Spatial Experience Design BFA

Fall Semester

Deadline: February 1

The Spatial Experience Design program (SED) is a unique educational experience. The program educates students to lead in the complete process of developing environments that inspire, inform, and persuade. SED comprises retail development: including the development of complete stores, fixtures, window, and merchandise displays; and exhibition design: including museums, trade shows, zoos, theme parks, and visitor centers; and temporary installations like large scale events, pop-up stores, holiday spectacles, photo shoots, and stage sets.

This program provides an in-depth, interdisciplinary education that prepares you to create displays and exhibitions from conceptualization through fabrication. In courses taught by professional designers with extensive experience, you will learn to use a variety of materials and techniques, shop construction including props, electronic media, and lighting. You'll develop skills in graphic and spatial design, drafting for plans and elevations, and the technologies used in industry. Hands-on fabrication experience is offered through the building of displays, models, and on-campus exhibits, including a major capstone exhibition.

Networking events, field trips, and a required internship lead to multiple opportunities. Right after graduation, SED students move on to jobs as designers, project managers, and production directors. After ten years many alumni have senior leadership positions as design directors, creative managers, and even CEOs.

Please submit responses to the questions below (maximum 100 words each) and a portfolio of original artwork.

Forms

Communication Design Pathways BFA Short Statements

Please be concise and to the point in all responses. Responses should provide insight on transferable skills, motivations, interpersonal qualities, and aptitudes.

  1. Why did you select your first choice of major?
  2. What was your most inspiring and/or insightful experience so far in your academic career?
  3. What is your most successful piece of work and why?

Portfolio

A BFA applicant portfolio should consist of design work that demonstrates a breadth of strengths including: creativity; innovative thinking; conceptual development process; drawing ability; color sensibilities, 2D and 3D design skills, design composition; digital design; and ability to work in a variety of media. At least one strong example of the applicants’ design development process should be submitted. This design process may be submitted in the form of digital scans of multiple pages of a sketchbook. Work submitted should relate to the applicant’s choice BFA major but also demonstrate overall design strengths and abilities. Only the strongest pieces should be included in the portfolio.

Applicants should submit 12-15 pieces of their strongest and most current work.

Identify all work with project name, size, medium and concept. If work was created as a team project, the applicant should describe their specific role in the process. Quality and professional presentation are critical. The portfolio may include:

  • Applicant’s design and concept development process
  • Typography
  • Page layout
  • Advertising and Digital Design, Graphic Design, Packaging Design, Visual Presentation, and Exhibition Design
  • Three-dimensional design
  • Motion, interactive and/or other screen-based work
  • Work that represents current strengths

Please be advised that SlideRoom allows a MAXIMUM of 5 files per portfolio submission. Each of these files may be a PDF (up to 10MB) or a video (up to 250MB). The applicant will need to include multiple pieces of work in one or more of the files submitted in order to present the 12-15 pieces requested. This may be accomplished by creating and submitting multi-page PDFs.

Provide 1-5 items. Video (up to 250MB each), PDFs (up to 10MB each)