(no subject)
I am currently attending Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas. It's a small university but I got a full ride scholarship, so being poor, I accepted. I am majoring in Commercial Graphics, which is supposedly a design based degree, but the farther I get into it (well I'm graduating in May) the more I see that it's mainly a technical degree. I honestly have not gotten any feedback on how my work is, where I can improve, etc. The program is truly geared toward jobs in the printing industry (even though most of the classes are not over anything related to printing and the program description didn't mention printing that much).
So far this is what I've learned:
I really don't think I have much that I could put in a portfolio right now. Actually nothing. I know that I should just make up projects and work on them, but I don't really know how to improve upon the things I make. I have a really hard time figuring out WHAT is wrong. It is obvious to me that something is wrong, but the details are hard for me to grasp. Also I think that I just don't really have a good grasp on what makes a strong design and how to achieve that. I need help, but I honestly don't know anyone in the department that could help.
I guess I'm just looking for advice. I'm currently reading as many design books as I can get my hands on, and I'm going to work on some portfolio projects over Christmas break, but I don't really know what direction I should go in. I will be doing an internship this summer, which should help with the job finding, but at this point I can't even apply for internships without a portfolio. What should I be doing right now? How can I make the most out of this situation. My diploma is almost in hand, so it's not like I would transfer schools or anything.
So far this is what I've learned:
- a strong understanding of all the basic design programs (Adobe CS3, Quark, some Macromedia programs)
- a pretty good technical understanding of photography
- a pretty good understanding of all major printing processes
- a very good understanding of offset lithography
- a good understanding of pre-press and how to prepare strong files
I really don't think I have much that I could put in a portfolio right now. Actually nothing. I know that I should just make up projects and work on them, but I don't really know how to improve upon the things I make. I have a really hard time figuring out WHAT is wrong. It is obvious to me that something is wrong, but the details are hard for me to grasp. Also I think that I just don't really have a good grasp on what makes a strong design and how to achieve that. I need help, but I honestly don't know anyone in the department that could help.
I guess I'm just looking for advice. I'm currently reading as many design books as I can get my hands on, and I'm going to work on some portfolio projects over Christmas break, but I don't really know what direction I should go in. I will be doing an internship this summer, which should help with the job finding, but at this point I can't even apply for internships without a portfolio. What should I be doing right now? How can I make the most out of this situation. My diploma is almost in hand, so it's not like I would transfer schools or anything.