Pratt Institute

Date: Sep 08 2004
Major: Design Arts - Industrial Design/Graphic Design/etc (This Major's Salary over time)
I had a great experience at Pratt the foundation year, kicked my butt and like many I came from being one of the best of the best, to feeling about average after foundation year. Foundation laid alot of skills which would transfer over into design when Praise the Lord it started to come together mid-half of the first semester my junior year.

Sophmore classess were intensive and built up a design foundation. It's more about learning a way to think about design and getting familar with the programs and typography.

Junior year was pretty intensive with alot more theory. This may not be everyone's experience as teachers are different. I had Weston Bingham for typoraphy 1&2 he was excellent and told us about things like the AIGA and events they hold as well as brought in books. I highly recommend going to the AIGA events it adds a level of depth that keeps you up to date and gives you a broader exposure than your classroom setting and books can offer. For example I saw Tibor Kalman, Ed Fella, Massimo Vignelli speak before I left Pratt. I also had Goslin I recommend him for learning to think outside the box and broadening what you consider design.

Senior Year was good and informative, I had Jan Uretsky, Weston Bingham and Charles Goslin for senior project. I recommend the end of your junior year thinking about the projects you want to handle and doing research. It helps if you know what type of work you want to do when you get out. I did okay y senior year but if I had been more focused I could have gotten alot more from my senior project classes and professors.

From there it was a matter of graduating and applying and showing my work. My first job came off the Pratt job board. I have found career services as far as graphic design is concerned to be of great help, Kathy Creighton really helped me strengthen the presentation of my portfolio after I graduated which is the same portfolio that I presented for my first job.

It's an overall design education that teaches you how to visually communicate. I had illustration classess with Weiman, I wasn't the fondest of them but I am glad I had them, I have had to do several illustrations on the job. I also got exposed to photography for a year and at some point plan to develop those skills further.

Ultimately as another viewer put it you get what you put in. Biblically speaking there's seed time and harvest time. ** The business adminstration is not the greatest. Keep copies of all your records so you know where you are at.