GCSE/ALevel choice for Architecture: Art or Graphic design?

Nearly all the architects we know own their own practices. Some are highly successful and some eventually found it too onerous. I don’t think we know anyone who stayed employed for years.

The long hours culture continues into the workplace sadly. And architects are their own worst enemy and the pay is not commensurate with the 'professional' title and the hours invested!!

I'm not sure in retrospect I'd recommend it as a life choice!

The better unis all seem to want maths/art
As art a level is highly recommended I would expect the minimum needed would be a high grade at gcse
Many degree courses are about learning basic principles and background, not necessarily the skills you’ll use most day to day. I would imagine they would expect you to learn to do everything without the aid of a computer, hence the necessity for maths and art

@CovidCorvid
I suspect you might be correct. This career is 7 years of sustained effort! If I was that university I would be alarmed at the drop out rate though.

[quote TizerorFizz]@CovidCorvid
I think you have actually just explained why the best universities for architecture do prefer certain academic subjects. It’s a hard course. It won’t suit everyone. That drop out rate is horrendous and even the ones who hang on in there might not get a job. Our architecture friends all managed the course and got qualified. They went in with the the preferred A levels though. Architecture will involve some work around designing structures. Maths and Physics helps with this.,[/quote]
This is probably very true. Saying that Dd is getting good really good grades. She isn’t struggling with the level of work, just the volume. Though I guess that might be related, maybe she has to work harder/longer to achieve those high levels.

It is a notoriously long hours culture. My DS was always quite lazy at school but to our surprise is very much putting the hours in at uni. He practically lives in the studio but is really enjoying it.

@CovidCorvid
I think you have actually just explained why the best universities for architecture do prefer certain academic subjects. It’s a hard course. It won’t suit everyone. That drop out rate is horrendous and even the ones who hang on in there might not get a job. Our architecture friends all managed the course and got qualified. They went in with the the preferred A levels though. Architecture will involve some work around designing structures. Maths and Physics helps with this.,

Graphics is still around in GCSE Dt. It’s the paper and board option. Having said that the new Dt syllabus is hateful and is too science and maths heavy.

I'd also do art, as the owner of a graphic design agency we are very much branding, 2D visual and creatives with a strong technical computer based workload.

But as a selection of creatives we all have a love of "art" I can draw, my staff are illustrators, photographers etc, and we all started as "art students"

So art gives you the creative grounding, I wouldn't recommend a GCSE in graphic design unless she was heading down a branding or design pathway.

I'd stay with the creative artistic route.

I'm an architect. Art above graphic design any day of the week in my opinion! Graphics is fun and interesting but pretty narrow and not very academic either.

I'd dispute your view about graphics being narrow and not very academic. DD's graphics course was (and is) very wide ranging, her art GCSE was very, very limited - one of the reasons she chose graphics over art at A level. Lots of political and historical research is going into her current graphics project, plus working in different mediums. I trained in art and design (and retrained in an associated field) , and wish I'd had the choice of graphics at school.

Dd is an architect student. She did graphic design, biology and photography a levels. She didn’t need art. She had stuff from her graphic design a level work which she used for her degree application portfolio along with stuff from gcse art and photography.

She had to submit a portfolio for each uni and got 5 offers.

Nobody insisted on art, or maths or physics. I think one or two unis might…..Bristol and the Bartlett might want maths iirc but most don’t officially care about a levels. I asked at multiple open days as I was worried (we went in year 11) so we could check and every uni said pick what you want but be prepared to do stuff in your own time for a portfolio.

One thing I will say is how tough the course is. I’m not sure Dd would have chosen it if she’d realised. The drop out rate is awful. They start with 80 per year and expect to only have about 20 make the end of year 3. Work load is crazy. Pre covid was 60 hour weeks on campus, they get keys to the studio and are in their till the small hours some nights, take sleeping bags and get a couple of hours sleep before “crits”.

Dd is in year 2 (took a year out to recover from year 1) and half the cohort have jacked it in already. They don’t seem to have such a crazy workload since covid though.

I'm an architect. Art above graphic design any day of the week in my opinion! Graphics is fun and interesting but pretty narrow and not very academic either. Courses are super competitive to get onto these days.

Freehand drawing in architecture is still valued and degree courses in particular often have quite fine art based modules.

DD did Graphics and Art and Design GCSE last year, her submitted sketchbooks were very different for each subject. She is taking Graphics A level too and although she is not looking at architecture, they were told it was fine for applying for architecture.

DD's friend is studying architecture at Cambridge. She did A Level art but the school does not teach graphic design. She had to supply a portfolio.

@Bidibidiba
If the architecture departments say Art is highly desirable, they mean the really want to see it. It’s a notch form from required but if places are tight, they might filter out DC who don’t have it. I think art makes the portfolio easier. However he will need to do this early for possible interviews or submission on line. Therefore if he’s not doing art, it’s harder to get this done.

Lots of architects don’t see themselves as technicians using computers. It can be very creative and art is used to express ideas. So I think Art is best.

My DS is in his second year of an architecture degree with A levels in Maths, Physics and DT (Product Design). He did DT at GCSE too (Resistant Materials) rather than Art. He got 4 offers from good unis when applying. The only disadvantage to not doing Art was he had less to put in a portfolio (needed by 2 of his UCAS choices) so had to spend more time doing independent work to create these.

Three of the lads in my sons year have started architecture degrees (well, one has deferred). All did art, one as an A level, two as part of IBCP. None did DT (graphics was not offered as a separate course).
Interestingly, and it may not affect your child, but none got their first choice even though their grades were above published typical offers. Combination of the higher grades given in 2020 and deferrals meant less places for 2021 starts.

At dds school you can take one Art (or design) type subject and one technology DT subject.
It would be possible to take GCSE Art and incorporate some graphics into the portfolio of work.
The focus in DT is partly design, but a lot of the marks are for making the product. It is coursework concentrating on one product in the final year and a written exam. Whereas for Art it's a coursework portfolio and a practical exam.
For Art and Design type A levels the sixth forms require a portfolio of work.
DT Graphics at A level is no longer possible in England. It was a victim of the A level reforms a few years ago. Are you sure the DT graphics is a GCSE and not a vocational equivalent? dd had to take Product Design as we were informed that DT graphics was no longer possible.
There is also Graphic Communications offered at A level (and possible GCSE) this is part of the Art and Design group of qualifications.
I would say if she is not sure of future options the best plan is to take Art and then specialise later.

I taught a boy A level Textiles DT. He got into an architecture course. His drawings were amazing.

My husband studied architecture at uni and in the first year there was a whole module with free hand drawing which he really struggled with. So I'm guessing doing art for GCSe or alevel may help in the long run.

I work at architectural technologist office all our team here are actually from maths and science backgrounds with no actual 'art' qualifications.

I asked my director out of interest and he said these days IT would be preferable. But as long as they have maths and science grades and can show passion and willing to learn alongside essential skills he would consider recruiting a candidate.

I must say the job roles between Architects and Architechural Technologists are slightly different and our RIBA Architects prefer drawing free hand before digitally. Our office accepts both free hand and digital building design portfolios as well as digital porfolios (experience with database creation, IT design) one trainee actually showed website design portfolio which was accepted by the training provided for his course!.

3D modelling isn’t done by the architects generally it’s done by people employed to model the architects 2D drawings (generally) so I’d not get too hung up there!

DP is an architect and they all did art but we are old so graphic design wouldn’t have been an option.