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By Riley Houstler
In a city so unchanged from its Renaissance origins, it is easy to get lost in the carefree and slow
media mediums of the past. However, students involved in Florence University of the Arts -The
American University of Florence (FUA-AUF) Digital Media curriculum have their mind’s
focused on a future-oriented transformative form of art and storytelling.
A major component of this degree is the experiential learning aspect, which allows students to
delve into industry directly and experience professional roles before entering the workforce. One
of the classes offered that specializes in experiential learning is called “Intro to Art Direction.”
Through this course, students have the opportunity to create branding concepts for various
different means. It challenges students creatively while also giving hands-on experience in the
field.
Current Digital Media student Carly Frommer speaks on her experience taking art direction as an
up-and-coming photographer. She decided to take the course because she “wanted to learn about
how things work at a graphic design level and how to set up photo shoots by what colors work
well together. It seemed like a great course for the creative advertising and visuals field.”
The course’s overall focus is learning how to organize and design a brand through campaigns,
and how to be creative and effective through the process. In class, students have assignments and
both individual and group projects that involve creating advertisements, proposals, and mood
boards for how to rebrand a store or a musician. Carly explains, “Before going into art direction,
I was more of an individual worker and didn’t love group projects. But in art direction, you
really have to collaborate with other people and work together. Everyone’s ideas are so different.
It was super important to learn combining ideas and bouncing off each other, which was a huge
aspect of this class.”
One specific assignment involved the teacher acting as a silversmith while the students
interviewed her and designed a store for her trade. There are also field trips to various art
galleries and stores in Florence where the students analyze how the art is displayed and whether
or not it works well together. Carly goes on to emphasize, “My favorite part of the class was the
field trips. Visiting storefronts and art galleries makes all the difference when learning about
branding and art direction.”
One major project students worked on this semester was assembling and branding an art
exhibition open to the Florence Community at FUA’s very own gallery named Corridoio
Fiorentino. “It was cool to see the work that goes behind the scenes of setting up an art gallery,”
Carly mentioned. The tools learned from viewing other art galleries in Florence and through
rebranding certain artists equipped students to pull off an event like this. The students spoke with
the artists, arranged a date, helped assemble and curate the exhibit, and managed the event. It
was a lovely evening enjoyed by students, faculty, and Florence locals. Now, Art Direction
students have professional experience and photos to add to their resume and show future
employers.
“The worst part of the class is that it is a three week course. I wish I could take it longer!” Carly
sighed. In just three weeks, the students learned so much. The art exhibition alludes to the
student’s growth. Moving into the future, Carly speaks on the tools this class equipped her with,
“You would think art direction would just be directing fashion or photography, but I learned you
can really art direct anything. This class taught me that there are so many options for me to do in
the future with creating. It also gave me tools like the correct way to propose an idea to someone,
the language to use, the colors to include, the form you hand it in, and the overall technique
behind a proposal.” This class is not just for photographers, artists, or store managers. Proposing
ideas and executing is a skill needed in many aspect of life, so take advantage of FUA offering
this versatile course. When you are enjoying Fedora’s art exhibitions, think about the branding
and work behind each event. This could be your creative outlet!