Packaging Design BFA

FALL SEMESTER

Deadline: February 1

The Packaging Design BFA program prepares students for branding and packaging design in the 360 branding age. You’ll learn how to create compelling brand narratives and an engaging visual language that grabs consumers by their emotional heartstrings. Ahead of the trends with future-thinking to be successful in the traditional marketplace and in the challenging e-commerce space, you will be developing brand strategies applied to packaging and other brand touchpoints. Packaging design – typography, imagery, color, materials, structure – impacts all aspect of our consumer lives and influences why and how we shop.

Market-driven assignments are reinforced by in-depth study of branding strategies, trends, concept development, and environmental issues. You'll learn how to combine marketing information with an understanding of people, culture, and the consumer mindset. You’ll graduate with strong strategy and concept development skills, as well digital and presentation skills that are in high demand today. With sustainability as an integral part of the design process, and an immersion into materials and production, you’ll be able to design smarter in consideration of the health of planet. You will be prepared to work in the brand and packaging design industry at leading design firms or on the corporate side at CPGs and you will have a network of alumni professionals leading the industry as partners, principals, art directors, creative directors and strategists.

FIT’s Packaging Design BFA is the only one of its kind in the US with strong industry connections because of the six hundred plus alumni that are the heart of the branding and packaging business. Our industry-driven curriculum includes Packaging Design Process, Packaging Design Strategy, Explorations in 3D, Sustainable Packaging Design Development, Portfolio Preparation and Internship. Guided by our faculty of professional designers, you will work individually and in teams to hone your skills and develop expertise.

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)