2011-2012 Archived Catalog Information

Program Options

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration

About the Program

Illustration, as practiced today, is a vast and rapidly changing field. New technologies, business practices and societal norms have defined and redefined the field more in the past ten years than ever before. This dynamic redefinition presents a wealth of opportunity for those who want to pursue illustration as a career. In response to the growth of and interest in this field, the University has created a new Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program in Illustration, which will begin in the fall of 2011.

Illustrators are storytellers - they create images that communicate concepts. What they create, though, goes well beyond image and story. When an illustrator communicates effectively through images, he or she has the potential to educate, to entertain, to persuade and to inform. The impact of those pictorial ideas can help shape visual culture and society at large.

Whether one's goal is to become a graphic novelist, a game designer, an animator, a children's book illustrator or a package designer, starting with the basics is key. It's all about learning how to see, and how to communicate that vision. NESADSU's Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program in Illustration stresses the fundamental firsts - the drawing and design skills that are essential parts of any illustrator's tool kit. Once one has mastered traditional techniques and approaches, it's time to develop the technological skills that are essential to success in the field.

In addition, our BFA in Illustration includes elements of graphic design and fine arts, while incorporating business, theory, and art history within the framework of a traditional liberal arts core.