<p>Im a Junior in HS and im very interested in Graphic Design. Well I've did some research online and went to college fairs but still haven't made my decision on which school to attend. I have a few schools in mind: Acadamy of Art University, Art Institute of California. I was wondering the differences between Acadamy of Art University and Art Institute of California. If someone could tell me the good/bad things about each school would be helpful. Also are these two schools mainly made up of grad students and a small ammount of undergrads? Will going to a UC or State for undergrad and going to one of these Art Schools for your grad be better than going to an Art School right out of HS?</p>
<p>I don't know much about those two art schools you've mentioned, but I do know that Art Center and Cal Arts are good for graphic design. As for UC's and State schools, don't expect their art programs to match up to an art school's...but universities have that option where you can study beyond your major. So it's really what you want out of your college experience, and how serious you are about pursuing your art.</p>
<p>I've heard good things about Cal Arts.</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>Acadamy of Art University v. Art Institute of California
anyone?</p>
<p>//I've heard good things about Cal Arts.//</p>
<p>i went to the site, looked like they had a stong performing arts program.</p>
<p>Art Center looked nice... but r these schools Better than Acadamy of Art University and Art Institute of Cali?</p>
<p>I think so. Art Center definately. It's one of the top art schools in the nation. As for Southern California, Art Center, Cal Arts, and Otis are the top 3.</p>
<p>art center is better than academy and art instute of cali. without a doubt
other art schools are california college of art in design and otis college of art & Design.</p>
<p>For what it's worth, US News ranks graphic design programs as follows. All of these have numerous undergraduate courses in graphic design, within their BA or BFA programs, except possibly Cranbrook.</p>
<p>1.Rhode Island School of Design </p>
<p>2.Yale</p>
<p>3.Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan </p>
<p>4.Art Center College of Design in CA </p>
<p>5.Virginia Commonwealth University</p>
<ol>
<li><p>CMU in Pittsburgh </p></li>
<li><p>North Carolina State University </p></li>
<li><p>Univ of Illinois </p></li>
<li><p>Pratt Institute in NY </p></li>
<li><p>School of Visual Arts</p></li>
</ol>
<p>art institute & academy of art are nowhere near art center & calarts in terms of quality.</p>
<p>If you're going to go into Graphic Design, I strongly suggest that you head to Pasadena Art Center. Over the past couple months, I visited a couple of Art Schools that I was interested in. I'd say Art Center is the best way to go (it has SO MANY connections to big companies, like Mercedes or Roxy) and the emphasis on graphic design there is so strong (although, MANY of the students that come from there have a distinct, yet similar style). SF Academy of Art University, CAL Arts and OTIS had a weaker Graphic Design emphasis IMO.</p>
<p>taskinlude89, i see. How would you rank these three: AAU, Cal Arts, and OTIS?</p>
<p>*off topic- are you a shoe head? lol</p>
<p>Art Center is an amazing place for design majors and has close ties to industry professionals. However, it does not provide a "traditional college experience", i.e., there are no dorms, average age of student is 23. CalArts has a great reputation overall, but not sure how it's rated for Graphic Design specifically. Be sure to visit Art Center. The student gallery is unbelievable.</p>
<p>calarts is also pretty wellknown for graphic design.. they also share a lot of faculty with art center. calarts is more of the college experience of the two though. also, calarts has ed fella, jeff keedy, and lorraine wild on faculty for graphic design, who are all very well known.</p>
<p>On terms of graphic design, this is how I'd rank them....</p>
<p>1- Pasadena Art Center
2- CAL Arts
3- OTIS</p>
<p>Academy of Art = ??? (I haven't gotten to see enough graphic design work from them to really compare them).</p>
<p>I'm starting continuing education courses at OTIS on wednesday, so I'll be sure to update you with any impressions I get from that (although it's obviously different than going full-time).</p>
<p>otis is a very good school. what turned me off from them however was my encounter with one of their admissions person at national portfolio day.</p>
<p>unlike the adrep from california college of art, the girl from otis told me how their school simply do art for art's sake and they don't really need to have meaning or something along those lines. while experimentation is good and all and probably suits certain people, i definitely did not agree with their philosophy. </p>
<p>and to comment on art center, i whole heartedly agree with the designation of it being one of the best schools in california. i met the adrep once again at national portfolio day she just epitomizes cool. lol. unlike other adreps there, she meticulously looked at each one of my pieces and asked me the most in-depth questions out of all the reps there. she was well-versed and the questions she asked were something i didn't really consider. </p>
<p>definitely pursuaded me that if the adreps are that knowledgeable in design, then i wonder how the teachers are? </p>
<p>heard good things about calarts as well though i have never meet a rep or visited them so i cannot comment. </p>
<p>but i would suggest visiting with the schools, talking one-on-one with them because you realize how each school might suit / or might not suit to your personality.</p>
<p>each of them have different traits, you just have to figure out which one best suits your style.</p>
<p>was the adrep from otis some lady with glasses who looks still kind of young and dresses casual? if that's who you're talking about, i'd have to say that i didn't really like her either once when she was doing a presentation on the school. she had no social skills whatsoever.</p>
<p>however i'm surprised by what she said, because as far as what i know otis is not afraid to let you know that they shy away from the more artistic and creative freedom and push commercial success in terms of design.</p>
<p>Yes, I believe she was. I wasn't much impressed by talking to her, even though I know many talented people that can vouch that Otis is a good school. But it just didn't feel right. It seemed as if their direction was totally different from what I wanted to go into. But maybe I was just malinformed and possibly just met the wrong adrep?</p>
<p>Just adding to the comments regarding the adreps at Otis. My D visited Otis, had a portfolio review, and toured the facilities. The adrep seemed to be "going through the motions", and wasn't very enthusiastic about anything. Those first encounters with a college are critical. We visited Art Center next, and it was a completely different experience. The adrep was positive, professional, and took the time to ask lots of questions. Needless to say, Otis went to the bottom of the list.</p>
<p>The only arts school that I've had experience with is CalArts, but I don't know about it in the context of a graphic design program. I went to a summer program there, and know a few students. The students themselves are extremely interesting.</p>