Our course is a specialisation course and takes three years to reach graduation. Students enter the department from either the basic year or from outside of the school. Teaching happens in both group and individual situations, inside and outside of the classroom.
First specialisation year
The first year is primarily an introduction to graphic design, practice and theory. You will have (at least) four or five classes a week, each class has a related assignment and there are usually two assignments per class given per semester – three/four assignments per class, per year (-/+16 assignments per school year, in total). In the second semester a dedicated writing class is added to the program.
Punctuating these assignments, over the whole school year, are three separate week-long workshops taught by invited guests. Usually these workshops are focussed on ‘specialisations’ within graphic design, for example in type design, programming, scenography or photography. Each semester concludes with a moment of assessment, where you are required to present the outcomes of your assignments; process and progress over the semester are discussed with the teachers.
Second specialisation year
In the second specialisation year is similarly structured to the first, but you will investigate subjects and media more deeply, and in more detail. You will have (at least) four or five classes a week, each class has a related assignment and there are usually two assignments per class given per semester – three/four assignments per class, per year [-/+16 assignments per school year, in total]. In the second semester a dedicated writing class is added to the programme.
Punctuating these assignments, over the whole school year, are three separate week-long workshops taught by invited guests. Usually these workshops are focussed on ‘specialisations’ within graphic design, for example in type design, programming, scenography or photography. Each semester concludes with a moment of assessment, where you are required to present the outcomes of your assignments; process and progress over the semester are discussed with the teachers.
Third specialisation year
The third specialisation year – the graduation year – is comprised of the final examination, thesis and access to applied assignments. The graduation year starts with a six-week residency outside of Amsterdam, an extensive exercise towards motivating independent working processes. The thesis is begun during this period and is continued upon return to Amsterdam, to be completed by the first assessment in January.
Leading up to the January assessment you will have (at least) four classes a week, but assignments are more structural, where you are encouraged to formulate the question/subject/format of the assignment yourself. The January assessment is important in the sense that it aims to reach a confidence between the teachers and yourself that you are ready to graduate from the academy. In the second semester the teachers become mentors and you can decide the direction of your studies for yourself – culminating in an own, or collaborative, project(s) for the graduation show. You will meet your two assigned mentors weekly and any special guest teachers whom are invited to the academy.
In the graduation year you also have access to applied assignments, which are ‘real’ assignments, producing graphic design for various commissioners both internal and external to the school – for example the Rietveld’s annual graduation show campaign, the Rietveld fashion show campaign, Open Day campaign, and many more… For the applied assignments you will work in close dialogue with the commissioner and under guidance from teachers in the department. The final examination exhibition is held in June and is open to the public.