A new major at LSU will offer students a less traditional approach to graphic design and new ways to be creative in the classroom.
The upcoming degree program combines photography and graphic design to create a tailored learning experience for students interested in digital art.
Rod Parker, a graphic design professor and director of the College of Art and Design, led the initiative for the new major along with colleagues who shared his opinion that artistic curriculum should be more flexible.
“The world is changing much faster than curriculum can keep up,” Parker said. “Curriculum is often outdated because it is created by faculty, and we are shaped by institutions which are now shaping you.”
Photography and graphic design will be a Bachelor of Arts program as opposed to a Bachelor of Fine Arts. The new degree path will allow for more flexibility in how students use their credit hours.
While it will require the same total number of course hours, the photography and graphic design major will allow students to explore other fields through a minor, dual major or approved course of study.
“You can roll your own degree in a certain way with a strong center in art,” Parker said.
Specific requirements for the new major include two studio courses and two art or design history courses. Students may select the rest of their courses from a myriad of classes and seminars offered to students pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
“There are so many different paths,” Parker said. “There’s so much you can do.”
Some students agree that the major will benefit those seeking a well-rounded knowledge of modern graphic design as opposed to a more traditional learning experience.
Graphic design sophomore Mackenzie Rodrigue said she would consider changing her major to photography and graphic design.
“With graphic design, you are creating your own content and with photography you are learning how to work with
what’s already there,” Rodrigue said. “I think combining the two could teach people how to see both sides.”
Rodrigue also said she could see how some students might think the graphic design major is too traditional and offered ideas on what she thought the new major’s coursework could entail.
“Maybe creating a class where [students] focus more on photoshop and editing photos to make them usable with the things we are creating for graphic design,” Rodrigue said.
Parker expects the new degree to appeal to students interested in working in game design, special effects and movie editing, as well as students who want to be creative but might not have their parents’ support to solely major in art.
Parker also said the degree will be useful in a fast-evolving world with industries that may have yet to be created.
“When [current students] were in middle school, there were huge phones with antennas,” Parker said. “Today, everyone walks around with a multimedia computer in their pocket.”
Parker also elaborated on the specific skills that photography and graphic design students might take forward into the world.
“Someone who can design a logo, design a brochure, design an annual report, shoot photography, shoot a video and edit it,” Parker said. “That’s someone with a huge set of skills.”
The LSU Design Building sits on West Campus Drive in Baton Rouge on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020.
