Undergraduate / 'Emerging as an artist' - Essay - Graphic Design [2]

Please help revise this essay.. thank you.

Prompt : Why do you want to attend Pratt and what do you hope to accomplish from your education?

MY ESSAY :

Design has not been thoroughly institutionalized. Design may be claimed as art, or, as Ettore Sottsass (Italy, b. 1917), a designer of great influence, has said: 'To me design...is a way of discussing life. It is a way of discussing society, politics, eroticism, food and even design. At the end, it is a way of building up a possible figurative utopia or metaphor about life.' I have always had a penchant for art and certainly want to work conscientiously to further develop my skills in the subject. I want to pursue undergraduate study in visual arts, majoring in the Graphic Design course, particularly in the Pratt Institute, School of Design, in New York City.

It is true that the roots of contemporary graphic design are centuries old, taking us far back to the royal regalia, national flags, heraldry, tapestries and stained-glass windows of the Church, using symbols that uphold beliefs and stress authority. However, since the 1940's, graphic design has expanded. Its products have transformed drastically the psychological and creative life of people. The superiority and rise of technique in media has made graphic design a prevailing sway. I would like to contribute to society by communicating ideologies through my visualizations. Even a person in the street has become an expert at handling visual metaphors and graphic puns through the media of communications, newsprint, magazines and advertising.

What appeals to me about the Graphic Design course offered at Pratt, is the huge range of flexibility to suit my interests. It would help me to pursue my career aspirations in this field, and emerge as an artist, and perhaps follow the lead given by great creative masters, allowing me the freedom to choose my courses in such a way that they are largely useful to my achievement in my selected field of graphic design.

As in E. M. Forster's 'Howards End', I too agree with Margaret's reason for building the "Rainbow Bridge", as she tried to connect the two worlds- the inner world of sensation and emotion, with the outer world of material conditions and pragmatic values. As the youth of the modern day are aware of the giant effects of industrialisation and know exactly how much influence the media can create, it is not possible to forgo the advancements and new range of ideas which are brought with it. Other than the commercial value which definitely seeps into the various vehicles of media and communications, whether it is a logo, an ad-film or a book report, ideologies are upheld and beliefs brought out, giving each individual a chance to identify him or her self with something that he or she believes in.

Undergraduate / "ART IS A FORM OF PROBLEM SOLVING"- Undergrad SOP/ Graphic Design [2]

The Savannah College of Art & Design, Atlanta

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

My high school art teacher once said that art is a form of problem-solving. But unlike math, he said, in art there is never a single correct solution. He pointed his pencil toward the class and said that each one of us had a chance to create solutions. My interest in art and design has continued to grow since I was quite young. To me design is a language, just like music. Design is the planning and organizing of elements of art in such a way which is best to accomplish a certain purpose, following the principals of design. Other than just being an art which is commercially 'useful', design is a means of visually portraying a particular message. The message is a composition ï a unified and thoughtful piece of work that will interest the viewer. The composition must have a main objective; for example, on one hand it could convey either harmony or balance, or on the other hand it could portray contrast or even create disturbance in the mind of the spectator. However, the goal of the design is to be the best solution. Thus the intention of a designer is to be the best problem-solver.

I want to pursue undergraduate study in visual arts, majoring in the Graphic Design course, particularly in the Savannah College of Art & Design, in Atlanta. What appeals to me about the Graphic Design course offered at Savannah, is the range of flexibility to suit my interests. It would help me to pursue my career goals in this field, and emerge as an artist. Savannah would act as my guide, not only giving me a strong design-oriented foundation, but also give me the chance to hone my skills and develop in me the characteristics required for a design success. It would be an important opportunity to study in a hub city like Atlanta, where I would not only gain first hand experience, but a major plus point would be the rich cultural and ethnic diversity. This would provide a further educational aspect in terms of intellectual exposure. Cultural variety would supply a number of extended angles to each social and sociological issue represented in my artworks. Since material conditions are unavoidable, the obvious mercantile value is bound to enter the various means of media and communications. However, logos, ad-films, web pages or even radio jingles, are ultimately enforcing ideologies which then hit the thinking sides of people. Therefore, design and communication make it possible for each person to recognize him or her self with something that he or she believes in.

At the school level, particularly in grades 9 ï 12, i.e. the GCE O and A Levels, I was taught Art and Design. Our main area of study was fine art ï painting in various media including watercolor, acrylic and poster, drawing and sketching in pencil, charcoal and contï crayons. Our works stretched from copying Old Masters' Paintings to still life to live human figure drawing and even extended to our school educational trips. We went to Vizag, (Vishakhapatnam) in Andhra Pradesh in India, and another year we went to Panchmari in Madhya Pradesh. Both places are very different, as the former is a seaside spot and the latter is a colder mountainous region. Our art teacher accompanied us and it was our job to constantly carry a notebook for our recording purpose. It became a journal where we made sketches whenever possible. This became one of our most important exercises and we were later asked to submit a paper with supporting visuals. This included references to the enticing Rishikonda Beach, the temples, the Borra Caves and also the Vishakha Museum at Vizag. Photographs acted as our most important visual documentation.

Preparing for our lengthy 16 hours exam was always very demanding in patience and tested our persistence. The module was concerned with developing the student's visual stimuli and encouraged the process of direct observation from primary sources, recording, analyzing and two/three dimensional development. Studies were expected in any suitable color, medium, process or technique. My work included studies of Andy Warhol's paintings and silk screens, concentrating also on the impact of music on visual art and vice versa. This included the effect of music icons as well as the music itself, reflecting on the dilemma and trouble which lie underneath the surface of human skin. Besides all that mentioned above, I have also experimented book jacket covers, posters collages and linoleum prints in multiple colors.

Depending on the intended crowd, graphic designers must plan and analyze in order to reach out successfully with their visual solutions. I believe that studying at Savannah would automatically provide me this platform. It would infuse the knowledge needed to cope with ever-changing social and environmental factors, and creative departments which are starving for competing designers who are capable of upholding brand identities. Savannah would direct me to the canvas, where the empty space will represent my identity. And any marks I make on the canvas would be a part of me, as taught by Savannah in order to survive in this field as an artistic style which works with the audience. That would be my means of expressing the views of "the people" to the people themselves ï the viewers and the listeners ï the target.