Illustration + Design

The School of Art houses excellent facilities including studio spaces, computer labs with Wacom Cintiq Touch screens and animation stations, a digital imaging lab with large format printing, mounting and other services, letterpress equipment, photopolymer platemaking equipment, metal and wood type collections, binding equipment, darkrooms, wood and metal shops, sculpture foundry, ceramics labs, and external resources such as: the Center for Creative Photography, the University of Arizona Museum of Art and the Poetry Center as well as an excellent library that houses an extensive book art collection. The campus also houses the Learning Games Initiative Research Archive and the extensive Children’s Literature Collection.

Visit our Resources & Facilities page to learn more about the excellent facilities available for instruction in Illustration + Design.

American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) student chapter
Visit the AIGA website

Book Art Collective
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UA Illustration + Design News
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Persona Magazine
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College Book Arts Association
Visit the website

• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art, Illustration + Design Emphasis
• Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art, Illustration + Design Emphasis

Contact an academic advisor or set up an advising appointment to learn more about School of Art programs and admissions

Spring 2020 Undergraduate Illustration + Design Portfolio Review

Wednesday, March 18 in ART 205

This annual Spring Portfolio Review accepts 18-22 students in the Illustration track and 18-22 students in the Design track. We also work with students interested in both illustration and design on an individual basis upon acceptance to one of the tracks.

Eligibility Checklist

• Have taken the majority of your First Year Experience (FYE) classes.
• Have taken or are currently enrolled in Art 265 and/or Art 266. It is best to take at least one of these classes in the Fall before the review. But there is no penalty for going through the review multiple times. So you should apply even if both required classes are being taken during the review semester. (Transfer students should make sure they have had the equivalent of Art 265/266. Check with the Division Chair to confirm).
• Complete your Visual Assignment (see below).
• Submit 10-12 art works in your portfolio. The Visual Assignment counts as one of these pieces.

Portfolio Review Procedures

• Red Wallet Portfolios and applications can be picked up in Art Advising or downloaded here.
• Portfolios and applications can be dropped off between 9:00 and 9:45 the morning of the review in ART 205
• Portfolios will be ready for pick up between 4:00-5:00 p.m. that same day. If you are unable to pick up your portfolio, the room will be safely locked until the next morning when you may pick it up anytime after 8:00 a.m.
• Information on acceptance and advising times will be posted the day of the review.

Portfolio Review Guidelines

• 10-12 pieces of work including the Portfolio Review Visual Assignment (see below). The answer to the assignment should be the first piece of your portfolio. Other work should include projects from Art 265 and Art 266, but may be supplemented with work from other studio areas including self-initiated work. Transfer students should include work from transferred courses.
• All work should be housed in one 23 x 31 inch Red Wallet Portfolio which will be provided to applicants two weeks before the review.
• Fill out the application form and attach to the outside of your portfolio.
• One original oversized piece may be submitted without being housed in the portfolio, but a mounted reproduction should also be included inside the portfolio. There will be a designated place for oversized pieces set up the day of the review.
• Other 3D, large, or heavy works should be photographed and reproduced digitally. Mount digital images on 16 x 20 inch solid black mat board. Photography should be clean, well lit and clearly document the work. No more than 3 photos per piece including detail shots.
• Original Illustration work is traditionally window matted. Digital output, including reproductions of Illustrations and computer generated design work, should be flush mounted and trimmed to size OR float mounted allowing equal space top and sides with slightly more space at bottom.
• Motion and Web design pieces can also be shown. Print still(s) or screen captures of the work and include a URL link where the work can be viewed online. You may post using YouTube, Vimeo, or any other free hosting services. If the design is not live online you may choose to print several screen captures on one 16 x 20 inch mat board that gives a good overview of the Website design, story, or video, etc. No CDs please.

Evaluation, Acceptance, and Advising

• Portfolios will be evaluated in terms of the applicant’s level of conceptual and technical skills, understanding of composition and form, extent of experimentation and innovation, as well as effort and commitment.
• If you have been accepted into I+D, your name will be placed on a list allowing you to register for the require Design or Illustration courses* online. Register on time to get a seat in fall classes. You will only be guaranteed courses in the sequence indicated on the I+D grid (included with acceptance). If you do not register for the required classes in the fall semester, you forfeit your place in the program. If there are extenuating circumstances, contact I+D Program Chair Kelly Leslie (kleslie@email.arizona.edu) to discussion options.

*You must maintain a 3.0 GPA in I+D classes in order to be guaranteed admission into these classes.

The Visual Assignment

Ready to join our community of dedicated artists, educators and scholars? Visit our Admissions page to start your application.