Graphic Design
Nekita Thomas, MFA 2015
Today’s digitally connected culture and industry demand increasing levels of visual literacy. Communication in the 21st century is an ecology of information, knowledge production, and visual language that shapes how people understand the world around them.
Graphic Design Concentration
The graphic design concentration provides students with the theoretical foundation and practical skills to become thoughtful contributors and leaders in a world shaped by communication, visual media and user interactions. The curriculum emphasizes both conceptual development and technical fluency, giving students the ability to move confidently between print, screen, physical space, and interactive environments. Students learn to consider how audiences navigate, interpret, and participate in designed experiences rather than simply viewing them.
Through coursework that includes typography, publication design, web design, UI/UX design, motion graphics and emerging media, students learn to create visual experiences that are responsive, accessible, and engaging.
PLATFORM
PLATFORM, a socially engaged design lab situated within the department, provides students the opportunity to explore collaborative, participatory, and community-oriented approaches that position art and design as a way of engaging with people, places, and shared experiences. Projects may involve research, dialogue, collaboration, public-facing work, and participatory methods, helping students understand design as a process of listening, making, testing, and responding. This approach expands the role of the designer beyond producing visual artifacts to creating meaningful experiences, connections, and opportunities for participation.