“AIC’s philosophy is to teach the fundamentals first. Like any stable building it is important to build on a strong foundation. We encourage students to express and explore their creativity while developing individual skills.
The Art Institute of Cincinnati has limited enrollment and is selective when recruiting new students. Seeking people who have the love of art! We believe that teaching good ethics along with art is important. The people of AIC look for a professional attitude - confidence, yes - but - no prima donnas, please!
Todays’ art is a global society with the necessity to provide the business experience as well as the visual. Many accounts in todays’ market are lost by persons unaware of cultural differences in the business arena. AIC recognizes this fact and offers workshops presented by designers with international clients as part of the curriculum.
The Art Institute of Cincinnati is small, emphasizing personal attention. Concentrating on a wealth of information in a short 22 months.
At The Art Institute of Cincinnati - students study the past, practice the present and explore the future!” - AIC
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July 11th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
I just found this site and I happen to be a student at AIC. I just want to to point out that, as a graduating student of the school, to tell everyone to save their money. AIC is a joke. I sincerely doubt there are many worse two year schools in the Cincinnati area to be honest. The communication between teachers is the worst. So bad that when the dean gets involved with the students, and she doesn’t rightfully get what’s going on, she takes it out on us. Just today (yes, we go to school in July) she threatened to not give us our diplomas at graduation if she didn’t get the final look at our resumes. Ridiculous to me. If I really thought I could, I’d sue the school back for all my tuition.
Another thing, going to school here all together would add up for about a half a year at Harvard, just to give you an idea of how expensive the school is. If you want a serious design career, look else where for the education.
July 19th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Can’t believe this! I have a friend who graduated from AIC and she is doing great! She has all good things to say. They helped her not only with placing her in the first job but all through her career. She does TV commercials and makes in the 6 figures AND has fun doing it!
I think this person is missing the boat - you only get out the effort you put in. The faculty expects you to do your best and work hard. AIC priority is to get students to produce quality work and assist with placing graduates in jobs.
The tuition is above average but there are 3 design school in the area that are more expensive.
July 19th, 2007 at 7:45 pm
I’m glad to see a dialog going. I need to make this more apparent on each post, but my hope is to get people to add as much feedback on the various art and design schools as possible whether it be a positive or negative experience. It’s nice to hear two conflicting opinions. Thanks so much for your views!
July 20th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
I’m so happy that I found this site. It gives me a chance to vent. I have been involved in secondary education for a number of years, and unfortunately during the last several years some questions have come to mind .
1. Are the students going to class everyday?
2. Are the students taking full advantage of the knowledge and expertise of their Instructors and Professors?
3. Are the students turning in their assignments on time?
4. Are they working to the best of their ability and turning in the best work that they possibly can?
5. Do they really expect to get a job (which is why they go to college) if they don’t perform at 100%?
I have found that the students who complain the most are the ones that have done the least or have expected others to do it for them.
II’ll say it again - YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO THE WATER BUT YOU CAN’T MAKE HIM DRINK!!!!
July 28th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
I recently graduated from AIC, and I have to say that I also would not recommend the Art Institute of Cincinnati to anyone.
To be fair, I believe half the problems I had with the school came from it being a two year program. I just don’t think you can learn or develop the skills you’ll need in two years time. However, if you already have the skills - or are just a quick learner - than from what I understand, AIC is one of the better two year schools in the Cincinnati area. However, for how much it costs in comparison to how much I really learned there, I regret not attending a four year program.
The other half of my problems come from the fact that the faculty have no communicative skills what so ever. I can think of many examples on the tip of my tongue right now, actually. From personal experience, the main issue I had is that before going to AIC, I actually told my interviewer up front I was interested in gaining the skills to be an illustrator for comic books or kids books. I was told I’d gain them. Nope. The school gave us three weeks of drawing, which was actually tracing. I was even scolded for “not tracing” or “free handing” projects. Needless to say, I had very little interest in the projects at that school. A complete waste of my time, though I had little alternative due to financial and commute issues.
I would also like to point out that I was told by several friends that the school “was a joke” to put it nicely. And I have to agree. The best example I can give is the Roy Waits color theory lessons. I was told before hand that they were some of the best in the state. I would sure as hell love to know who said that because I was not taught anything that a simple third grader could point out. Also, putting colored squares together really is a joke compared to the color theory classes in CCAD. I was also very frustrated with the contradictory nature of the teachers. In the first year, two - three teachers would teach the class, but they all answered to Cyndi Mendell. This woman was impossible to deal with due to the fact she never really knew what was going on. She would show up late every day, and when she wasn’t teaching she would be off promoting the school. Which is a lot of work, I respect that, but having an instructor that is absent all week and then walks in the day the project is due and telling you it’s not acceptable because it is not what SHE wants is ridiculous.
The second year focuses completely computer graphics and I would actually consider it a lot more constructive. There are three instructors that work a lot closer and have less communicative problems, however there is still one instructor who prefers thing done his way. This instructor, Dan Bittman, has an ego that can get in the way of a lot of projects. I can recall days where the whole class wanted nothing more than to beat the man with a spiked club. The funniest thing about the man is that he would completely redo a students project to how he liked it, and upon turning it in he would hate it and give a terrible grade. It was also a challenge for the student to get some of the instructors to explain what was actually wrong with their designs. For instance, just saying “Doesn’t Work” and moving on isn’t going to help any student learn from their mistakes.
If the faculty stop defending themselves like immature children, and set aside their pride for a moment, or better yet, actually listen for a change, all I would like to say about their school is this: If the entire student body isn’t happy, something is wrong. If one does a serious google search on AIC, you’ll find that several members of the student body have filled many blogs and livejournals about they’re problems with the school. After finding these many of these blogs during my second year, I had seriously considered dropping out or even mounting a law suit against the school. Because of this, I asked every student in both years if they were truly happy with their decision to go to the Art Institute of Cincinnati. Not a single student - even the brightest and agreeable of the bunch - could give me a yes. Every single one of them felt the school had many faults and had regrets about attending it. The nicest answer I was given was “If I get a job, I’ll be happy.” This lead to finding out that the job placement program also had a few holes and lies in it, which apparently another commenter’s friend was lucky enough not to deal with. I imagine I know exactly why too.
The bottom line is that unless you are already a talented designer and just want an associate degree to show for it, don’t go to this school. In the end, AIC completely ignores the students who need improvement just to spoil the students already talented enough to land the good jobs. Because this school isn’t about helping students, they’re about selling themselves. AIC is two years of my life I sincerely regret wasting.
July 30th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
There are many success stories from graduates of AIC. People who own businesses and hire our graduates. The school is dedicated to assisting students with placement but there is a responsibility on the students part for holding up their end. I question the mentality of anyone who stays in a school for two years and then complains. Is it because they fell short of their expectations? Were they perhaps late everyday? Conversing with students instead of working? How dedicated are they to doing a job right? Perhaps this student would have a job if his resume and portfolio were in shape.
I believe every student who loves to draw dreams of being an illustrator – few have what it takes. The field is so competitive only the top few succeed and those are the people who draw constantly. I don’t know of any who are not freelance artists. That means hiring an agent, which is almost impossible for a new graduate. It was explained to this student, that in order to get into illustration is to start with a steady job in design and work your way into illustration. In the 31 years we’ve been in business we’ve had perhaps 2 or 3 people who have made it in illustration or comic books. These people had tremendous talent. For example, one student in particular worked all night to redo a piece of work after we critiqued it. He had a family and worked full time, never complained about doing things over and he now illustrates on a national level. We also have graduates who made it in the comic book field – but they were workers not complainers.
Isn’t it easy to say everyone was unhappy when you are? After graduation we had parents call in to say how happy they were with the school and the education their son/daughters received. We have second generation students graduate whose parents went to AIC. We have graduates start jobs BEFORE they graduate. We have letters and thank you notes (written documentation) from students who are grateful for their experience at AIC. Isn’t it easy to criticize when you aren’t required to sign your name?
The student in question wants to be an illustrator but yet his illustrative style is still at high school level and far below what is required professionally, at this point in time. His design ability is much stronger and if he really works on his drawing skills he may some day be an illustrator but it will take a lot more work than he has shown so far.
When a student attends AIC they have to rely on our over 300 years of professional experience and sometimes students don’t like what they hear. They are already set in their ways. Methods we teach are meant to save time and when you are working time is money. In the profession we don’t have the time to hire a model – we take photographs of a person or thing and trace them. It’s faster and there IS an art in tracing. There are also many ways to arrive at a design solution so you may have a variety of answer from instructors – all of them correct. The beauty of this is it gives the student choices.
There are 3 sometimes 4 instructors in a classroom (12 to 1 ratio) you won’t get that in a university setting. AIC is a 22 month school a little over two years. Most two-years schools run 18 months. Our curriculum is relevant to the field but it is also time intensive. Every hour counts and a student must have the dedication to be here and apply themselves.
Students are always encouraged to make suggestions or complain when they have a problem. Each year we conduct blind surveys of students asking them about studies etc. where they are able to state their views. 99% have been favorable.
I co-founded this college 31 years ago. I have seen a young man in a wheel chair go on to graduate and become an Ecommerce expert with his own company and 13 employees. He was in pain every day but never complained - he had a vision. I had a young mother who was raising a child working as a waitress who became partner in an agency – she had a mission! I have had numerous single parents graduate and land successful careers – they had a purpose. A recent single parent wanted a job combining her skills working in advertising and planning events – she found her job, her dream came true! These are not ordinary people, they were students who attended every day, they worked when they got here, respected and trusted their instructors and dedicated themselves to learning. They took on the responsibility for their actions and they are not just a few there are hundreds over the years who made it work.
We are a charter member of The International Council of Design Schools. Members are chosen for the quality of work, reputation a success of graduates. AIC is the only school n Ohio chosen. ICDS Members meet once a year to discuss teaching methods, curriculum and share ideas. Our reputation, our dedication and our successful graduates speak for AIC.
It is sad to see this young man so disgruntled. During his mock interview I told him that his portfolio needed work. He had half the work of other students and if he was not happy with a piece to redo it and make it work. He has a lot of ability but he needs to focus and cut out the excuses.
August 7th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
Basically the school gives you a good art education. The instructors are pretty knowledgable and most have worked in the field as degigners and art directors. They are caring people and no-nonsense type of teachers, excetp for one. He is Freddy from France, he doesen’t seem to know what he is talking about, and is constantly stirring up some kind of trouble and finishes students work for them. He always seems to want to argue with the other instructors.
I don’t think this helps the students very much, I wish he would let me alone to do MY work, and quit his sillyness. Until they do something about him, I would not advise any student to go there.
Otherwise it is a pretty good school, they teach you what you need to know to get a job in this field.
August 8th, 2007 at 4:56 am
Graduating from the art institute 7 years ago, I immediately found a job right out of school. I’m now living in Los Angeles working full time for a major televisions network as a flash/web designer.
I’m still in contact with the people I graduated with and most of them have successful careers. I think most students are under the impression that if you have a diploma someone will eventually hire you. Finding the right job is a job in itself, and in most cases requires a lot of sacrifice after graduation.
I have many friends that graduated from SCAD, Ringling, and DAPP. In my opinion the biggest problem with most of the people who weren’t successful after graduation is the ego was larger than the actual skills(myself included), and gave up quickly, instead of working to refine or develop their skills.
Good Luck!
August 8th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Thanks for the input! If only all the other schools had comments, We’d have a useful document.
August 11th, 2007 at 12:15 am
I was a student at The Art Institute of Cincinnati for almost a year. I left and went to another art school, what a mistake. The school I transferred to treated you like a number, they just didn’t seem to care, and I found out later the kids I started with at The Art Inst. of Cin. were getting the better jobs. All of the teachers at AIC were great, they cared more about seeing you advance then themselves. All except one, that was a teacher named Freddy, he thought he was God’s gift to everyone, especially the girls.I’m not saying he was the reason I left, but he didn’t help. Don’t make the same mistake I did, Without a doubt, AIC is the best art school in the area.
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:05 pm
The Art Institute of Cincinnati is counter productive, at best. Things may have been different 7-10 years ago, and I’m happy for those people, but this is the current situation at AIC. From interview to graduation, you’ll find nothing but a disappointment. Though some claim that other schools merely see you as a number, AIC sees you as nothing but a dollar sign. A dollar sign just out of high school (or so they assume), and they treat you as such unless they can see the whisps of gray in your hair, or wrinkles on your face.
Upon interviewing at this school I, like many others from my class, was interested in strengthening my free handing abilities and learn new styles of illustrating. Upon telling this to Cyndi Mendell, VP/Dean of Students/Admissions Director/when-I-feel-like-it-I’ll-teach, I was told that my skills would be strengthened and new styles would be learned.
This, as I would learn in class, is false. As a previous poster has stated, you only get 3 weeks of actual drawing. 2 weeks to get the basics of the human figure, and 1 week on how to draw animals. I use the word “basic” because you only do minimalistic line work. If you shaded your project (which was before starting marker renderings) Cyndi (when she was there) would make you do it over. Neither Tom, or Freddy (the only teachers in First Year you actually gain any insight from) had problems with adding depth and dimension to a drawing.
This was the extent of free hand (even when using French Curves), as the rest of the year students were required to trace. In fact, tracing became such a staple that when it came to the Postage Stamp project and a Student free handed his, Cyndi was enamored and in awe at the students actual talent. It was as if she forgot students actually came to this school with actual talent.
Here’s where I have to disagree with the former President, Marion Allman in her post on this very site. Tracing is NOT an art form. If it were, then Art classes wouldn’t be taught in Elementary school. This also would contradict your statement that the school is very selective because if tracing were truly an artform, a student wouldn’t have to submit a portfolio to get accepted into the school.
The fact that the former President (now only CEO) states “tracing is an art form” should deter any real artist from going to this school, and I personally find it to be a slap in the face.
My next point is the First Year teachers. Tom Greene and Frederic Bonin Pissarro are the only instructors there with actual merit. Both men coming from great Fine Arts and Design backgrounds were the only “teachers” in First Year.
Which brings me to this; any student who says Freddy is a bad teacher, hits on, or sexually harasses the female students is a bold-faced liar, and I’ll have words with anyone who says otherwise. It’s been our ENTIRE CLASS’ experience that he doesn’t do the work for you, but actually gives you constructive criticism and shows you examples of and explains how to make a project better (which, along with Tom, you get from only one other instructor at AIC). Sure, Freddy may be an easy going guy, but whenever you need help from him he’ll provide it for you in spades.
Roy Waits’ Color Theory class, as stated above, are laughable at best. The ideals he teach to College level students are akin to what one would learn from Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Cutting 1 inch color squares and pasting them to a board in what you believe a certain Season of the Year feels like is not good color theory, whereas other schools in the area are teaching more advanced Color Theory.
I won’t even mention Cyndi since, as a previous poster stated, she’s never there.
In SECOND YEAR you begin with Macintosh literacy, since most design firms use Mac, it’s well worth it. After he finishes teaching you the basics of a Mac, Randy Zimmerman (the other real “teacher” at AIC) teaches you the required programs (Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.).
After this, you travel back in time to the 1950’s as Dan Bittman steps in to teach design. I say this because his design ideals, while relevant in a certain sense, is hardly contemporary. Current students whom enter this phase should be informed that every design and layout he has you do will be void of any real depth, as it is all flat. Students were scolded for adding dimension to text (either through drop shadows, beveling, or embossing) and putting text at an angle to suggest perspective isn’t tolerated either. The only things type wise that are ok are vertical, horizontal, putting it at an angle to to tilt it at a 45 degs. Let it be known to the students that the man is self-aristocratic and the only advertisements and layouts done (outside of CD design) under his tutelage are “high end” products such as Alessi or PHillipe Stark. Dan’s ego is a humongous obstacle in any project. Unless he feels like kissing your ass, or you kiss his, he shows minimal interest in showing you more mechanics of what make a good design except having you copy the layouts found on the AIGA website.
This is always the case when it comes to mid-week critiques where he’ll just glance at your work for 2 seconds, declare “DOESN’T WORK”, and moves onto the next project on the screen. He is (second only to Cyndi) the least helpful instructor at AIC.
After you suffer through this nonsense for 20 weeks, and you haven’t killed yourself or gone to jail for bludgeoning him with a bar of soap wrapped in a sock, you’re left with web design.
I start this with emphasizing that David is a good teacher. He’ll help you out when he can. The donwfall to the Web Design portion of AIC is that it’s only 10 weeks, and feels like it was thrown in as an afterthought. For anyone who has never done web design before (and numerous people in the class haven’t) this isn’t enough time to learn it, and it’s a real shame too since the job market in the area want a print and web designer in one. For 5 weeks we learn how the internet started, and the framework of how web design used to be. Cool stuff to know, but that should only take 1 day tops. The rest of the five weeks are spent composing your site in Photoshop and taking it into ImageReady, slice it up and stick it into Dreamweaver; learning a few bells and whistles along the way. This is fine for getting things beyond having a static web page, but I’m sure there is more to learn from that aspect if there were more time alotted.
After Dreamweaver is 5 weeks of Flash. Even with help from David, this was difficult to learn by the bulk of the class. There are too many things to learn about Flash in a short 5 week span, and I know that 3/4 of the students have suffered from this.
As far as Job Placement goes, it’s a crock from beginning to end. Cyndi tells you when you interview that, “although they can’t promise anything the job placement rate is 80%”.
Sounds like an impressive statistic, doesn’t it? That is until you find out that the 80% of placement isn’t all in the Art or Design fields as implied by Cyndi.
When you are absolutely ready to find a job (resume and portfolio are ok’d) Dennis Gates, the Job Placement Director, is as effective as the personnel at a Temp Agency. He’ll just as soon put you in a job flipping burgers as he would finding you a job in the Art field. That’s where the high statistic comes in. My guess is that 10% actually make it to a Design job (either from people either not using him to find a job, to people finding that they are ill prepared for a design job through going to AIC, or the fact that he’s found most of the students jobs at Best Buy or at a Marathon Gas Station). Faculty often tell students that it’s easy to find a job after attending AIC even though they only offer an Associates Degree as opposed to the 4 year schools giving you a Bachelor’s Degree, claiming that you can compete with a Bachelor’s grad. That’s like telling a Toddler he can compete with Carl Lewis in the 400k. Sure, both are in the same competition, bur it’s obvious who the winner will be. Such is the case with AIC and 4 year schools where you have more time to learn deeper things about the design world.
To make matters worse, it’s hard to accomplish anything with Dennis. He’s either preoccupied with events from his other job (resulting in him not showing up until 10 or 11 am, not good when the school day ends at 1:30 and you have to work right after school), or if you manage to get in to talk to him - it’s 45 mins. to an hour listening to him ramble on and on (you will hear him say “to make a long story short” many times in your meeting) about subjects not pertaining to why you visited. Students often feel like they left with LESS information about job searches leaving his office.
My advice to students wanting to further their art career and get a job in the field, it’s best to save your tuition money and go to a 4 year program where the job market is tailor made for you.
August 23rd, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Whooa! Where did this kid go to school? Placement isn’t counted unless it’s in the field and Dennis really works hard at this even tho he has students not show up for interviews etc. The school is open after hours and during breaks where a student can come in. I worked many days until evening practicing. It all comes down to how much effort you put into your work. It’s always easier to find fault with everyone else instead of taking responsibility.
The color program is similar to the CCAD program and I found it to be very valuable. At a recent orientation there were 3 graduates that came in from last year and one of them did get a job over a 4 year grad – the rest all had great jobs too! If this person spent as much time on his work as he did writing the comment he perhaps would be successful too. AIC is a great school!
September 6th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
I graduated from the Art Institute back when it was known as ACA College of Design. The computer staff has all turned over since then, but many of the design teachers are still threre. While I had my gripes (what student doesn’t?), I consider it a worthwhile experience. It certainly taught me more about real-world design than a more conventional academic setting might have. The opportunities to learn were definitely there, and many of the instructors (and guest instructors) were excellent. There were a few problems: many of the computer instructors were fresh out of school themselves, and turnover was high for them. But that was more of an indication of the strained budget than anything: real opportunities existed for good designers in the digital realm, so they tended to move on to greener pastures fairly quickly.
I was an older student, so I think I held a somewhat different perspective on my education than many of the kids fresh out of high school. I saw an awful lot of kids who gained little or nothing from their time there, simply because they expected to “be educated”. But learning isn’t a passive experience. You get out of your time in school what you put into it.
ACA taught me a lot about how the real design world works. I think everyone goes in there wanting to become an illustrator, but the business world isn’t like that. Marion is right: only a handful of very dedicated artists ever achieve the status of school Allumni like Chris Payne, and they work very hard at it OUTSIDE of class. Few opportunities exist for second-rate illustrators, and those jobs are under seige from stock art and digital photography. Most real world art jobs are far less glamorous, and not likely to get you in Forbes. The institute isn’t about still lifes or figure drawing…it’s about design, and is largely focused on advertising. Because that is where the jobs are. If that’s not what you want, take a painting class and try your luck with the galleries.
Art schools ARE a business, like all colleges, and they sell people what they want: the dream of world wide fame for drawing Tippy the Turtle. But the reality is a bit harsher than the dream, so check your egos at the door. Don’t like to trace? Go ahead, eyeball it. Have fun explaining to the client why the illustration didn’t make the deadline because you wanted to preserve your artistic integrity. (I believe the goal of ACA’s love of tracing paper is to help you UNLEARN what earlier schools have drilled into your head…that tracing is somehow inherently evil. Tracing is a tool. No, it won’t make you a better artist. But it will help you be a faster one, and that is what the BUSINESS of art is all about. Keep freehanding on your own time, but don’t be afraid to use shortcuts when the clock is ticking.) Frustrated because your instructor wasn’t clear about the assignment, or wants to redesign it for you, or inexplicably hates your innovative idea? Welcome to the world of the DIFFICULT CLIENT. Learn to cope with it. Half of your business will be with people just like that. Not every teacher is easygoing, or gifted, or will even like you. Neither will every boss, client, or neighbor. Get used to it.
The bottom line is that the Art Institute is a small, underfunded school run by a dedicated and often quirky staff (Artists? Quirky? Gasp) who may sometimes amuse or frustrate you, but will ultimately present you with a learning environment as much like the real business world as any other academic setting, and you will profit by it in direct proportion to what you put into it.
Are there better schools? Heck, I don’t know…I’ve been too busy working to look for one.
October 6th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
hello all,
wow, how lucky was i to find a site with so many conflicting points of view!
i recently attended a meeting with the institute and am pleased to say that i was very impresses with the size of the school(because small class size is very appealing to me) and the tour overall. i was happy with the information i received, however(you knew that was coming right?), i need MORE INFO. i was very excited to find this site because it presented conflicting opinions of the school, which is EXACTLY what i need. i need more information in order to make sure that i am making the right decision if i decide to attend this school.
if anyone is willing to email me(which would be VERY much appreciated!), my email address is leahbauer@live.com.
i am also on myspace..tehehe: myspace.com/leahbauer
any information, criticizm, witticizm, or any insider info is appreciated
thanks so much!!!
leah