The Creative Circus Reviews

"This is a good school for learning graphic design quick, however, there is a major disconnect between open prompted teachers telling you to just design what you're passionate about, anything goes, and they all encourage experimentation, and then there's judges who tell you your work isn't marketable enough and you lack variety. I don't recommend going to the school without prior design education or experience, there's a lot of information they with hold from you because they assume you already know it. Not a beginner's program, it's not worth the extortion of them telling you you need to pay for more quarters if you have any hope of graduating. By all means, go to Creative Circus if you want to EXPAND on your graphic design education though."

"All in all this is an okay place in most respects. I have no emotional attachment to this place, and that's mostly because I never felt cared for or invested in. If you can get an undergrad degree (maybe even a masters, heck I don't know) in Graphic Design for the same or less money, I would say do that instead. Unless time is a factor for you, then this place is only 2 years. Everyone who isn't on staff is pretty great, and there are a few staffers who are good also. I'm speaking only for design, obviously. I love the co-chair. Most of the instructors are very talented and eager to help. Several are so good that I consider them friends and mentors, and will continue to for years to come. Nearly all of them are very interested in seeing the students grow and learn. The instructors are not part of the staff in the traditional sense and usually have a day job as well. Those on staff have not been as good or felt as 'on my team' as the instructors have, which is sad since they hold quite a lot of the power (if not all of it). In pretty much every area of the school, subjectivity and differences of opinion are par for the course. I was consistently frustrated at how that panned out in grading. The phrase 'the grades don't matter' was tossed around frequently, and they didn't in a certain sense. They were not the focus of the course, and some of your best work could likely come from a class you didn't get an A in. So if you do decide to attend, don't be afraid of the grades. My biggest struggle was that in the end I felt like differences of opinion between instructors drastically changed my experience. Sometimes a class would love my work and give me an A but panel at the end of the quarter would give me a C because they thought it needed lots of work. I felt off balance, and it wasn't until the new co-chair came that I ever felt like I received helpful or actionable advice on what to do about it all. It was usually vague artsy nonsense about 'thinking more conceptually' or something, but never how to actually become better. So definitely find someone who gives critique that you find helpful and stick with them. It took me awhile but it helped so much. Feedback is a big part of the school and design in general, I just was penalized more than once over a difference of opinion that had no real right answer because it was based on personal preference not the strength or validity of my design choices. So sometimes you will run into that. Critique will get easier to take as not personal, I promise. I wish I had advice for you, but the best that I figured out was that if you have solid reasoning for your choices and explain well then all they can say is that they personally don't like it (which isn't valid or helpful critique). They are the ones who get the final say, so there were certainly points where their opinion was the only one I cared about. That isn't a good thing, but it can become the reality. The previous department head was not a good one in my opinion, and the new one seems much more 'for the students'. That being said, he does not give students the time that they need (this is also obviously just my experience and the experience of my quarter). He is still kind of new to the role, so hopefully he gets better. We would go weeks without speaking when I really needed specific feedback and attention. There were others who helped me, but obviously the person who will have the final say on if I graduate is at the top of the list of people that I want to see my stuff. All in all, I felt like I had to beg for scraps of time with him. Sometimes he would frame the lack of attention as our fault, which was frustrating. So basically just don't be afraid to hound your instructors or department heads for time. It's their job to give it to you. And don't take their word as fact. They are just people- yes, experienced people- with opinions. Every single person will have a different opinion on your work. You will learn a lot and grow if you put the energy in. The skills are honestly more valuable than the actual certificate or diploma or whatever it is that we're earning, in my opinion. I've learned so many skills, both in strategy and software. There are plenty of people who come in and take the classes to learn the skills then leave. And there are plenty of super talented people who don't graduate for various reasons. So if you do come here, make your education what you want it to be. You don't have to do anything the way that the school says it's 'normally done'. It's a little bit like an advertising cult here, and a lot of what they say is very specifically about going to an agency and being on a certain kind of path. That pressure is not healthy or good, so do your best to shake that off. You will make good connections and learn useful things here, and probably meet at least a few cool people. Like I said, come here if this place has what you need. There are certainly valuable things that it can provide. Don't put the Circus on a pedestal, though. The school does enough of that itself."

"What it isn't: 2 more years of undergrad, easy. What it is: a career move, the hardest thing you'll ever do, the best experience you can hope for. Be prepared to invest time in yourself, your career, and your craft. After you're done, you'll know it was worth it."