My decision to major to graphic design was very spontaneous. For the past year and a half, I have been a photography major. I spent one year in VPA as an Art-Photography major and then transferred to Newhouse my sophomore year as an Illustration Photography major. Since high school, I knew that I loved photography, but I had never taken a class that wasn’t a photography class. I hadn’t even thought about a graphic design class until I learned that it was required for all photography majors in Newhouse. I was taking both PHO301 and GRA217 last semester and caught myself thinking more about graphic design and less about photography. I also noticed that I enjoyed working on my graphic design assignments more than I enjoyed working on my photography assignments. I loved everything about GRA217 and the assignments that came with it, but I especially loved designing a magazine and everything that went into creating the perfect magazine cover and spread. It wasn’t until I was at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London reading graphic design books in the bookstore for 30 minutes that I realized I wanted to make the switch. I had the option of picking up two books, one book was called 100 Photographs that Changed the World and the other was called Never Use Futura. I went straight to Never Use Futura. I love photography but graphic design excites me in a way that photography never has. Not only am I extremely excited to be a graphic design major but I am also extremely nervous. I have never had experience in graphic design except for GRA217 last semester. But I’ve found something that makes me excited to go to class every day and learn all there is to learn about every aspect of this field. I am excited to dive further into the world of graphic design and to really see what I could be capable of as a graphic designer. I love working in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign and I am beyond excited to learn even more about design and how to use these programs to their fullest extent. I knew the exact path I wanted to take with photography, I wanted to be a fashion photographer and become the next Richard Avedon or Lindsay Adler and that’s it. But part of the reason why graphics interests me so much is that there is so much I don’t know about and it feels like there is more than just one path for me.
