Well first off, my intended career is to become a traditional animator either employed by a network or independently (or both). In this profession it isn’t so much the degree that is important, but rather a portfolio showcasing all of my work. The only major offered by the University of Delaware that offers any classes even remotely related to animation seems to be visual communications, so this blog post will be written under the assumption that visual communications is my major.

The visual communications major offers courses related to marketing and graphic design mostly. Graphic design could have to do with animation if it involves graphic animation, in this case on websites with the types of ads you see on the side with the moving graphics. This ties into the marketing aspects of the visual communications major because it is, well, advertising. I would be creating a small, cruddy, advertisement that could be easily be produced in about an hour that would do nothing but annoy people while they are browsing. This is the boring spectrum of animation. As for how the visual communications major connects with my own personal skills, I already have a proficient understanding of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Flash. The classes would be much more manageable, and easier, with this knowledge. The visual communications degree would be most useful if I were applying to a company to be a graphic designer or a web designer.

It’s difficult to discuss this because anybody interested in an animation career really shouldn’t be going to a school for an art degree, unless they go to CalArts which really isn’t affordable for me. It would be better for myself to go into a different major while I pursue my animation career independently, but no other major seems of any interest to me, so I’ll just see how things work out.