Applying to the Design Concentration:
The Department of Art encourages students to consider application to the Design Concentration. Due to high student demand for the Design Program, permission by portfolio review is mandatory to enroll in the above listed courses. It is the Department’s intention that this area will provide a highly rewarding educational experience in visual communication to qualified and motivated students who wish to evolve professionally in the ever-growing field of graphic design. The Design Faculty review portfolios twice a year: Once in the spring semester and once in the fall semester. Applications are due mid-March and mid-October, respectively. Notification will be posted with exact dates as the semester schedules fluctuate. Please feel free to contact any of the Design Faculty with questions regarding your course of study at UMD, the fellowship, our scholarships, your application to the program or other concerns. We look forward to having you in our classes!
Download the Application here(PDF)
For information on Design Scholarships, click here
For information on this fellowship, click here
Eligibility:
- You must be a declared Art Studio Major
- You must have a minimum GPA of 3.0
- You must have completed (or currently be enrolled in) ARTT100, ARTT110, ARTT150, ARTT200 and ART210 or have received special permission from one of the design professors to apply.
How To Apply:
To apply to the Design Concentration, applicants must submit the following:
- A completed application form, which is available in the Department of Art Office, 1211E Art/Sociology Building
- Official transcripts, which may be included with the application or sent directly to the Department of Art (Attention: Design Concentration) prior to the application deadline.
- Portfolio with contents that is described below.
- Essay on a subject that is described below
The applicant’s portfolio should include 12 to 16 pieces and must consist of two or three examples from each of the Art foundations courses (ARTT100, ARTT110, ARTT200, and ARTT210). Additional pieces created outside of class including photography, computer graphics, illustrations, and design are encouraged. Select your submissions carefully and critically. Presentation, focus and selection are extremely important. We recommend making an appointment with a Design Professor prior to the application deadline to get advice about your portfolio submission. This organized, professional portfolio of work must be presented with a high degree of craftsmanship.
The submitted portfolio should, at minimum, evidence your:
- Ability to draw the figure
- Ability to render form three-dimensionally
- Ability to draw in proportion and scale
- Ability to draw in proper perspective
- Demonstrate an understanding of design and composition
- Demonstrate an understanding of the attributes of color
If possible, your portfolio scan also evidence your ability to work with type, to apply levels of emphasis and/or to synthesize multiple visual elements into a single composition.
Images must be submitted via a burned Macintosh-compatible CD or DVD. Create a folder with your full name on the disc within which to store your files. Digital files must be clear, in focus and of ample resolution; must be saved in JPG format; must not exceed 5 MB; and must be named using the student’s full name (i.e., Barnes_Laura_01.jpg). Any time-based files must be saved as a .mov file. If submitting websites, include contained files that do not require an online connection. Include a printed document which lists the name, title, medium, dimensions or running time, and date of each work as well as a small size visual (roughly 2”x2”) representing each piece.
Each applicant must submit a signed, dated and typed essay (minimum 500 words) that addresses the student’s interest, experience, and aspirations in the field of design. The Design faculty recommend that your essay address your contemporary interest in design; focus your writing on your current design activities and your future Design goals instead of your previous history of art classes and initiation to and discovery of Design.
Applications will be reviewed by the Design faculty within a week of the application due date. Notification of acceptance will be made promptly. Portfolios may be retrieved during the week following the application due date. A copy of the student’s application (with results of the portfolio review on the reverse side) will be included with the returned portfolio. Students whose initial applications were not accepted into the Design concentration may apply once more to the program.