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Atlanta Art Schools
by Carol Badaracco Padgett
There was a time when advertising wasn't taught so much as it was observed. Young people who showed promise were usually given some menial entry-level job. They nibbled around the edges of the creative discipline they were interested in until one day they were thrown a scrap to work on. If successful, they were given progressively larger scraps until one day they got real assignments.
The tales of creative directors that got their starts in the mailroom or the steno pool are legion. It made for some great Horatio Alger stories. But it really wasn't a good system of stocking the pond. No one knows how many promising creatives fell by the wayside, unable to wait patiently for one of those scraps to be tossed their way. As many an agency veteran has said of those new to the business: "We tend to eat our young."
Happily for the scrap throwers, as well as the catchers, that way of incubating talent has gone the way of black-and-white TV. Today promising minds can go to a variety of places to learn the craft of advertising and build solid portfolios without having to sort mail. In Atlanta there are five, presented here in no particular order:
The Art Institute of Atlanta, www.aia.artinstitute.edu
Disciplines applicable to the creative arts: Advertising, Graphic design, Digital media, Video production, Illustration & design, Interactive media design, Media arts & animation, Game art & design, Photographic imaging, Audio production.
Philosophy:
The Art Institute of Atlanta is a private college of creative professional studies. We prepare students for careers in design, media arts and culinary arts by providing an educational environment, with attention to changing technologies and other requirements of the global marketplace. Our success is measured by our ability to provide a curriculum that integrates conceptual and analytical skills with education; offer education by qualified professionals; and prepare students for career entry, placement and growth in their respective fields.
History:
In 1999, the college moved to a new, five-story, 115,000-square-foot facility and has since expanded to a second building. The college offers a wide array of industry-relevant technology and educational equipment.
Students benefit from such specialized resources as computer labs, art labs, professional photography studios and darkroom facilities, a wet photo lab, a digital imaging lab, a multi-camera video studio, digital and non-linear video editing suites, digital audio labs and a recording studio, figure drawing studios, drafting labs, an interior design resource library, teaching kitchens, and a dining lab, as well as classrooms, a gallery, and a multipurpose room for lectures, meetings, and special events.
The Art Institute of Atlanta Library provides resources for students in all programs of study. With a collection of more than 40,000 books, periodicals, and digital materials specifically selected to relate to the college's programs of study, the library also offers online access to more than 40 full-text databases.
All classrooms, labs, library, and offices are wired for Internet access; some areas, such as the student coffee bar, offer wireless connectivity. Featuring interiors designed by renowned Atlanta designer Stan Topol in an eclectic mix of contemporary colors and finishes, the facility offers two student lounges and covered and open terrace areas, in addition to the educational facilitiesÑall in a beautifully landscaped setting about twenty minutes north of Atlanta's city center and easily accessible by public transportation.
Students also benefit from studying with a committed faculty, most of whom have industry experience as well as solid academic credentials. The faculty work personally with students in both lab and classroom settings, and maintain an open-door policy and regular office hours.
Just over 60 percent of the college's 2650 students (as of fall 2004) come from Georgia, with the remaining students representing 49 states and 28 foreign countries. About half of Art Institute students are under 22 and half are 22 or older. Although many students are of traditional college age, a significant number are adult students returning to college or studying to earn a second degree. The Art Institute is committed to a diverse student body and to an educational program that includes art foundation and general education courses, as well as technical courses in each field. With the assistance of curriculum advisory committees from the professional community, program offerings are designed to stay current with the needs of a rapidly changing business environment.
The college continues to build on a solid tradition of excellence in career-focused education. Founded in 1949 as Massey Business College, the college became The Art Institute of Atlanta in 1975 and has been committed to students and their success in their chosen fields for more than fifty years.
Cost:
$18,480 tuition (3 quarters, full time). Some programs have an additional lab fee. All programs have books and supplies in addition to tuition. Living expenses are not included in this estimate.
Why Choose The Art Institute of Atlanta?
The 2500 students at The Art Institute of Atlanta have chosen us for many different reasons. Some of The Art Institute's advantages are: creative energy and a sense of belonging, small classes and hands-on learning, enthusiastic, supportive faculty, the resources to support your educational goals, and our graduate success record.
What didn't I ask about that I should know:
Students need to visit The Art Institute of Atlanta and experience it for themselves to see what the college is really about and whether it's for them.
Portfolio Center, www.portfoliocenter.com
Disciplines applicable to the creative arts: Design history, Art direction, Copywriting, Design, Illustration, Media architecture, Photography.
Philosophy:
Portfolio Center's primary objective is to provide the most highly specialized design and advertising education available, to produce industry leaders in the concentrations of design and art direction, advertising art direction, writing, media architecture, illustration, and photography. We measure our success by the degree of professional and personal achievement attained by our graduates.
History:
Portfolio Center is the oldest and best-known school for communication arts in the country. Founded in 1977, it was the first school of its kind. It is also the most progressive Ð respecting tradition, yet constantly evolving to stay ahead of a dynamic industry driven by cultural shifts and technological innovation. Portfolio Center has served as the paradigm for all such schools for the past quarter of a century.
Cost:
$3,950 per quarter. School supplies and living expenses are additional.
Why Choose the Portfolio Center:
The world is in the midst of a design explosion, which is changing the way we create marketable products and how we maintain market environmentsÑincluding everything from web sites to toothbrushes to retail environments. It has affected advertising also, in a big way. These days, branding is at the forefront of every industry, and the creation, re-creation, and maintenance of brands is at the core of design and advertising.
Portfolio Center offers what today's student needs, a comprehensive education, which emphasizes process, especially as it applies to branding. And since collaboration is key, and growing more important by the minute, our students constantly partner on projects while learning to speak the global languageÑconcepts strong enough to be universal. Whatever the particular discipline, students are trained to look at the big branding picture. Everyone is involved in it: designers, art directors, writers, photographers, and illustrators.
Portfolio Center students are also taught how communication ideas merge with communication strategy across every medium, including, but not limited to, advertising, magazine and publication, book design, information and systems design, media architecture, general exhibition design, screen based media, corporate and brand identity, environmental design, product design, web design, promotional design, architecture/urban retail planning, licensing, brand strategy, writing for design and advertising, and strategic planning.
Portfolio Center offers tracks in design and art direction, advertising art direction, writing, media architecture, photography, and illustration. We define the concentrations but sweep them broadly under the umbrella of brand communication. The new cross-media approach has redefined education.
Students acquire numerous and diverse skill sets which then allow them to offer solutions and become leaders. Beyond the actual work itself, our graduates are prepared to make presentations, manage projects and other people, understand and communicate business strategies, and work effectively in highly creative teams.
In line with the Bauhaus philosophy, the size of our program allows for individual attention and the nurturing of each student's particular talents and strengths in an environment that promotes individual expression and experimentation.
At Portfolio Center, it is a hallmark that students work hard, but they also have fun with their projects and, later, in their work and in their lives. More important, we inspire and expect each of our graduates to take responsibility for the time in which they live and to make a unique, lasting contribution to the world.
What didn't I ask about that I should know:
Portfolio Center is no cakewalk, to be sure. It's demanding and competitive, rigorous and intense. But students, alumni, and faculty alike all still maintain a sense of camaraderie and community that endures through school and beyond. Our graduates populate the top agencies and design studios on the planet. Which means the people with whom you labor mightily to get through every Critique Week at PC are likely to be the same people you'll collaborate with in the future. The cycle continues: alumni at the top of their game in the industry come back to Portfolio Center to share what they've learned with each new group of talent.
Savannah College of Art and Design/Atlanta, www.scad.edu/scadatlanta
Disciplines applicable to the creative arts: Advertising design, Animations, Broadcast design and motion graphics, Fashion, Graphic design, Illustration, Interactive design and game development, Interior design, Painting, Photography, Sequential art, Visual affects.
History:
The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) was founded in Savannah, Ga., in 1978 by Richard G. Rowan, Paula S. Wallace, May L. Poetter and Paul E. Poetter to provide college degree programs not previously available in southeast Georgia and to create a specialized professional art college to attract students from throughout the United States and abroad. The curriculum was established with dual goals of providing excellent arts education and offering effective career preparation for students, and the college has assiduously adhered to these goals since its founding.
SCAD exists to prepare talented students for careers in the visual and performing arts, design, the building arts, and the history of art and architecture. The college emphasizes learning through individual attention in a positively oriented environment. The goal of the college is to nurture and cultivate the unique qualities of each student through an interesting curriculum, in an inspiring environment, under the leadership of involved professors.
The college began to develop a closer relationship with the Atlanta community and business leaders in 2003 with the opening of Savannah, a contemporary art gallery in Buckhead. Atlanta is also home to approximately 700 SCAD alumni. In December 2004, SCAD announced the opening of a new facility in Atlanta, at 1600 Peachtree St. in Midtown. Opening in March 2005, SCAD-Atlanta provides the same high-quality instruction in a new metropolitan environment, promoting additional postgraduate and professional opportunities for students.
Cost:
$22,950 full-time tuition for one academic year (undergraduate), $23,400 (graduate)
Why Choose SCAD:
SCAD-Atlanta offers B.F.A., M.A. and M.F.A. degree programs in advertising design, animation, broadcast design and motion graphics, fashion, graphic design, illustration, interactive design and game development, interior design, painting, photography, sequential art and visual effects. Additional courses and programs will be offered in upcoming quarters. Class size is small, allowing each student the opportunity to receive individual attention. Faculty members have distinguished backgrounds in their fields.
What didn't I ask about that I should know:
SCAD facilities provide leading-edge technology in a metropolitan arts community. The location was formerly occupied by iXL, a Web design company that invested more than $21 million in renovations. Miami-based design firm Arquitectonica used bright colors and innovative lighting techniques to create a unique interior environment. The facility features well-equipped classrooms and computer labs, studios, a library, administrative and exhibition space, a fitness center, dining facilities, parking and a residence hall.
The Creative Circus, www.creativecircus.com
Disciplines applicable to the creative arts: Art direction, Copywriting, Design, Image/photography.
Philosophy:
Educational institutions, for the most part, "throw" the information at the class and it's up to the students to "catch" it. We know that each individual has his/her own way of grasping that information. That's why we create a nurturing environment. Instead of mass, broad education, we try to work with each individual on a more personal basis.
History:
The school's birthday is March 9, 1995. The total number of students on average is about 200. Our placement rate runs above 97%. We have four graduations a year. Many of those classes have 100% placement with in a year after graduation. Most have jobs within months or weeks, some within days before or after the ceremony. Our lack-of-firing rate is what we're most proud of: less than 1%. And if one of our students (many get jobs before graduating) or graduates does get fired, it's usually because of a personality conflict or a layoff, not because he or she was not capable of handling the job. Circus graduates go to work at the world's top ad agencies, design studios, and corporations. Our grads and former students (those who got jobs before graduating) are working on accounts such as Nike, Adidas, Mini-Cooper, Volkswagen, Audi, Nissan, ESPN, Budweiser, Molson, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, PS2, The Marines, Cingular, Sprint, and many other clients, big and small.
Jeb Quaid and Aaron Pendelton, two 2005 grads, created the currently running "Ted Ferguson: Bud Light Daredevil", and Jeb actually stars as Ted Ferguson. Along with other grads at DDB, they also created and produced "Real Men of Genius" for Bud Light.
Circus design grads have jobs have jobs at Pentagram Studios, AKQA, Hallmark Cards, Grant Design, RBM&M, and other famous design firms in the US and abroad. As do our art directors, writers, and image grads.
We're very proud of the work our students do while in school. They win awards or mentions in virtually every major annual awards competition aimed at schools, colleges, and universities. But what makes us prouder yet is the awards they win after they graduate in the professional shows. The Cannes Grad Prix was won by Circus grads three times in the last six years, as were many gold pencils from the One Show, Clios, The Addys, The Athenas, Effies, and Mercury Awards. In the latest Communication Arts Advertising and Design Annuals, Circus grads were noted more than 50 times as award winners.
Cost:
Full-time Tuition approximately $16,000 per year
What didn't I ask about that I should know:
You could have asked, "Where do you see the school in relation to other schools and education in general?" We like to say that the Creative Circus is more a subset of the advertising industry than of education. In other words, Circus classes create scenarios that will likely be repeated in the workplace. The challenges are realistic and the training is, above all, relevant. It's about as far from undergrad as you can get Ð a student cannot just come to class and expect to graduate with a job. The students' careers start on Day One.
American Intercontinental University/Dunwoody and Buckhead, www.aiuniv.edu
Disciplines Applicable to the Creative Arts: Information technology, Media production, Visual communications.
Philosophy:
American InterContinental University was founded on the belief that universities should go beyond the traditional, theoretical approach to education by providing students with a curriculum that is both dynamic and pragmatic as it prepares them for successful careers. Our goal is to emphasize the educational, professional, and personal growth of each student. We believe these are the characteristics of a quality education.
What didn't I ask about that I should know:
All of our programs, policies and activities are evaluated periodically and changed as necessary to meet the needs of our students. Our students learn to work in teams and utilize the most current technology. Plus, you can earn your degree at your own pace. In order to provide our students with the personal attention they deserve, we strive to keep class sizes small. We believe this allows for dynamic student discussion and interaction.
The faculty is dedicated to our student's pursuit of excellence. Our professional staff not only provides the instruction you need to gain valuable skills - they also have the ability to inspire students to excel.
At American InterContinental University, we feel that our responsibility doesn't end in at graduation. Our career services department offers career placement assistance and works individually with students to meet their needs. Every student gets the opportunity to network with professionals and can graduate with a portfolio to show prospective employers. Plus, our staff will provide portfolio reviews, so you can be confident you are accentuating the key skills you've learned. Students will also have the chance to attend beneficial career fairs and resume workshops.
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