ÉCOLE EUROPÉENNE SUPÉRIEURE D’ART DE BRETAGNE
https://www.eesab.fr/english/
Juliette Moal

I will try to explain my experience at Fine art, in graphic design option, in 3rd year. This is very personal point of view!

First, we are not all in the same class as ADG2, but separated into years (about 20 students in 2nd year, same in 3rd year, 4th and 5th year its around 8 students in each). There are compulsory courses: history of art, drawing (really free), and editorial design, then we choose 4 or 5 other courses per semester, which are "workshops". Each teacher offers one or more workshops, usually about a medium of which the teacher is a specialist, or a project idea with several, sometimes around an event or a request, sometimes with the other option of the school. For example, there is: typography, poster, digital design, photography, video, book project… Each teacher proposes a topic or theme for their course, for the semester (like the subject « water in Brno » for example). In the school there is a lot of material available to help us to make the projects: screenprint, photo lab, wood studio, metal, computer, camera, engraving, 3D printer, laser cut, etc.

So we have about 5-7 projects per semester. The schedule is very busy. In teaching lessons, the teacher will see students one by one to see how their project is going. We do not present in front of the whole class as you do, but we discuss together next.

A class is not at all considered a "studio" as it is for you. The teacher and student position is much more pronounced. For example, it is very rare for a student to give his opinion on someone else’s project in front of a teacher!

Generally, I didn’t feel comfortable… and I didn’t have self-confidence and confidence in my works.

For the topics, we do not speak at all about the problems of today's world! Often, they are graphic design projects about graphic design, or for graphic designers... The concept of designer is not questioned at all, which I find very sad and incoherent. For example, it surprises me a lot that you make this subject on the design of the course itself, and I think it's really great!

I found my semester at ADG2 very enjoyable and rewarding. There was less pressure in the course, and yet I am satisfied with the work I did. The teachers and students were very attentive and caring! A lot of interesting discussion, and we feel that students are involved in the school!
I found it very good also that the classroom in Brno is often reorganized, we feel that it’s your space.

In my school what is really great are all the materials available, there are also regular workshops (few days work with extern artist or graphic designer) and conferences. Sometimes it was difficult, but I learned a lot!

BAUHAUS UNIVERSITY WEIMAR (Visual Communication)
https://www.uni-weimar.de/en/university/start/
Marie Czeiler

Each Semester starts with an event where each project is presented and you can choose one afterwards. You need one project, one "Fachkurs" (practical course or sth, but mostly very similar to project) and one science seminar to get the points you need. You can choose from every department you like (graphic design, typography, video, photography, advertisement/concept). So in fact every semester can be different. The course is mixed up every time new and students from all semesters study together in the project or course with different teachers.

• Do you have a semestral (or long-term) topic?

Depends on the project and teacher. Sometimes there is one task for the whole semester, sometimes more small assignments during the semester. Right now because of the Bauhaus birthday next year, there are a lot of projects with this topic and some will continue also next semester. You can also chose projects from the Bauhaus.Semester, which will be this and next semester because of the birthday and events.

• What is your typical assignment and how many of them do you get in 1 semester?

Hard to say because there is no typical task, depends on teacher and department. In graphic design its often about form and composing, in advertisement its all about developing a concept for example. But I think the tasks often are something really free and artistic. Especially the graphic design project is made up of many small tasks almost every semester, but I never did a project there, only Fachkurs and there you normally have more then one task. I would say between 3-5.

• Do you have enough time to think about the assignment and then actually doing it?

Normally it starts with research for one or two weeks and then developing and showing stuff and working on it. So you have the whole semester to finish it if you have THE idea right at the beginning. Otherwise you change sometimes in the middle and start again. When there are more tasks it's sometimes hard to finish and start with something new right after. Sometimes you can finish them till end of semester break. But all in all I think we have a lot of time to finish tasks.

• Do you often feel under-pressure / overwhelmed?

Yes I do, really often, although the teachers rarely really put us under pressure, but you make it yourself of course.

• How are your critiques and what is the main point of interest?

Depends on teacher, but mostly they just say what they think, give tips in which direction it should go. Some sometimes say like nothing or ok mmhh... But what is really annoying, no one says ever something like this is shit do it again, so it's not really a critical critic that helps you.

• Do you talk about the problems of today's world? (political / environmental issues etc)

Yes we do. Some projects are about society issues in form of political posters for example. When the tasks allow it, sometimes students do stuff about environ-ment, politics,... f.e. the right winged party in Germany.

• Do you think it's important for a designer to discuss those things?

Yes of course. Everyone, no matter which job you make, should be informed about what happens in the country and in the whole world. Sometimes I ask myself what am I doing here, why do I study that, its so artificial and superficial, why should society need sth like graphic design, just cool looking, aesthetic stuff, is it not senseless? But on the other hand I think everything needs design, it can be for something really important but also not so important, but everything is somehow worth it.

• Do you think it's important for a design student to clash with different disciplines like philosophy, psychology, architecture, fashion etc and can you explain why?

Yes I think it can be really useful to get in touch with different disciplines, you get another point of view, another input and when you talk to people, doing sth else, they maybe bring you to something new and have points and tips, that you would not have seen. Its also source of inspiration and maybe of general knowledge.

• Do your teachers invite external guests for lectures or workshops? If so, what is the purpose? (to meet the person, cover a specific topic, make the class more varied...)

There is a lecture series called Bauhaus Masters every winter semester, where people from all over the world (mostly men) are invited to hold an lecture. Mostly they talk about their work and projects. Sometimes there are people invited for workshops in a project or as a guest critic and to give another in-put/point of view to our work.

• What are the differences between your school and our school? Which one do you find better/more pleasant?

Like I already explained it's a different system at my school, different from your studio structure where you stay for the whole studies. Also I think you have a lot more possibilities of lectures and courses. My impression when I was in Brno was that you have a lot of theory and practical courses and workshops about programming f.e. So I think you get a lot of education in different directions, art history, philosophy or psychology. Also I really liked the studio structure where you stay every semester and that the group is more like a unit, that you help each other and work together. At least that was my impression:) So I think that you maybe get a better background in education and there is a bigger offer of courses, workshops and excursions.