio Art concentration in Graphic Design addresses the broad spectrum of graphic design activity. Students may pursue the aspect of the discipline that most suits their interests and abilities, from personal investigations to commercial applications. Particular emphasis is given in all courses to conceptualization and craft. Designers must be articulate in what they are making and why—then have the ability (technical proficiency and resources) to realize their ideas. Students in the program are instructed toward a heightened level of achievement in the unique skills of design, such as typography. A baseline knowledge of relevant analog and digital technology is also provided.

Curriculum:
The graphic design curriculum is a sequential program that introduces students to the discipline through discussion and production of the common, popular expression of the field. Initial assignments address basic concepts of how form and concept interrelate and operate in culture. In addition to instructing students on the production of individual works, courses expose them to the breadth of available directions and applications of graphic design. As students advance, projects increase in complexity, and greater responsibility is placed on students to determine the content of individual works and the specific area of graphic design they intend to specialize in. Elective courses provide in depth study of specialized areas of graphic design and studio-based investigation of graphic design history and theory.

All students must pass a continuancy review in the first year of concentration study to advance in the program. This review examines the entirety of the student’s accomplishment in the Studio Art major through a portfolio review that includes a designated design project and a short essay.