"My Art Center years" - Graduate admission/Graphic Design

Dear EF Team,

Below is my statement of purpose to be admitted to a Graduate program in Graphic Design. Please review and give feedback. Looking forward to your comments.

Thanks a lot!
Linda

Starting from my childhood, I have always had a great love for expressing myself artistically. It was during high-school that I developed a keen interest to graphic design and typography. After taking a few classes, I knew I couldn't do anything else, but work in a field that I love and admire. Through out my design career I've been greatly influenced by my teachers, colleagues and the culture I am surrounded with. In addition I religiously follow design blogs and publications, where new ideas and topics are discussed along with the most up to date design trends. I was also lucky enough to be introduced to great designers during my studies in Art Center College of Design. One of them was Doyald Young, who have motivated and inspired me to look at type differently and explore logo design in a whole new way. Jan Tschichold, Paul Rand and Stefan Sagmeister have also been influential among many others. I often find myself looking back to their teachings in approaching a design problem and trying to solve it to the best of my abilities.

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In addition, I religiously follow design blogs ...
I was also lucky enough to be introduced to great designers during my studies in Art Center College of Design. One of them was Doyald Young, who have motivated and inspired me to look at type differently and explore logo design in a whole new way.I was lucky enough to meet Donald Young during my studies at the Art Center College of Design. Young motivated and inspired me to look at type differently and explore logo design in a whole new way [this is too general--what way specifically? How did he make you see type differently? I'd elaborate a bit here if you have the room.] Jan Tschichold, Paul Rand and Stefan Sagmeister have also been influential among many others. I often find myself looking back to their teachings in approaching a design problem and trying to solve it to the best of my abilitiesAgain, here I'd like to see specifically what they taught you, otherwise it looks like you are name dropping for the sake of name dropping. .

During my Art Center years, I have also learned to make graphic design part of my life and not just a profession. It has now became the way I look, I read, and I judge. It has taken over my thoughts and world view. I now believe design should be many more things than just something pretty to look at, but perhaps"Perhaps" here takes away from the declarative statement you just made...it weakens it. give a message. In a world with so many issues from decreasing sources and global warming to helping people in other parts of the worlds , why can't we as designers say something? A design piece can also help people get across their messages, while advertising a product or a lifestyle A design piece can help advance social or economic justice awareness [or something to that effect]. A retail company Gap's RED campaign would be a great example for this. As a graduate student, I'd like to explore new ways of informing people of social issues that surround them, and encourage world citizens to make their small yet effective contributes. I would also like to practice design in a more green way and do my part as a designer.

My experience in publishing, branding and advertising have taught me how to communicate with clients, and how to achieve their goals, while holding on to my principals and design sense Awkward sentence - revise somehow. . It has also tested my beliefs and made me realize the ps hycological value of design and how it effects people while they don't even notice it does without their notice. In? Missing something here I think? Or did you leave the company name out for privacy reasons? ...and company I was offered an internship, which then turned in to a position as Graphic designer. I had a chance to speak to major clients such as CBS, Bravo and LA Opera, and tell them how each decision we make on the computer, effects their client market. To this day, I find it interesting, how thru through the language of colors, shapes and typography, we can modify someone's choice of a product over tens of others. During my graduate studies, I would also like to research more on design elements and their effects on people.

My current place of employment, Nova Development, has taught me how to move a project starting from a sketch period to press checking and shipping. It has also allowed me to be a decision maker, whether it's the choice of paper or a functional packaging that will keep the cost down while communicating a fresh new idea and helping the environment.

In a graduate program in design I look forward to reinforce my passion for design and improving the areas in which I have worked in. In addition to growing as a designer, I am eager to learn more about new technologies and design tracks to expand my skills in to new areas, that I haven't had chance i my professional life. If given the environment to focus on my studies, I am confident that I will produce original work that will help me grow even more as a designer and bring awareness to people who see it in whatever shape or product it may be in.

I liked your essay. I'm currently in a grad program in the humanities so our personal statements required us to address other issues, but one thing I learned was to "sell" myself in the statement; to highlight what I bring to the program. I'd like to see more of that in your statement, if appropriate. Good luck.

This sentence is not artfully written. If you are making this statement, demonstrate its truth by constructing the sentence in a rhythmic, clever way.

Oh, here is an interesting sentence:
After taking a few classes, I knew I couldn't do anything else. but work in a field that I love and admire. But I cut part of it! Now let's try it this way:

... I knew I couldn't do anything else. but work in a field that I love and admire. Through out my design career I've been greatly influenced by my teachers, colleagues and the culture I am surrounded with. In addition I religiously follow design blogs ...

One of them was Doyald Young, who have has motivated...

Above, all I let you keep was the content that was super interesting. See what I mean? It gets right to the point, and then it gives good examples and evidence.

I often find myself looking back to their teachings in approaching a design problem and trying to solve it to the best of my abilities. when I approach design problems.

Let's add one more sentence to the end of that para about your employer.

:-) Add a strong thesis statement to the first paragraph -- one that reflects your unique approach to the field.