Expert: Sean Trapani - 8/16/2007

Question
I graduated from a pretty good private university about 8 months ago with a degree in Communications. The more I look at seriously breaking into the industry I get the feeling that honing my craft at a portfolio school is the way to go. I think I have some potential to make some great work, but I'm not sure where I belong. I can write, but I think I have a fairly good eye for design too. Should I pursue the way of the art director (if anything at all)? Do these kind of schools expect your sample submissions to be groundbreaking, or do they just look for that potential 1.21 gigawatts of greatness?

If you have any suggestions of the best portfolio schools around. I'm looking at The Portfolio Center, Miami Ad School, Brainco.

Thanks.

Answer
Hi, Adam

No, the portfolio schools don't require lightening bolts - just sparks. They want to see that you understand principles and know how to apply them. If you're considering the art director path, they'll want to be sure that you understand the basic software packages - CS3, Quark, etc.

Of course, I can't give you any guidance on which path to choose (copywriter or art director) - only that either path requires an understanding, and to some degree, a mastery of the other. Good copywriters understand art directing and vice versa. So don't worry about having an interest/passion about both. That's completely normal.

For me, personally, what answered that question was the "hell, yeah" factor. I got more excited about writing a killer headline than developing an interesting visual metaphor, so copywriting it was for me.

I'll speak to Brainco in a moment. But Portfolio Center, Miami Ad School and Creative Circus are three solid SE schools. My school, SCAD, is better to hit at the undergrad level first (a LOT of foundational theory courses), so I think your instinct about sticking to a finishing school is probably the right one for you.

Curriculum wise, I've heard good things about all three schools I mentioned. But one intangible is the location.

Portfolio Center and Creative Circus are in Atlanta. Miami Ad School is in, well, duh...Miami. So where would you rather learn and network? With the bikini-clad residents of South Beach and hang with the dudes who dream up VW spots at Crispen & Porter? Or, would you rather be in the fast-paced, mover-and-shaker environment of Atlanta?

(Brainco appears to be tiny - less than 100 students in a warehouse district in Minneapolis. I think skipping that option is a no-brainer. I am not even sure if they are still in business, to be honest.)

Anyway - those are my thoughts, Adam. I'd encourage you to elicit the opinions of other people in the biz before making any choices. And if possible, visit a few schools to gauge the "vibe" for yourself. You know us advertising people. We tend to only accentuate the positives in our marketing materials :-)

Good luck!


Sean Trapani