University Catalog 2023-2024

Department of Graphic Design and Industrial Design

Graphic design is the process of bringing meaningful visual form to communication. Graphic designers translate communication goals through printed, environmental, and electronic presentations of information. Graphic designers use words and images to express messages that inform, persuade, and incite people to action. Graphic designers are active in all aspects of communication design. For example, they design books, magazines and newspapers for the publishing industry. They also create printed materials such as logotypes, symbols, annual reports, newsletters, business forms, and other related literature for corporations, institutions, businesses, and governmental agencies. Graphic designers also design user experiences (UX), websites, computer interfaces, and motion graphics such as film titles and typographic treatments for video, as well as on-air graphics for television. Graphic designers are employed in a variety of settings, including graphic design offices, advertising agencies, communication businesses, as well as corporations, institutions, or governmental agencies as part of internal communications departments.

For more information about Graphic Design, including contact information, visit the department website.

The Industrial Design program is a part of the Department of Graphic and Industrial Design. The Industrial Design program awards a Bachelor of Industrial Design degree. The pedagogical core of the department aims to reinforce the foundation principles of design theory as applied to traditional and advanced technologies, i.e. new media, materials, and production techniques. Our curriculum addresses broad cultural, technological, and societal considerations and promotes in our graduates the ability to meet the challenges of technological complexity through collaborative design. We emphasize the application of creative thinking and problem solving to design projects ranging from single to mass-produced artifacts. The areas of application span the range from industrial design to interactive multimedia and service design. The program is recognized by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

For more information about Industrial Design, including contact information, visit the department website.