Many people today have the idea that a student should declare a major right out of the gate and stick with it for four years. But that is just not how it plays out all of the time. In fact, numerous alumni describe the opportunity to discover new fields and explore outside their major, and perhaps even change majors once or twice, as the most beneficial aspect of their college experience. One such person is Chuck Primeau, a successful illustrator who graduated from NC State in 1980 with a degree in visual design.

In the process of finding his career path, Primeau has developed a versatile style of illustration. He has created art for advertising, packaging, children’s books and games for a number of widely known companies. Some of his more famous clients include Hasbro, DreamWorks, Parker Brothers, Scholastic, HarperCollins UK and LEGO Systems, Inc. He identifies a board game that he designed for “Shrek” as his favorite professional project to date, largely because of the flexibility of his clients.

“They gave me a lot of freedom — they didn’t have a whole lot of constraints,” Primeau said.

As a freshman in the College of Design, he began with introductory courses on light and perspective and other ways of representing and understanding the surrounding world.

“I felt like I walked out of these classes looking at the world in a totally different way; it really opened my eyes,” Primeau said.

Many of the principles and techniques that he learned in his first year of school were so transformative that Primeau insists that a day does not go by without him consciously using at least one of them. Yet, despite how much he loved many of the artistic classes that he was taking, Primeau realized that he needed to alter his degree path in order to find a career that he could truly be passionate about. Although he came to NC State to study architecture, Primeau chose to transition to visual (or graphic) design, due largely to the influence of his adviser, Joseph Cox.

Cox, who passed away in 1997, taught at the College of Design for many years and was one of Primeau’s first instructors and adviser.

“He took me aside and said, ‘Hey, you know, you would be a decent architect, but your drawing skills are so good. Why don’t you consider visual design?’ and I did, and I’m so thankful,” Primeau said.

Although he emphasizes the fact that graphic design was a closer match for his natural gifts, it still was not exactly what Primeau was looking for. He was not looking to spend his career designing advertising campaigns — it was illustration that held his attention.

The majority of graphic design positions deal primarily with advertising. Jobs that are more focused on creative, artistic aspects are in the minority. Although Primeau worked for ad agencies, he did not let that be an obstacle in pursuing his creative passions as an illustrator. He took the jobs that were available and melded the work that he did to suit the creative path that he envisioned for himself.

“I was able to, in the ad agencies that I worked at, kind of work on my illustration skills and get that experience and that eventually led into going where I wanted to go,” Primeau said.

Oftentimes, a job in one field can be a springboard towards the ultimate goal.

“My advice would be to always kind of keep in mind where you want to go with your career, and not to get frustrated when it seems like you’re off track. It’s not a straight line,” Primeau said, after describing some of the evolutions and hiccups in his own personal career.

Christian Karkow, a first-year studio instructor at NC State’s College of Design, reiterates Primeau’s perspective.

“My biggest advice to students is to accept that things can and will change in your life and [that] what you’re doing is probably the right thing for right now, but be willing to realize that there may be another right thing later,” Karkow said. “Ultimately, Primeau urges students to be flexible and patient. If you’re trying to improve yourself and trying to gain the skills that you need to ultimately do what you want — you’ll get there eventually.”