<p>Hi~ I'm a senior in highschool, and I want to go into design. I've always been interested in art ever since I was born. I've always been known for art too :)~ I used to like drawing, but somehow I lost interest in it throughout the years (maybe I got too caught up in academics). But my creativity still lives! I like to come up with novel ideas about things and I'm usually very curious about the strange and the abstract. I often come up with "answerless" questions, "why this.. and not that.." I say.. I'm very curious and/or maybe I'm just bored :D~ I love to admire beautiful art, design, etc. and I sometimes "study" them by staring at them for a long time XD. I'm a perfectionist and I usually follow all the rules (school rules?).. haha. Im kinda scared of making mistakes.. Can't really endure criticism..which is not so good, I know :(. So.. I tend to do things for a real long time so that I can get it to be perfect. Even though I get all the job done (i usually get caught up in work), i don't like doing work XD (lazy..) I like to have a lot of time for myself and have fun. If I'm on the computer, I would edit my photos with photoshop and make them look pretty and artistic~:D and it makes me feel good. But I don't want to do graphic design or photography since it's "ubiquitous" and the job competition is too high. I'm afraid of the high possibility I might come out as a hungry designer :( I'm pretty concerned with survival in the real world (hah). wow.. that was long..XP hmm.. yeah, so what type of design do you think suits me best?</p>
<p>Have you looked at Industrial Design? Its very 3D oriented and i don't know if you like that but its an interesting field. I my self and doing architecture. Illustration is another option if you really love drawing and painting. Its too is a competative field but most design is. Have you applied to colleges or picked colleges to apply to yet?</p>
<p>Have you considered interior design? Below is a link to a good explanation of what an interior design career is. </p>
<p>Have you considered Graphic Design or one of the up and coming programs in New Media/ Digital Design? Of course, you also have Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Design, and, as mentioned above, Industrial Design. Another interested field is Transportation Design.</p>
<p>My daughter is something like you, including paying attention to detail. She "thinks" in 3D, which allows her to see how things are put together or might be composed in ways that many other artists cannot readily do. She tended to turn her highschool English and other projects into displays and designs of one kind or another, along with the narratives or stories. But she also has very good math skills. So what to major in when she went to college?</p>
<p>End result: she majored in industrial design. But -- and this is important -- her range of skills, including strong drawing ability, gives her a background and versatility that increases her options on the market. So she's now doing work that involves both graphic design and industrial design. And she could readily do "illustration." She also loves to design jewelry (and has taken a couple of courses even after finishing college).</p>
<p>So here's my best advice. Enter a school/program with a very strong foundation year in 3D, 2D, drawing, color -- as well as technical use of computers. And let nature take its course: choose your major in a year or two as you learn more about your skills and interests, as well as the possibilities in different applied fields. In my daughter's case her first tentative decision was to major in illustration (which you might add to your list) but the instructor in her first course in illustration told her that "she gets" this major and can always come back to it, and encouraged her to do 3-D work, and so she chose industrial design (ID) and also took several courses that supported her interest in environmental design/green design.</p>
<p>If you really consider yourself "lazy", you may not want to consider any design field at all, as they are fairly demanding.</p>
<p>what jkolko is true but it doesn't sound to me like you really are lazy...if you get caught up in your work ( and like it) a studio program would be great. I like studio life...even if you don't always get to sleep : )</p>
<p>I suggest taking an aptitude test. The Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation is extremely thorough and reputable. The testing takes two days and they will provide you with a report that compares your aptitudes (innate abilities) with profiles of successful AND happy professionals. They do test for aptitudes in memory for design as well as 3-d structural visualization which would be of interest to you. They may also uncover some you didn't know you possessed. As a result of mine, I discovered a knack for jewelry design. It does cost a good amount, but if you are preparing to spend mega-dollars on a college education the results can help you make the right decision.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.jocrf.org%5B/url%5D">http://www.jocrf.org</a></p>
<p>Mackinaw provides excellent advice and most college programs begin with a year in foundations studies which will allow you to sort through your interests as well. Also, you will never go hungry in graphic design if you have a lick of skill and talent. Photography requires a good deal more hustle in my opinion. ID is a cool field if you have aptitudes in 3-D and enjoy working with software as well as model-building perhaps although they now use 3-D resin or wax printers I believe for output.</p>
<p>Does your HS have a shadow program where you can spend the day with one or more types of designers to see what they actually do? My d was supposed to do that senior yr but had mono and couldn't do it. </p>
<p>My d is a freshman at RIT and the design students take the same foundation courses freshman yr (new media takes most of the same classes with a few exceptions). All School of Design students attend the same hour long class (all qtr long) where different types of designers speak about their type of work. Sorry I don't have more details and maybe all schools do this; I think it's a great idea because this may open the eyes of some students to other fields than previously considered. I wouldn't be surprised if my d changes her mind. Unlike some students, she's had limited "design" experience (mostly just GD). She's living with industrial design majors, new media majors, interior design majors, graphic design majors, illustration majors and animation/film majors. She may "see" things differently as time goes by.</p>