Art Center College of Design, or ACCD for short, was founded in 1930 and is located in Pasadena, California, in the Los Angeles area, and is one of the leading private design schools in the United States. The portfolio is the most important part of the application process. Ensure that the portfolio corresponds to the major you are applying for, and the Academy of the Center for Design and the Arts does not accept portfolios without a major direction. The following are the portfolio requirements for several majors:
1. Illustration
Submit 10-15 portraits of people with real life models, including gestures and fragments of more detail, other observational drawings from life such as self-portraits or portraits of others Sketches of animals and landscapes of nature and cityscapes are also required. Include imaginative drawings that demonstrate your passion and understanding of illustration in color and black and white.
Submit three or more works that emphasize drawing or sketching skills and show the development of a story or idea. The School of Design and Arts Center also welcomes students to include sketchbooks in their portfolios that demonstrate a range of interests and skills, and the school recommends that 10-15 sketch pages be submitted in one PDF.
2. Photography and Imaging Majors
Submit a minimum of 25 black-and-white, color, or digital images. Any combination of these is also accepted, but the College of Design and Arts Center encourages applicant students to submit work in black and white. Li Yitong, an expert on studying art in the United States and a consultant for Creative Arts Study Abroad, suggests that the work should be able to reflect the connection between point of view and technique, but it should also include photographs of people as subject matter, and that the work should be able to demonstrate the ability to create original images.
3. Product Design
Submit sketches and completed drawings of three or more original product designs (furniture, lighting, medical and computer equipment, or consumer products such as coffee makers, sporting goods, communication devices, or walkmans). Each theme should be grouped into separate PDF files. To emphasize the constructional functionality, aesthetics, and originality of the design, the theme should demonstrate a thorough process of research and exploration of a product, from intermediate sketches to the final product. Inclusion of photos of 3 d models is optional. Most importantly exploratory sketches should show various solutions and ideas for each product. Sketchbook pages should be scanned and grouped in a PDF.
Applying to art school portfolios are key, so feel free to learn about the Art Study Abroad American Center for Design and the Arts College Portfolio.