Can a person be a graphic designer without a graphic design degree?

Can i work as a costume designer for films only having a degree in fashion design?

• i'm looking for a career in costume design specifically but the schools i am looking to attend only have programs in fashion. Do they all have costume design as a part of the fashion design program? i need as much specific information on costum and/or fashion design as posible, as in what exatcly will i study and such and do i NEED a portfolio (ect.). thanks so much!

• Answer:

  YES! Fashion and fashion design is the core of wardrobe and costume design. In motion pictures, wardrobe and costumes (along with the set) "tellls the viewer" the time period or location of that part of the story. Fashion helps to solidify the story line with the setting. More importantly, period fashion gives credence to the individual characters' time in history in which they are supposed to "exist". In order to be able to tell very convincing stories that happen in the past or even in foreign lands, it is very important that costume and wardrobe departments know their fashion. You can't tell a convincing 1000AD asian kung fu story if the actors are in 12th century european medieval clothing and standing in a 1950s american diner with extras in the background wearing poodle skirts. In addition to learning the proper fashion for past periods, fashion design will also help you design and manufacture accurate older fashion designs using quick and easy contemporary techniques. This will allow you to make wardrobe items with current fabrics and equipment that accurately resemble articles of clothing from a former period while on camera.