When consulting art students studying abroad, students must have heard the teacher say the word "background improvement" when applying for art study abroad. Today, the natural light summarizes 10 specific ways to obtain background improvement for everyone in detail, so what is the "background improvement" of art study abroad? "Background improvement" sounds very advanced? There is even a mysterious feeling of Mary Su in the entertainment circle?
However, this does not mean that you should change your nationality and become a mixed race of China, Germany, Italy and France! It doesn't mean to write the monthly income of 1 billion yuan on the financial certificate! It doesn't mean you have to write a gorgeous Baidu encyclopedia for yourself!
In addition to this Marisu operation, other students may just have a general understanding of what is background improvement? So it is easy to think of the background enhancement as a bit too simple, and often give natural light some special "surprises":
For example, "provincial excellent class cadres of primary school students"（ Although the provincial level seems very powerful, the primary school certificate is useless ）
Another example is "the first place in the junior high school national Olympic math (English) contest"（ My friends, please keep the irrelevant awards before high school at home and collect them by yourself! ）
Another example is "Outstanding Organizer of XXX University Association"（ It's finally an award for college students, but this award issued by XXX college itself has nothing to improve! ）
You may not believe the above examples, but they are all cases that the natural light has encountered. When it comes to the question of "background improvement", the natural light can only pretend to be strong and explain to you rationally when it comes to these operations.
The intense application season is at a white hot stage. Some of the students who first started Early Action have already received offers, while most of the other students should be preparing their applications! Background improvement, as an invisible inspection point in the application process, sometimes becomes a crucial bonus item.
Today, natural light will give you a detailed summary of 10 specific ways to achieve background improvement. Let's take a look at them in combination with cases:
What is the "background improvement" of art study abroad?
If you want to understand the main ways of background enhancement, you must first understand what background enhancement is. Overseas colleges and universities attach great importance to the comprehensive development of students, not only the hard test scores, but also the practical ability and social ability of students. Therefore, it is not difficult to find that when applying for overseas institutions, most institutions will also investigate applicants in combination with students' comprehensive abilities in addition to application documents, transcripts, language scores, and work collections.
Compared with digital and visual application materials, this part of the investigation cannot be accurately quantified or defined. It is often reflected through a series of internship projects, competitions, social activities, practices, scientific research, study visits, letters of recommendation, etc. that applicants have participated in. However, no matter which form they take, they all have one common feature: unique and highly competitive, which can help you stand out from many applicants.
Therefore, this is why the awards listed at the beginning of today's push are not feasible. On the one hand, they are too long apart and do not have reference value; on the other hand, they do not have advantages and competitiveness in the application.
After learning what background improvement is, let's take a look at how the 10 forms of background improvement are carried out in combination with the background improvement cases provided by natural light for students:
a. Comprehensive demonstration of multidimensional capabilities
b. Academic projects with high gold content
c. Brand and enterprise cooperation
d. High level output projects and cooperation
e. Cooperation with well-known artists and designers
f. Entrance study tour program
j. Contest experience
u. Internship project
v. Exhibition experience
i. recommendation
1. Comprehensive demonstration of multidimensional capabilities
Although the focus of "background improvement" is a relatively soft content review, it is also a consideration of students' ability. Among them, students' interdisciplinary practical ability is very important. The display of interdisciplinary ability can not only reveal a student's mastery and deep thinking of his professional knowledge, but also show the college students' inquiry ability in other professional fields, as well as multi-dimensional ability to combine multiple disciplines for academic discussion or project practice.
The "interdisciplinary" ability can be reflected not only through the collection of works, but also through the project materials in your background improvement, such as the interdisciplinary practice projects you have participated in, such as the integrated exploration with other professional students, which can provide you with comprehensive ability.
Natural Light Winter Workshop
Three studios, three fresh and flowing thoughts:
Studio A Data Visualization and Urban Design
The Self organizing Power of Space in Studio B Urban Design
Studio C Lifestyle and Urban Media Design
After more than three months of planning, a total of nine days of "Old City Intervention" were spent before and after. The seven day workshop not only completed the preliminary survey, mapping, and research; The mid-term analysis, brainstorming, experiment, model making, and each studio has a complete set of narrative and program results, and gives the follow-up design direction and vision!
Natural light × Asian Dance Festival
Performance art is an art expressed by body language in addition to painting, photography and sculpture that we are familiar with. Natural light × Asian Dance Art Festival, in three grotesque rooms, three performance arts, three themes, and three experimental arts about limbs and vision are conducted.
Find a body expression suitable for yourself, and then convert it into visual language, and transform the dynamic feeling of the body into graphic design. The final design work will be adopted by Asian dance artists as a promotional poster, which can be used as a background improvement for studying abroad, and can be added to your own collection of works.
Natural light × Zilaishu
With the sustainable design of Pumen with aesthetic insight, you can open up the wonderful connection between nature and aesthetics, and feel Design Thinking with practical senses. You can "make gardens" in 3 days, 2 nights and 600 ping fields.
This is an exploration of nature, but also a serious understanding of landscape, environment and interaction. Combining a variety of scientific and rigorous methodologies, it creates a life and garden with more natural aesthetic value based on the sustainable design, design thinking and prototype design of Pumen. The final results of this workshop can become the most in-depth project in your work collection.
2. Academic projects with high gold content
The background improvement content of this part tends to reflect the applicant's academic inquiry ability and potential from the side, as well as the applicant's understanding level and in-depth research ability on professional issues. Students can gain unique experience and background improvement by participating in experimental projects provided by some universities or cooperative projects with international credibility.
In this part, natural light provides students with very good opportunities, such as natural light × MIT Media Lab, natural light × CSM buyer store in-depth research project, etc. Each project is supported by colleges and universities, providing students with unique and professional project practice opportunities.
Natural light × MIT Media Lab
MIT/MIT It is a top comprehensive university, and its top excellence is reflected in almost every major. For example, it ranks 4th in the QS World Comprehensive Ranking and 1st in the Architectural Design Ranking.
As a proprietary project laboratory of MIT, Media Lab is known as the "black science and technology laboratory at the forefront of social invention", where the top interdisciplinary professional researchers from all over the world are gathered. This is the birthplace of Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Barnes&Noble nook, and the origin of LEGO Mindstorms, Biom bionic prosthesis, inductive airbag, g-speak, holographic digital 3D printing.
However, the opposite is the "almost impossible" application difficulty. It is absolutely desirable to do background improvement learning in such a high-end black technology laboratory. This time, natural light and MIT Media Lab have obtained professional authorization, and students can carry out project exploration and academic discussion together with the internal professional researchers of MIT Media Lab!
Natural light × CSM buyer's shop in-depth research
From global fashion market to fashion market structure; From design thinking to fabric, clothing design, market research, sustainable fashion market and customer psychology research and analysis, matching public relations and brand promotion. In depth research was carried out in Kawakubaling buyer's shop Dover street market, London creative buyer's shop Blue Bird, London old brand buyer's department store Liberty, global creative pioneer's department store Selfridges&Co, and the world's top luxury department store Harrods.
Will others only buy when they turn to luxury stores and buyers' shops? This time, we will not only buy, but also take you to deeply understand the whole fashion industry behind "buy, buy, buy". On site research of the buyer's shop, the moodboard of the 2019 Dior Fashion Special Exhibition was completed, and the London Fashion Week was showroom. There was also an industry legend on site to guide your fashion path.
3. Brand and enterprise cooperation
The real project practice is absolutely different from the learning of theoretical knowledge. In the process of practice, you will truly understand and find problems, so as to improve yourself. In this part, let the school see more possibilities of you by showing their own practical project experience to the school.
The cooperation experience between brands and enterprises is a rare opportunity for any student to prove himself. During the whole cooperation process, students will not only get personal ability improvement, but also get higher background improvement than others for application.
Natural light × Adidas
Cooperate with adidas Originals to get in touch with first-line brands. Today, there are countless typical "cross-border" brands, participate in the cross-border cooperation of "innovative thinking", apply the knowledge in the art field to the design of stores, and feel the integration of the spirit of retro street culture and the design concept of products.
Different from immersing oneself in painting at home and in the studio, this practical form of workshop can improve students' creative ability on specific topics, enrich their own creative experience, improve the background, and add another touch of color to their "resume".
Natural light × COSTA
Guerrilla Marketing, from the birth of the idea to the landing, includes design activities, exhibition, material design, video shooting, video editing, campaign publicity, campaign implementation and other closely linked links.
Nine days of practice, farewell to fantasy loneliness, and plan an exclusive activity for COSTA, natural light X COSTA Guerrilla Marketing guerrilla marketing. A total of 64 cups of coffee, 58 cakes, 38 post it notes, and a total of 20 people made coffee themed sharing sessions. Under the guidance of the teacher, each student created a script based on his own story, shot the material on the day of the activity, and finally edited it to become his own unique story.
Natural light × Tesla
Tesla is committed to accelerating the development of sustainable transportation with the most innovative technologies. Tesla technically provides an efficient way to achieve sustainable energy supply, reducing the dependence of global transportation on petroleum; Through the opening of patents and cooperation with other automobile manufacturers, it has vigorously promoted the development of pure electric vehicles in the world It also has many super charging stations around the world to solve charging applications for electric vehicles.
A group of students majoring in plane, landscape, architecture and illustration, led by a professional teacher of natural light, helped Tesla design and complete the installation art exhibition in front of Chengdu Taikoo Li Tesla Experience Store on August 6 in less than a week. The theme of the device is speed and endurance. Through the display of a set of light plates, it reflects the two main advantages of the Tesla model s and model x. The final work is a set of sports pictures, which are the combination of speed and endurance.
Natural light × Uniqlo
Discuss and study with Timothy, the current enrollment officer of SVA, how to combine his own creative style with the existing brand logo image to create a design image. Use a series of training to explore the effects, skills, media and perspectives of Sharpie pen creation art, and find your own voice and feelings in the works.
Finally, students can make their own creative achievements through screen printing! Printed on the white T and bag provided by Uniqlo or the outer package of Stella Artois beer bottle. At the same time, there are also Printmaking instructors from professional rolling print printing studios to participate in guiding the specific process and production steps of screen printing.
4. Projects and activities with high-level outcome outputs
It is believed that when students consult intermediary agencies, teachers will provide some practical projects for background improvement as options, but "project" and "high-level output project" are absolutely two completely different levels and concepts.
An ordinary project may only be a simple social investigation, or a community activity. The project with high level of output needs students' multi-dimensional and comprehensive comprehensive professional ability in the whole process of the project, which is the practical content that truly reflects students' ability.
Parasitic buildings+nesting
This activity is not only a perfect "symbiosis" of natural light "parasitic architecture" and wooden garden "nesting" project, but also a perfect practice of natural light interdisciplinary thinking, architecture, landscape, interior, industrial design, and intelligent collision of different disciplines. Now the "shelter" has become the home of local herdsmen to shelter from wind and rain.
The whole building design background improvement project is divided into two parts. The early stage is the design and manufacturing of parasitic buildings in the first 7 days, and the later stage is the 14 day full course (design and construction double module) experience of the whole construction process in the last 7 days of shelter 2.1. The design products are better integrated into the process of shelter, making the design perfect parasitic, and better serving herdsmen and tourists.
5. Cooperation with well-known artists and designers
Cooperation with artists is not only a proof of your "achievements", but also a way to explore your "potential". In this process, your "love" and "motivation" for the application target, as well as the applicant's personality and ideas as a unique individual, will be revealed.
Natural light × Debbie Millman
She is the logo designer of Google, Microsoft and Unilever, the best iTunes podcast downloaded 5 million times, the founder and head of the design department of Sterling Brands, the director of the SVA Branding professional department, and a member of the American Association of Designers (AIGA).
On the first trip to China of design legend, Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai are linked together. Debbie Millman tells the world of design in visual language, and uses the power of art to find hundreds of millions of possibilities for dreams.
Natural light × Sylvain Despretz
He worked with Luc Besson, David Finch, and Tim Burton as the executive screenwriter and concept setter of Ridley Scott, and also participated in the production of The Fifth Element, Harry Potter, and Impossible.
Get a project that can be put into a collection of works, and a recommendation letter can be obtained! As well as internship and employment opportunities in top animation companies, professional portfolio assessment and guidance, and even a workshop graduation certificate! 2 Days with a Master, and Sylvain Despretz create artistic miracles in two days!
Natural light × Timothy Godman
He is the designer of T-shirts designed in cooperation with Uniqlo. His story will be made into a movie by Warner Brothers. His design is popular in the streets of America, but he is the current professor of SVA! Apple, Adobe, Ford, Google, New York City Public Library, Starbucks, Samsung, New York Times, Bloomberg News, Boston Times, MoMA (New York Museum of Modern Art) are all his clients
Timothy Goodman Brand Printing, use a workshop to play with contemporary design! Professor Timothy personally presided over a highly creative workshop, allowing the participants to experience the beauty of Sharpie pen creation through their own creation.
Natural light × Apple senior creative director
He was the senior creative director of Apple, Coca Cola and other major companies and agencies. He comes to the natural light and gives you 58 seconds to tell you his life and story. Maybe this is not enough to change your future, but today you meet is an opportunity. In natural light, not just care and responsibility. Here are your Bole and unknown adventures.
6. Entrance study tour program
Natural light × RISD
The United States, a country that never lacks creativity and liveliness, RISD/Rhode Island School of Design , a famous art school with no lack of inspiration and free soul, where you can feel the warmth of art and understand the purity of design.
16 days, study tour to improve American background? Visit Ivy League schools and visit Harvard campus! Face to face with Parsons, SVA, Pratt admissions officers! RISD's 5-day character design+creative painting course, and the official certificate issued by RISD! There are also 42 admission opportunities.
College experience+skill improvement+background optimization. Meet with RISD instructors and admissions officers to learn more about Dream School, graduation and RISD official certificate.
Natural light × Van Cleef
In 9 days, I will start Jewelry Design, identify, inlay, match, design, and conduct in-depth research on jewelry&diamonds. The instructors are designers of first-line luxury brands and top school instructors. In the headquarters of Van Cleef Yabao, learn jewelry design! Top luxury brands+academic elites in colleges and universities, immersive cultural experience+zero basic practical production, give you the strongest fashion resources, the most authoritative professional courses!
Natural light × CSM
In depth contact with the fashion hinterland, face to face with the tutors and students of UAL CSM, clothing design+fashion retail course, and spend afternoon tea with British fashion executives in LCF. Professional market research to understand the most dynamic buyer market, co organized by Guangdong Fashion Designers Association, from the domestic market to the overseas fashion field, discusses the related topics of Chinese and Western clothing, fabric design and fashion marketing, changes the traditional fabric with the most fashionable vision, and has the official certificate issued by the UAL after the end of the course.
School entry experience+industry exploration+background improvement, comprehensive multi location experience This is a comprehensive comprehensive improvement opportunity, with CSM's in-depth school entry experience, as well as on-site research of London Fashion Week, V&A Museum, and top buyers' shops, to learn real fashion. After 5 days of in-depth study, students will complete their personal business plans, make personal speeches, and finally obtain the certificate officially issued by CSM, the world's most important fashion school.
Natural light × Huhu Studio
15 days of hands-on practice, see the spectacular world, speak authentic English, and spend time in foreign classrooms. Go to the place where dreams are made, and be young on the other side of the ocean, experience film production and field shooting, get close to international experts, and access to the most professional resources and knowledge.
A complete internship or language course proves that excellent students can get letters of recommendation, improve their international background, and gain real international internship experience. Students who pass the professional basic assessment will also participate in the production of a real film that will be developed in the future.
7. Background improvement and competition experience of the design contest
In the process of competition, students not only have to create individually or in teams, but also compete with other competitors. Therefore, the experience of participating in competitions and winning prizes can often let schools see your potential and professional ability.
Natural light × One Show
It is not only a rare opportunity to meet and communicate with masters, but also an all-round and multi-dimensional comprehensive improvement. From design to product innovation; From advertising to communication, we have transcended the restrictions of the Internet and national boundaries, and reset the orientation and possibility of creativity with the world's smartest brains.
Together with creative youth from Greater China, including China (mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan), Malaysia and Singapore, we will use creativity to voice our voice and move the world with creativity, provide creative energy for JD, UnionPay and other brands, participate in the master training camp built by top creative masters and brands, and have more opportunities to participate in One Show International Creative Festival.
Natural light × Huawei Nova star short video contest
Want to explain your life from a unique perspective and be a hero under the "vision of God"? Enthusiastic in animation "magic", good at turning inanimate things into vivid and interesting living things? Are you trapped in the "director's dream" and determined to become a ghost director to show real technology?
This is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity. You don't need multi professional equipment, no set lights, and no deep knowledge. You are No.1 if you dare to try. A short video contest that can be played with mobile phones
No matter what style, faction, routine or brain hole you are.
This competition is jointly organized by Natural Light and Huawei, and is open to all students who are interested in taking self portraits with mobile phones in colleges and universities across the country. In the end, students will receive the official honorary certificate jointly issued by Natural Light × Huawei; Rich cash rewards; The works are put into Huawei's offline experience stores for circulation; A blockbuster movie premiere.
8. Improvement of internship project background
Internship is the most direct exercise for students, and it is also the most authentic inspection of students' ability. Whether the students of the application colleges are competent for their internship work, and whether they have achieved excellent results in the internship, can help colleges and universities discover the potential of a student. At the same time, work experience is also an inspection of students' teamwork ability. In natural light, we have combined many companies and enterprises to provide students with various internship opportunities, including fashion group, K11, Vision China, Hug and other brands.
Natural light × fashion
Design, fashion, photography, as well as cross-border art sharing, idol stars, masters, where should we get such opportunities? HOW ABOUT
Fashion Group? Your fashion road will start here, and you will get many positions, such as interns of the President's Office, clothing editors, new media editors, and fashion spring festival gala interns!
Natural light × One Show
Experience the scene of the top creative event in Greater China, listen to the keynote speech of international creative masters, communicate with the industry's top celebrities, witness the birth of the industry's top creative award, and become a part of the creative festival!
During the internship, you can learn the latest designs and information in the industries such as Print&Outdoor, Film&Video, Interactive, CrossPlatform Product&Service Innovation, Public Service&CSR, Mobile, Social Media, Craft, Direct Marketing, Design Branded Entertainment, UX/UI, and do your homework for future career planning!
9. Exhibition experience
The exhibition experience is the most intuitive background improvement experience for art students abroad. This is the recognition of the ability of an artist and designer, and it is also a kind of experience for the students themselves. The school can learn about students' professional ability and application ability through their exhibition experience.
Natural Light City Memory Art Scene
Dozens of natural light students from 7 cities and campuses, together with many art brands and activity organizations, jointly brought the graduation exhibition themed "Urban Memory Art Scene - Collective Urban Memory", more than 100 visual art works and more than 10 large-scale installations, as well as creative and artistic on-site art interaction. It is an emotional pursuit and a visual proof.
"Theme Night Market", "Parkour Street Photography Plan", "Food Art", natural light invites everyone to participate in the creation. Here, everyone is an artist who can use his own way and imagination to achieve art. Visit back to the memory of the times, and use the senses to bring sparks of art and youth thinking.
A small exhibition
"Jie" means between the two; "Line" is the ubiquitous "limit" and "boundary". When artworks are placed in the exhibition space, the boundary between art and life also arises. In order to break the impression that art is far away, the curator team moved the exhibition space into the "home", making art a part of life. At the same time, they tried to re interpret the boundaries between art and life in a vague way.
The "heroes behind the scenes" of this exhibition come from six young teenagers who love art immensely in natural light. They use the relevant knowledge of plane, interior and art management to find the right way to present their works while trying to bring the best viewing experience to the audience. After more than 30 days of careful preparation and planning, Then to the whole set of visual design and exhibition publicity of the exhibition, and finally to the arrangement and opening guidance of the exhibition, the whole process from scratch has been practiced.
PETA Bear Card Exhibition
In order to appeal to more people to pay attention to the bears in the circus, and to enable more people to participate in this public welfare, PETA Asia launched this live - "Free Bear Card" art exhibition. PETA invited nearly 80 artists and stars at home and abroad to create freely on the bear shaped cards.
In the "Free Bear Card" activity, Natural Light Youth Art Studio was also invited to participate, and together with all the stars and artists
Speak for the little bear in the circus. This time, we will speak for the bear and for every injured animal, not for any benefit, but to share the life of the same planet.
Time Youth Show
Five daily scenes x youth brand, output the best sensory experience, all kinds of young people come to the scene to show different voices, and use their actions and consumption to convey the aesthetic trend of the times.
The young leaders also lived up to expectations, showing different offline charm, real experience and recreation in the Woodstock era. A large collection of pan independent arts, roaming the aesthetic boundaries of youth with 15 groups of artists and institutions. The aesthetic promoters of youth interest gather together to make a new sound of the times!
10. Letter of recommendation
The recommendation letter, which can be said to be the most hard core of all background improvement materials, can be in many forms, such as from college admissions officers, such as from world-wide recognized well-known artist alliances, designer institutions, such as corporate executives of brand companies, such as college professors, heavyweight guests, honorary alumni, etc.
However, for most ordinary art overseas students, these forms of recommendation letters are difficult to obtain. Therefore, Natural Light has always insisted on providing students with diversified participation platforms and opportunities, so that students can have access to these resources and masters, so as to obtain their guidance and obtain recommendation letters.
Students like natural light have been recommended by AICAD and NAEA executives. In some workshops and short-term projects, we also received letters of recommendation from admissions officers or professors of MICA, Parsons, SVA, SCAD and other institutions. Secondly, in the competitions and internships mentioned in the above natural light, some of our students also received letters of recommendation from the judges and senior executives of the enterprise. These various forms of recommendation letters are very persuasive as background improvement materials.
The above are 10 forms of background improvement, but remember that no matter what form you participate in, background improvement needs to be competitive. It is an important part of the application process and should serve the entire application and planning.
Once the students have begun to have the intention to study abroad, they must be ready to start planning, not only for language examinations and portfolios, but also for background improvement, more participation in unique competitive projects, more attention to relevant information, and preparation for background improvement for application for studying abroad.
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