Five Graphic Design Scholarships
- Vectorworks Design Scholarship
- Charlie Corr Memorial Scholarship
- The Yellow Pages United Mark Smith Scholarship
- CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship
- Geri Wolff Scholarship
Graphic design programs combine technology, marketing, and visual art skills including color theory and layout design, and many students take advantage of graphic design scholarships to study these topics at the undergraduate and graduate levels. As Forbes reports, in today’s fast-paced world, businesses are putting more emphasis on design in order to grab people’s attention and attract potential customers. Graphic designers play a huge role in branding and attaching emotion to products and companies, just through things like color scheme or logos. Some scholarships for students in this field are as follows.
Ranking: 10 Best Online Schools for Graphic Design
1. Vectorworks Design Scholarship
This is an international award open for students in a variety of design fields including graphic design, interior design, event planning, and landscaping. Each applicant submits a project that showcases his or her creativity and technical skill. Judges then score them on the use of technology, uniqueness, presentation, and design as well as written answers to pertinent questions. Twelve winners are chosen to each win $3000 for tuition, books, and living expenses. These projects then advance to the final round, and the overall winner earns another $7000.
2. Charlie Corr Memorial Scholarship
This is a scholarship for graphic design specifically for students majoring in journalism or marketing communications. Provided by the Electronic Document Scholarship Foundation, the award is given in memory of Charlie Corr, an industry leader, who both worked in the field and emphasized the importance of a solid graphic design education. The total amount of the scholarship is $2000, and to be eligible, students must have a 3.0 GPA and be attending school full time.
3. The Yellow Pages United Mark Smith Scholarship
Geared toward communications, marketing, and journalism students, Yellow Pages United offers a design competition where students can submit their own infographic about a specific topic. The winner earns a $2000 scholarship to apply to their tuition. Each submission will be judged on content, creativity, messaging, and technique. Students must have at least a 3.0 GPA to enter the contest.
4. CBC Spouses Visual Arts Scholarship
Offered by the Congressional Black Caucus, this graphic design scholarship is open to all full-time students with a GPA above 2.5 in a visual arts major. Recognizing the lack of representation of African Americans in the field, the CBC hopes to encourage students to pursue careers in visual arts and communications. One winner will be chosen for the $3000 award based on letters of recommendation, a personal resume, and a five-piece portfolio showcasing their artistic talents. Financial need is also a component of the decision-making process.
5. Geri Wolff Scholarship
This is a graphic design scholarship that focuses specifically on women in their junior or senior year who plan to enter a newer sub-field of the industry, graphic signage, which is a combination of computer science and graphic design. These students plan to use their design skills for mediums including electronic restaurant menus and weather maps as well as online graphic content displayed on mobile devices. The Digital Signage Federation offers $3000 to the winner.
Graphic design techniques are used in most other industries for designing products, advertising, and communications. In order to be successful, professionals entering this field need a solid foundation in communication, IT, marketing, and visual arts techniques, and a scholarship for graphic design can help deserving students gain these skills.
Source: Forbes
