Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) has an Illustration BFA program that prepares students for roles such as Illustrator, Designer, or Art Director. The program accomplishes this through features such as the Seminar Series, which provides the opportunity for students to interact one-on-one with outside professionals from all areas within the field.
Illustration BFA students also benefit from access to MIAD’s new Illustration studios, classrooms, and the Emerging Technology Center; portfolio development courses; internships at local and regional companies and studios; and participation in semester-long study abroad experiences.
Consisting of 120 credit hours, the MIAD Illustration BFA program begins with the First Year Experience (FYE). Each semester in the FYE consists of 15 required credits including major courses and beginning liberal studies. Course examples include Process of Inquiry; Introduction to the Practice of Art & Design History; Systems Drawing; Digital 2D; Visual Language; Intro to Advanced Study; and Digital 4D.
Upon completion of the FYE, students will take courses such as Illustration I-IV; Advanced Figure Drawing for Illustrators; Illustration Media; History of Illustration and Communication Design Since 1850; Advanced 2D Digital; Patterns in Nature; Typography; and The Creative Professional in Context.
BFA students may also add a minor to enhance the degree. Popular options include Book Arts, Writing, Digital Media Production, Copywriting, Advertising, Arts Management, and Business.
The Illustration BFA program at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design culminates with the Illustration Thesis Project, Portfolio, and MIAD Exhibition. Students are required to be actively involved in the overall preparation of the Exhibition including signage, lighting crew, gallery monitoring, painting crew, etc.
Graduates of the MIAD Illustration BFA program are prepared to pursue positions in children’s book publishing, editorial, graphic design, comics, advertising and marketing, architecture, exhibit design, animation, game design, forensic illustration, textile design, medical illustration, storyboard art, new media, and fashion illustration.
BFA program alumni have been hired at places such as Hallmark, Kohl’s Corporate, Harley-Davidson, Kohler, Estee Lauder, Hanson Dodge Creative, Rockwell Automation, Kimberly Clark, Milwaukee Public Television, Santa Fe communications, and Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Graduates have also gone on to launch tier own studios such as THIEL Design and Studio8Design.
Founded in 1974, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design serves 900 degree-seeking students, 600 pre-college students, and 250 outreach/special programs students. For degree-seeking students, MIAD provides seven degree programs, five studio minors, and nine liberal studies minors. The school’s affiliation with Marquette University provides access to additional courses in Humanities and Sciences, and other resources.
Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD)—a consortium of 39 leading art schools in the United States and Canada. The school is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).