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Illustration, Design and Animation

The Illustration, Design and Animation program (IDA) encompasses a diverse faculty with expertise in graphic design, illustration, letterpress, book arts, visual narratives, animation, motion graphics, information design, and interdisciplinary collaborations with the environmental sciences. These specializations are reflected in a broad array of curricular offerings including: field trips, team projects with community clients, internships, and study abroad programs. Through an exploration of the relationship between authorship, personal expression, visual problem solving, and communication, students develop a body of self-authored work consistent with the breadth of the expanding profession. With a high quality portfolio and web presence, students are prepared to go directly into the field and/or apply to graduate programs.

Student animation work can be found here: https://vimeo.com/user27476192

Miles Fujimoto, Animation

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, and Animation.

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

Book Art Collective
Visit us on Facebook

UA Illustration, Design, and Animation News
Visit us on Facebook

Persona Magazine
Visit us on Facebook

College Book Arts Association
Visit the website

SPRING 2023 UNDERGRADUATE IDA ILLUSTRATION, DESIGN and ANIMATION PORTFOLIO REVIEW

Applications will be accepted starting March 15 and Due Friday, March 17 by 10 a.m.

This Spring’s review will accept 36 to 40 students into a combined Illustration, Design and Animation Program. 

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

  • I have taken the majority of my First Year Experience (FYE) classes.
  • I have taken or am currently enrolled in ART 265 and 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 equivalents of ART 265 and ART 266. Check with School of Art advising to confirm).

PORTFOLIO REVIEW PROCEDURES

  • Online submissions of portfolios will be available from Wednesday, March 15 and are due by 10 a.m. on Friday, March 17.
  • IDA faculty will review and rank the applications. This procedure may take a few days.
  • You will be notified via email of your acceptance and the required classes for Fall 2023. Please note that if you do not register for the required classes in the Fall, you will forfeit your place in the IDA program.
  • You will also be notified via email if you are not accepted into the program. You will be notified of times available for advising appointments to discuss your next steps and get feedback on your portfolio.

PORTFOLIO GUIDELINES

You may use this Adobe Illustrator Portfolio Review Template and may find this document on Combining PDFs helpful to create a multi-page landscape 1024×768 pixels format PDF portfolio that includes the following pages.

PAGE 1

Completed 2023 IDA Application Form

PAGE 2

Is your visual response to the below image. Respond to the image below in a way that’s meaningful to you and incorporates your preferred medium and style.  Consider how the image makes you feel. Note the mood, directionality, composition, shape, and/or color and what you might bring to this visual by changing its context, scale, framing, positionality, mood, etc.? 

Photo Credit: David Van Dijk @ unplash.com

A high res image of the photo can be downloaded here.

PAGE 3 – 5 (use as many pages necessary)

The next pages should showcase one of your projects from process to finish. This should include a project description, research, thumbnail sketches, roughs, iterations/alternate variations, color studies etc. Use as many pages as necessary to clearly show your process of creating one of your assignments. Your chosen assignment should preferably come from ART 265 or ART 266. Transfer students may choose any project from prior classes or self-initiated work.

NEXT PAGES

The next pages of your portfolio should present 3 sample projects of your choosing. For each of these 3 works please include a short description and final image of the project. If your project is 3-dimensional or multi-page, use as many viewpoints and detailed images as needed to clearly show your work. Animations, videos, and websites should be displayed with a single still image from the project and contain a hyperlink to the work online.

*A note on “fan art”. The IDA faculty prefer that all work be original and not include characters, imagery, or other visuals sourced from the internet without permission. If your work includes imagery not of your own creation, please describe in detail how and why the use of these elements are necessary in communicating your unique point of view. 

FINAL PAGES

Please scan or photograph 2-4 pages from your sketchbook.

Submission Process:
Please name your PDF portfolios using your first initial and last name with the .pdf extension. (K-Leslie.pdf). Your PDF portfolios should be under 100MB. If you are having trouble reducing your MB size you can compress your PDF file here. 

Upload your PDF submission to Portfolio Submission. Contact Kelly Leslie <kleslie@arizona.edu> if you have any problems with the upload.  

EVALUATION, ACCEPTANCE, AND ADVISING

  • The work submitted should: Show an eye for composition and application of formal principles (scale, balance, weight, texture, direction, etc.); Communicate an understanding of form and sensitivity to materials; Show a clear understanding of color relationships; Demonstrate excellent skills and attention to detail; Show a facility with software. Ideas embodied in the work should be innovative and strong. Digital uploads should be clear and readable.
  • If you have been accepted into IDA, your name will be placed on a list allowing you to register for the required 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 IDA Program Chair Kelly Leslie (kleslie@arizona.edu) to discuss.

*You must maintain a 3.0 GPA in IDA classes in order to be guaranteed admission into IDA classes. Any grade below a 3.0 will place you on probationary status for the remainder of your time in the program.

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

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