Scholarships • Graphic Design • Carthage College

The graphic design scholarships are awarded to passionate and talented students who will be pursuing a degree in the field of graphic design. Scholarships are awarded based on an interview as well as a portfolio of your creative works. All prospective students are encouraged to apply.

Graphic design scholarship reviews for 2023 will take place in-person on February 25 and virtually by request. Complete an application for a scholarship review. Application forms will be available on October 1.

You will receive an email confirmation with more details once your application is processed. Please add finearts@carthage.edu to your contacts to ensure you receive all the information about your portfolio review.

If you need to change or cancel your scholarship portfolio review meeting, please contact finearts@carthage.edu as soon as possible. This is especially important for cancellations, as other students may be on the waiting list and could benefit from a slot becoming available.

Questions? Email Fine Arts at Carthage at finearts@carthage.edu or call 262-551-5859.

THE INTERVIEW

The scholarship interview is your opportunity to convey your interest and passion for graphic design. What interests you about being a designer? Even if you are just starting out, if you have a great passion and perhaps the start of some strong projects, we want to meet with you! Where do you get your inspiration? Who are your favorite designers or artists? Do you ever check out the student section of AIGA.com? What would you like to be involved in at Carthage? DRAFT, our graphic design group? Our newspaper? Getting to know you is an important part of this interview.

THE PORTFOLIO

Your portfolio can include up to 12 pieces of your strongest creative work, and could contain a mixture of art, photography, graphic design, web design, and other creative pieces. It would be best to showcase your work in a slideshow presentation or a website. The body of artistic work you present should exemplify your design abilities and creative potential.

Additional Portfolio Materials

Your portfolio should also contain:

Process Work: We also encourage you to include process work you have for any of your projects, such as brainstorming and sketches so we can see how your brain works.
A “List of Works” document with written descriptions of each of your design pieces that explains a) what you are trying to say (did you have a concept?), and b) how you are trying to say it (what line, color, shape, texture, technique did you use to enforce the message?. During your interview, we don’t want you to use this as a script, but we would like you to consider the thought process behind your work before you present it to us.

OTHER REQUIRED MATERIALS

Please bring a copy of your resume.

THE INTERVIEW

Your interview with the CDM faculty will be virtual, but it follows the same guidelines as listed above for the in-person interviews. You will receive information about your Zoom invitation and faculty contact in the confirmation email which will be sent after your application has been processed. Please read and keep this email.

THE PORTFOLIO

Your portfolio can include up to 12 pieces of your strongest creative work and could contain a mixture of art, photography, graphic design, web design, and other creative pieces. It would be best to showcase your work in a slideshow presentation or a website. The body of artistic work you present should exemplify your design abilities and creative potential.

Send the link to your website, or share your Google presentation folder, etc. with the faculty member listed in your confirmation email.

Additional Portfolio Materials

Process Work: We encourage you to include process work for your projects, such as brainstorming lists and sketches so we can see how your brain works.
A “List of Works” document with written descriptions of each of your design pieces that explains a) What you’re trying to say? (Did you have a concept?), and b) How are you trying to say it? (What line, color shape, texture, and technique did you use to enforce the message?). During your interview, we don’t want you to use this as a script, but we would like you to consider the thought process behind your work before you present it to us.

OTHER REQUIRED MATERIALS

Students are required to email a current resume along with their portfolio to the faculty member listed in the confirmation email.

When we say “graphic design”, this includes finished products like logos, brochures, and T-shirt designs. We’ll be looking for strong skills in conceptualization, image-making, typography, and color use. We’ll also be looking for original concepts started by hand, as well as work that features your own images and photos. If you need ideas for graphic design projects, consider doing work for your school, find a non-profit in need of designs (search www.volunteermatch.org for work in your area), or look on call-for-design websites (such as www.talenthouse.com).

You may also include the items listed below.

Photography (especially strong when you place your own photography into a design piece, such as a flyer)
Studio art (also especially strong when you place your own art into a design piece, such as a postcard)
Time-based media
Website work
Self-promotion piece (sometimes people leave behind a small book or printed item for us to remember their work)

You do not have to label your work, and you do not have to bring a flash drive unless you do not have a printed portfolio or website.

We definitely don’t want to see:

A disorganized portfolio
Sloppy work that was thrown together quickly
Low-resolution images
Plagiarized work