Why are design majors so popular?

Colliding with overseas diverse cultures can better stimulate students' creativity and artistic sense.

In recent years, art study abroad has been heating up, and relevant survey data shows that the number of international students who choose engineering, liberal arts and art intentions has increased to varying degrees. Art study abroad is increasingly favored by domestic students and parents, and the proportion of international students who choose this path for international education is increasing year by year, and the overall international strength of art students is also increasing. Strong.

In the army of art study abroad, more and more students choose to study art and design. As one of the mainstream learning directions of art study abroad, design majors are very attractive to those who have reserved for students, whether it is considered from the difficulty of admission or from the perspective of future development.

With the rapid development of China's economy and society, a series of emerging industries have risen rapidly. From digital technology to life sciences, these hot emerging industries involve and require not only professional skills in science and technology, but also skills for inventors in interaction design, service design, innovative creative design, and intelligent product design. Therefore, the demand for art and design professionals is also growing and is booming. Force.

The criteria for selecting students in foreign art and design schools and majors are different from those in China. Most of the admission standards in China are based on the academic performance of students as the primary reference. Compared with China, foreign art and design colleges have more flexible requirements in terms of scores, and they pay more attention to the hands-on ability, work ability and creative conception ability of art students, which also provides a more opportunity and broader way for domestic students who are interested in this aspect. Diameter.

As an applied discipline, art and design requires learners to have the ability to absorb cultural elements and artistic touch, and master more in-depth practical skills. The profound historical heritage in architecture, fine arts, visual and other art fields in countries around the world, the open art environment, and the characteristics of focusing on thinking logic and creativity can better stimulate the artistic vitality of art and design students.

Specialization and employment destination

To study abroad and choose an art and design major, you must first understand what professional directions this category contains.

Generally speaking, from the perspective of professional direction, design majors generally include three major directions: space design, product design and content design. The direction of space design generally refers to the discipline of integrating architectural design and environmental design, cultivating students' design ability in housing, interior decoration, urban public space construction, etc., and often going to administrative agencies, comprehensive construction departments, architectural design and other industries after graduation. The product design direction involves a wide range of majors and courses, covering all existences and industries related to life, and can be subdivided into handicraft design, industrial design, appearance design, structural design, etc. according to the nature and use of products. Content design is carried out through computer communication systems, which focus on insight and update new information communication methods, including new media art design, digital media, game design and other majors.

From the perspective of product type classification, the more common design majors can be divided into fashion department, visual imaging department, space product department and other categories. When it comes to fashion, people naturally think of gorgeous clothing, fashion brands, etc., and the design major of the fashion department includes textile design, jewelry design, performance clothing design, etc. The Department of Visual Image includes advertising design, game design, entertainment design and other majors. The space product department covers a wide range, usually including products, landscapes, dance beauty, exhibitions and other product designs covering all aspects of daily work and life. In recent years, fashion design, industrial design, interior design, architectural design, interaction design and industrial design are all popular majors for studying abroad, and they all have a high market demand rate and application success rate.

With the rise of domestic emerging industries, the demand for skilled talents continues to increase, the state also vigorously supports and encourages outstanding foreign students to return to China to start a business and employment, and implements a series of policies and measures including talent settlement, entrepreneurial support, etc., more and more overseas students choose to return to their home countries for employment, including art students are no exception, general design major returned international students can work in domestic advertising companies, design companies, various institutions, etc. The choice space is still relatively large. People who choose to become art freelancers mainly work mainly based on creation, and the choice of such professions is relatively diverse, such as painters, various designers, etc., and the way of working is relatively flexible. There are also many people who choose to engage in art brokerage work, and the common occupations in this direction are cultural agents, gallery agents, music agents, film and television agents, etc., whether they are at home or overseas, they have a relatively broad space for development.

Popular countries and majors in art and design

United Kingdom

Britain

As a country with a long history and cultural resources and profound humanistic traditions, the United Kingdom is full of rich cultural and artistic atmosphere in many places, which can be called one of the world's art paradises. Studying design in the UK has the characteristics of flexible professional curriculum and teaching freedom. The school pays more attention to cultivating students' creative ability, and the curriculum includes a wide range of majors, and students can choose according to their own needs. In recent years, more and more art students have chosen to study art and design in the UK, and familiar institutions include the Royal College of Art, University of the Arts London and other institutions of higher learning. Choose.

Royal College of Art

（Royal College of Art,RCA）

Located in London, England, the Royal College of Art was founded in 1837 as the only full-research art school in the world, with no undergraduate education, unlike other British universities with a one-year postgraduate degree, all of the Royal College of Art master's courses take two years to complete. The school offers three degrees: MA, MPhil and PhD. From 2015 to 2021, the school has been ranked first in the world in the art and design category of the QS World University Rankings. The school's product design (Design Products) and fashion design (Fashion Menswear/Womenswear) are well-known in the professional industry. The school curriculum has a series of workshops, presentations and teaching projects for students, and the school also collaborates with brands such as Brioni and McQueen to provide students with some homework and practice opportunities. It has produced world-class designers such as James Dyson, the founder of Dyson. James Dyson, automotive industry design guru Ian Dyson? Ian Callum, the famous painter David Callum David Hockney and other shocking masters in the field of art and design are all graduates of the Royal College of Art. Body.

University of the Arts London

（University of the Arts London）

Founded in 1986, the University of the Arts London is one of the finest art schools in the world. It was formerly known as The London Institute. The University of the Arts London brings together the world's most famous ancient art schools dedicated to art, design, performance and other related fields. It is also one of the world's largest learning centres for art, design, fashion, film and television performance, mass media and journalism and publishing, and is known as the "Harvard/Oxford of the arts". The school offers a wide range of design courses, from art design and environment, graphic design, drama performance design, product design and other courses at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, to fashion design technology and performing arts courses at London College of Fashion, to media design at Chelsea College of Art and Design, covering most of the courses that should be taught in design. The educational stages covered by the programme also cover from the undergraduate diploma to the doctoral degree. From 2019 to 2021, the school has been ranked second in the world in the QS World University Rankings for three consecutive years.

United States

U.S.A.

The United States is a country of comprehensive cultural collection, where a large number of artistic talents from all over the world are gathered, and many world-class design competitions and events have been held, with a strong artistic atmosphere. Art and design colleges in the United States focus on artistic originality, and majors are mainly divided into pure art and design. The more mainstream design majors in the United States include environmental design, visual communication and industrial design. Design courses are mainly distinguished according to the medium used and the content and method of expression, and can be divided into visual communication, product industry, fashion, dynamic graphics, film and television media and other courses. Among the many colleges and universities, Parsons School of Design in the United States, Rhode Island School of Design and other institutions are world-renowned. World.

Parsons School of Design

Parsons School of Design, founded in 1896, is the largest art and design school in the United States and a world-renowned design school, together with the world's highest fashion school Marangoni College of Italy, Central Saint Martins School of Design in the United Kingdom, and ESMOD in Paris. The school provides design-related majors such as architectural design, product design, interior design, fashion design, strategic design and management at the undergraduate level, and architecture, lighting design, industrial design, interior design, concentric design, interdisciplinary design and other majors at the graduate level. In 2021, Parsons School of Design was ranked third in the QS World University Rankings for Art and Design.

Rhode Island School of Design

The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is a pioneer of the American College of Art and Design, founded in 1877. With a history of 142 years, Rhode Island School of Design is one of the most prestigious design universities in the United States and world-renowned. The college ranks strongly in industrial design, graphic design, illustration, photography, architecture, interior architecture and landscape architecture, among which graphic design and other majors rank first in the United States all year round. In addition, the College and Ivy League Brown University share social, academic, and community resources, and students from both schools offer opportunities to choose courses and double degrees.

Italy

Italy

Italy is a world leader in art and fashion. The long and complex history and creative humanities have left Italy with a rich artistic wealth. Studying and feeling art in Italy is extremely beautiful, understanding world fashion trends, and feeling the romantic feelings here are also the yearning of many students who choose art and design to study abroad. Among them, Politecnico di Milano has a good real ... Force.

Politecnico di Milano

Politecnico di Milano, founded in 1863, is the oldest university in the Milan region and the largest technical university in Italy, one of the three national polytechnic universities in Italy, ranking first in Italian engineering. Politecnico di Milano is one of the best universities in Europe and the world in architecture, engineering and industrial design, and is a global leader in many fields. In the QS World University Rankings 2021, Politecnico di Milano is ranked 137th.

Finland

Finland

Design has a long history and heritage in Finland. Finnish design has been internationally renowned since 1875. In recent years, Helsinki has developed rapidly in the field of design, becoming the design capital of the world. Every autumn, design weeks are held here, with the "Masters of Art" event organized by the Helsinki University of Art and Design showcasing the work of recent graduates, and the "Art Night" at the end of August attracting local residents and artists. In addition to Helsinki, the cities of Espoo, Kauniainen, Vantaa and Lahti have also participated in the co-hosting of the Design Capital event.

Aalto University

Nordic institutions are now increasingly recognized by the design industry. Although not as well-known as Imperial Arts and Lunyi, Nordics has a lot of British and American education quality, and Aalto University in Finland is one of the representatives. Aalto University was formed by the merger of three top universities in their respective fields – Helsinki University of Technology, Helsinki School of Economics and Helsinki University of Art and Design. Founded in 1871, the School of Art, Design and Architecture is the largest art and design university in the five Nordic countries. Aalto School of Design has a wide range of majors, and there are many design majors taught in English. The School of Art, Design and Architecture is the largest of its kind in the Nordic countries and one of the most prestigious in the world. The college offers degree programs in design, digital media, fashion, audiovisual description, architecture, art education, and visual culture. It is a good choice to study interior architecture, fashion design, service design and other majors here.

Although studying abroad in art and design has opened up a good path for many domestic students to pursue further education. But honing your skills and making thorough preparations for learning and applying is the foundation of everything.

Every document should be prepared in every detail during the application stage. General design application requirements are similar to other art major requirements, application forms, transcripts, resumes, recommendation letters, etc. are essential, TOEFL or GRE scores must also meet certain requirements, according to the requirements of each school, but the standard must be at least 80 points. For art retention applications, the most important thing is the portfolio. To carefully read and understand the requirements of the target school, most schools require students to provide drawings, paintings, animations, web pages or any other creative work that can demonstrate artistic talent, usually in the form of slides and other forms to the school, referring to the requirements of each school. The general portfolio is 20~30 pages, including 3~5 representative works. When preparing a portfolio, it is important to follow a unified design concept, and the work will focus on the author's philosophy without losing its representativeness and uniqueness. (Reporter_Wang Bo Editor_Liu Yu Design_Li Yang)

Source: 20220205 "Study Abroad" magazine No. 190