Architects designed your house, your school, the places you work and shop, and the theater where you watch movies. Designers created the covers of your CDs, the logo on your favorite sports clothes, envisioned the magazines you read, picked the colors you’re wearing, and chose the interior features and finishes in the shopping mall near you. Architects and designers have a huge impact on the environment and culture in which we live.

Architecture and design are both artistic and technical professions. In addition to mastering computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) technology, drafting, sketching, and model making, architects must thoroughly understand building and zoning regulations and ordinances; building materials and construction methods; and bids and contracts. Designers need to know about form, balance and composition, color, typography, the materials (paper, fabric, plastic, metal, for example) they are working in, and be proficient in the computer programs currently used in the industry, such as QuarkXPress, InDesign, PageMaker, Illustrator, and Photoshop. They must also be familiar with printing and reproduction techniques and methods.

If your current thinking is there are enough starving artists out there already, stop and take a good look around you. Artists and designers have an impact on just about every aspect of our lives. The clothes we wear, the automobiles we drive, the household appliances we use, the toys we play with, and the packaging wrapped around most products were all created or influenced by artists and designers.

The layout and design of magazines, newspapers, posters, pamphlets and books that you see and read are influenced by graphic designers. Art directors and advertising designers are responsible for the layout, typography, and visual elements of the advertising in magazines and other print media. You also see their work in displays, exhibits, and the sets and graphics for television. With advances in computer technology, these folks are also involved in animation for films, video games, special effects, and the creation of interactive web sites.

Chances are you have experienced graphic design in any number of ways today. Perhaps it was the magazine you thumbed through while waiting for your dental appointment. Or the signage system you followed while exiting the garage. Or the packaging of the coffee and muffin you picked up on the way to class. Many times a day, in many ways, graphic design touches our lives. It helps us acquire new information. It helps us navigate unknown territory. It influences our purchases

Do you ever wonder how your favorite video games are made? Who develops the storylines? How are the characters animated? Do you have some ideas of your own to make the games better?

The extraordinary power of new game consoles and computers means that video games now can feature ultra-realistic, high-resolution visuals designed to blow the minds of gamers who have seen it all. The game industry is in need of new computer artists who combine artistic and digital skills with a fervent passion for creating–and playing–the next generation of video games. Game artists are imaginative, technically savvy people hard at work (or is it play?), creating the visually compelling worlds of today’s popular games. From animated characters to the cockpit of a jet fighter, how this content looks and moves on the computer screen is designed by the game artist.

To animate is defined as "to give life to.” This is exactly what computer animation does to a static drawing – it brings it to life. 3-D computer animation begins simply, with paper and pencil, as students are required to master the art of drawing first and foremost.

Students complete rigorous first-year foundation courses and declare a major in their second year. Having been exposed to basic animation ideas and introductory technical information, students then begin to apply this knowledge to their computer animation studies. Skills for computer animators include being able to do concept drawings, storyboards, stills, renderings, still drawings. In pursuit of increasingly effective character animations, animators learn from live action as well as animated performance.

In a global marketplace of images, photographs speak. As such, students in the U.S. and internationally are hungry to be professional photographers, and many are wondering what opportunities exist in the photographic industry and how to get there.

There are endless career opportunities available to someone with a photographic education. Graduates just out of photography school generally start off assisting established professional photographers while building their own businesses. Well-prepared and driven recent graduates are freelancers, often starting their own businesses and/or operating their own studios immediately after school. There are several fields in photography, and a photographer with a strong technical and artistic education as well as dedication should be able to find a niche for himself/herself in any of them. These fields may be broken down into the following general areas:

Have you ever wondered who creates the fantastic movie posters, the stunning magazine ads or covers, the innovative company logos, the symbols and icons that help you find your way around an airport or museum, or the amazing show opens for TV shows and news programs. These and many more examples are created by graphic designers.

Graphic designers are highly skilled and talented communicators. Their work helps sell and market the products you buy, aid in explaining complicated messages, and help in visually demonstrating a particular process. Designers work in various mediums from illustration and photography to computer generated imagery.

To work in the field of graphic design you must have strong skills in observation and find great satisfaction in analyzing the details that are all around you. Designers study the specific characteristics of color and texture and how these elements are merged to create the never ending variations that comprise design. They are always aware of the rhythm, repetition, and balance of all visual components. Designers view the world conceptually and are constantly trying to create solutions that are innovative and unexpected. They enjoy creating ideas that express value and meaning and a good designer understands people, so they can create concepts that will relate a particular product to a specific demographic. Graphic designers have a strong knowledge of marketing and can produce visual solutions that reinforce the client's message. They are aware of the world around them and how current events, culture, and society play an important role in the creative trends of the marketplace.

Graphic Communication (also known as Graphic Design) is a field with two goals in mind: persuasion and information. A designer’s job is to entice the viewer with visual appeal and to create a strong message. He or she also organizes and clarifies information so that it is easy to read and find particular details quickly. Both of these skills are used to create imagery that is mass-produced for a particular audience. Graphic Communication skills are involved with anything commercially printed or published on the Web. This includes but is not limited to: books, magazines, web sites, billboards, packaging, signs, commercials and anything else that needs a creative touch.

Do you have an overactive imagination? Do you like to design? The architecture profession welcomes intensively creative individuals who are always seeking out-of-the-box ways to solve problems. The practice of architecture is both artistic and technical, and therefore requires well-rounded critical thinkers with the ability to clearly represent their ideas in verbal, written and graphic ways. As technology, materials and building practices continually change, future architects must always be ready to learn, take leadership roles in their communities, and manage teams of diverse professional expertise. While experience in art and design is helpful, it is not a requirement to explore a career in the profession of architecture.

To become a licensed architect in almost all U.S. jurisdictions, you will need to hold a professional degree accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB – www.naab.org). The educational paths are a 5-year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch), or the "4+2" option: a pre-professional Bachelor of Science in Architecture (4 year B.S.) and a Master of Architecture (2 year M.Arch). Some students also earn a four-year B.A. or B.S. in a different discipline and pursue an extended Master of Architecture (3-4 year M.Arch). A less common and longer degree option is the Doctor of Architecture (D.Arch). You may also pursue coursework at a two-year institution and transfer to the above listed degree paths.

A creative education in Media Arts and Animation begins with the development of strong foundational skills in drawing, design, color theory, character and object design, and computer graphics. You will further develop and refine your skills in traditional cell animation, development of storyboards and scripts, layout, audio for animation, digital video editing and special effects composition.

Potential animation students should familiarize themselves with software products such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, 3D Studio Max, Maya and Combustion. Proficiency in these skills and software tools will enhance creativity and allow you to produce a professional digital portfolio of work – the most important tool you have to showcase your talents to prospective employers.