Yale University has always been one of the most famous universities in China by virtue of its loud labels such as "Top Three in the World", "Cradle of Leaders", "Ivy League", and so on. For art students studying abroad, Yale's biggest attraction is that they have absolute authority in the field of visual arts. Yale's pure arts, photography, graphic design and other majors have been rated as the world's first all the year round, and is known as the most artistic member of rattan schools. How about graduate students of graphic design from Yale University studying abroad?

Yale has proved its teaching policy with its actions. Among the American graphic design colleges that attach great importance to commerce, Yale has become a clean and honest person who has cultivated many outstanding graduates with distinctive personalities by virtue of its own teaching methods of words and deeds, and has also become a well deserved leader in graphic design education. Next, we will make a detailed analysis of how Yale implemented its personalized, experimental and adventurous teaching policies in all aspects through three aspects: curriculum, dean and application requirements.

How about graduate students in graphic design at Yale University?

　　 Curriculum

　　 Yale University At present, graphic design is only a postgraduate major, with a 2-year schooling period. Each session enrolls no more than 12 students, and the proportion of teachers and students is very favorable. However, about 50% of the new students in each class still need to take one year of preliminary year study, which is usually aimed at non professional applicants.

Graduate of Graphic Design, Yale University

The biggest feature of the graduate program of graphic design at Yale University is its academic nature, focusing on the establishment of methodology. It requires every student to complete a written paper that can withstand scrutiny and has deep thoughts at different stages.

Yale student work "An Image Going To Work"

The graduate students of graphic design at Yale University hope that students will take graphic design as a visual language, apply visual methods to actual creation, and make good use of visual language, constantly carry out various experiments, to pursue their own differences and personalized expression.

Yale student work "Irma Boom in conversation with Jacqueline de Jong"

The output of each student's final work will also be helped in many ways: a studio course led by a professional teacher once a week; One to one meeting held by the writing and literature tutors once a week; Small group discussion with no more than 6 people every two weeks; And non-stop lectures, seminars and Critique.

In addition, each student has a separate studio and Yale's top library and professional equipment as support. Yale's Center for Collaborative Arts and Media/Collaborative Arts and Media Center provides students with more resources to support interdisciplinary projects, including motion capture, VR, 3D labs, and so on.

In addition to learning design courses, graphic design students also need to carry out a large number of academic elective courses in other Yale colleges. Yale believes that interdisciplinary thinking is a skill that every future designer needs to prepare, and requires students to further expand their thinking and learn new things beyond the design.

　　 Department Head Sheila

The teaching method of graduate students in graphic design at Yale University is not only related to the curriculum and the overall academic atmosphere, but also depends on a legendary figure, Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, the head of Yale's graphic design department who has taught for 30 years. Her ideas have greatly influenced the teaching focus, development and trend of this major.

Professor Sheila receives an exclusive interview with the website

Sheila graduated from Yale University in 1964 and became an outstanding graphic designer. She has also been engaged in design education. She has successively founded the Department of Graphic Design in OTIS, Parsons and CCA, and is a legendary pioneer in the field of graphic design in the United States.

In 1990, Sheila was awarded the first female tenured professor and department head by Yale, and has been teaching since then (according to the official website, Bretteville, who is nearly 80 years old, is on academic leave, and I hope it is not really Retire).

Years of designer and education work has also shaped her own set of design education. She emphasizes feminism, equality, individualism and experimentation. She has pushed Yale's graphic design teaching from strict modernism to a constantly inclusive direction.

For Sheila, the dean of the department, Yale's graphic design is more like a utopian community that she believes in. She advocates humanistic care and speculative spirit. Her understanding of graphic design is not only functional or decorative. How to integrate her understanding and care for people, society and culture into the design is an important factor to sublimate the design.

Sheila's font design works - Step (pe)

Secondly, the experimental source of the graduate program of graphic design at Yale University also comes from Sheila, who defines herself as a public artist. Her design works mostly come from the discussion and interpretation of social issues. As for the education method, Sheila He once said: "No student can give consideration to both commercial and experimental aspects of postgraduate study. The role of the teacher is to guide, not to give clear instructions. After too many restrictions, students are bound, and students are working for themselves."

Sheila's overall visual design for the New York subway

Sheila's views and personal experience well explain why Yale Graphic Design Study Abroad The students' works have a strong experimental style, and the teaching style of the Graphic Design Department of Yale University has therefore been marked with Sheila's personal brand.

　　 Application requirements

Corresponding to the world's top teaching level, there are also difficult application requirements. Every year, no more than 12 students can successfully enter Yale Graphic Design (6 of them need to take a year's preparatory courses).

Yale Design Department also has its own way of enrolling students, which is also initiated by Sheila, the dean of the department. The whole review process is divided into three times. For the first time, the admissions officer conducts a comprehensive first round review of the materials submitted by each applicant (portfolio, resume, personal statement, recommendation letter, language score).

After that, the college professors, admissions officers and students jointly conducted a second review, mainly focusing on the works of the collection. The applicants' works will be scrolled on the projection screen, and then they will be graded by turns. Finally, 35 candidates will be selected based on the scores. After the interview, the final candidates will be confirmed.

In such a rigorous and fair way of review, the collection of graphic design graduate students of Yale University is required to be as free and experimental as ever:

a. No more than 20 still images and dynamic works representing one's best works. (but not just videos);

b. The length of the video file should not exceed two minutes, and the size should not exceed 64MB;

c. Each individual image contains only one work or one project exhibition;

d. If the book design works are included, it is better to show the real objects, not just the front cover and back cover.

In addition, other application materials include:

a. Resume (online)

b. Personal statement (no more than two pages)

c. 3 letters of recommendation (personal contact information of the recommender shall be submitted to facilitate the college to verify relevant information)

d. Language: IELTS no less than 7/TOEFL no less than 100;

How about graduate students in graphic design at Yale University? To sum up, the teaching characteristics of graphic design of Yale University are the same as their official website. It seems rebellious and out of place, but in fact it is the most thorough embodiment of the emphasis on the expressiveness and experimentation of each student. This is also the fundamental reason why Yale University can become the top art major in the United States and even the world. Sheila once said in an interview, "Yale requires students to pay attention to the experimental purpose, not to make them become incompatible with society, but to grasp the ability to tolerate everything, learn to seize opportunities, deal with uncertainties, break through boundaries, and gain more power“

This is also an inspiration for every one of us who is on the road of seeking dreams. Whether you regard Yale as a target school or study different art majors, learn to focus on your own experience, find out the uniqueness, and try to present it in your works, and never stop pursuing the pace of stylized expression. It is a lifelong learning method for students, And this is also the customized training path that Natural Light has always adhered to!

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