51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Graphic and Interactive Design, BA & BFA

Graphic and Interactive Design, BA & BFA, students in computer lab

Graphic and Interactive Design, BA & BFA

The graphic and interactive design track is for students interested in careers in the field of design, including graphic, publication, interactive, marketing, or branding design, or as preparation for graduate study and teaching.

Specifically, students that have graduated from this program now work as Social Media Designers, Marketing Designers, Editorial Designers, Web Designers, and Art Directors for various companies including Crayola, St. Lukes, Calvin Klein, Penguin Random House Books, and other locations. 

There are two degree options in graphic and interactive design:

  • BA: provides the opportunity for additional study in other disciplines, including minors or double majors.\
  • BFA: provides a more intense design experience with more required art/design courses.

Students in the Graphic and Interactive Design, BFA will take 17, rather than 13, courses in the arts. Note: Both options require completion of the Learning-in-Common (LinC) curriculum in liberal arts.

Experiential learning opportunities:

  • Internships: Our major includes a required internship that is supported with an Internship course in the spring of the senior year.  Every major works for a minimum of 12 hours per week at an internship in the field. Previous internships have been at Revlon, Coach, Crayola, Olympus and other locations. Many students have been hired by their internships into full time positions within the field. For example, alumni Tracy Laurie-Lakram now works at Penguin Books as a Marketing Designer.
  • Corporate Collaborations: In our Practice of Graphic and Interactive Design course students work in teams on briefs provided by local companies. Previous contests were sponsored by Crayola and The Factory.
  • Studio South (Student Design Club): We have a club for design students that is also a paid work-study position. In this club students work on projects for real clients on campus under the supervision of the faculty advisor. This club has won Club of the Year 2 times in the past 5 years.  

What makes this program unique:

  • Computers and Software: All students at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø are given a fully loaded Mac laptop that includes the full Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, AfterEffects, Premier, etc)! We also use Figma, Canva, Pandora and other industry specific tools. We have 2 state of the art computer labs with FREE digital printing, poster printing and photo printing.
  • Honors Projects: Exceptional students can work on honors projects in their senior year. Faculty advisors have arranged honors consultations with art directors at Facebook and MTV and others.
  • Field Trips: We take annual field trips to New York City and have visited companies from the Penguin Books, Coach, New York Times to Vice. We also have visited the cooper Hewitt, NY public library, and other design museums.
  • Visiting Designers: We have previously hosted the legendary designers Wael Marcos, Seymour Chwast and Mark Randall on campus where they each held an exhibition of their work, gave a lecture and held workshops with students.
  • Learn cutting-edge in-demand skills like UI/UX, Mobile App design, Web design, Branding, Social Media, Animation, and more.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Develop a depth of knowledge in the foundations of design along with computer literacy to create contemporary editorial, marketing, branding and UX/UI in a professional setting.
  • Cultivate the ability to create inclusive, collaborative, and creative communities within the larger design community.
  • Cultivate a personal brand that expresses the value of your education to the field.

Student Career Outcomes

The majority of our design students move on to full-time employment within the field within 6 months of graduation. Recent graduates have found positions as graphic or interactive designers. Some places our recent alumni work include: Penguin Books, Calvin Klein, Crocs, Crayola, ADT, Ralph Lauren, Saint Lukes Hospital, Alloy5, Digitas Health, Sports Illustrated, and others. 

View Graphic & Interactive Design Outcomes 

Recent Alumni Websites

Curriculum

Year 1

Graphic and Interactive Design, BA & BFA Courses, Year 1
 

Design, BA

 

Design, BFA

Fall Fall 
NumberCourse NameNumberCourse Name
ART 170Drawing 1ART 170Drawing 1
ART 142Visual Foundations: Composition,
Color and Design		ART 142Visual Foundations: Composition,
Color and Design
    
Spring Spring 
NumberCourse NameNumberCourse Name
ART 131Introduction to Graphic DesignART 131Introduction to Graphic Design
  ART 180Painting 1

Year 2

Graphic and Interactive Design, BA & BFA Courses, Year 2
 

Design, BA

 

Design, BFA

Fall Fall 
NumberCourse NameNumberCourse Name
ART 230Typography and Information DesignART 230Typography and Information Design
ART 180Painting 1ART 268Digital Photography 1
ART 113Art History Survey:
Caves to Cathedrals		ART 113Art History Survey:
Caves to Cathedrals
    
Spring Spring 
NumberCourse NameNumberCourse Name
ART 231Publication DesignART 231Publication Design
ART 268Digital PhotographyART 236Graphic Design History

Year 3

Graphic and Interactive Design, BA & BFA Courses, Year 3
 

Design, BA

 

Design, BFA

Fall Fall 
NumberCourse NameNumberCourse Name
ART 229WI: Modern ArtART 229WI: Modern Art
ART 346Interactive DesignART 346Interactive Design
    
Spring Spring 
NumberCourse NameNumberCourse Name
ART 356Interactive Design 2
(recommended, NOT required)		ART 356Interactive Design 2
  ART 358UX-UI

Year 4

Graphic and Interactive Design, BA & BFA Courses, Year 4
 

Design, BA

 

Design, BFA

Fall Fall 
NumberCourse NameNumberCourse Name
ART 331Graphic and Interactive Design PracticeART 331Graphic and Interactive Design Practice
ART 374Portfolio SeminarART 374Portfolio Seminar
    
Spring Spring 
NumberCourse NameNumberCourse Name
ART 373Graphic Design InternshipART 373Graphic Design Internship
  ART 378Graphic and Interactive
Design Thesis
Honors students could waive thesis (students are still expected to participate in the Senior Thesis Exhibition in Payne Gallery)

Suggested Elective Courses, BA &BFA in Graphic and Interactive Design

  • ART 114: Art History Survey: Renaissance to Abstraction
  • ART 254: Digital Video
  • ART 368: Digital Photography 2
  • ART 369: Digital Photography 3
  • ART 354: Digital Video 2
  • ENGL 211: Creative Nonfiction (Prerequisite: LinC 101 or equivalent)
  • ENGL 212: Creative Writing (Prerequisite: LinC 101 or equivalent)
  • ENGL 230: Public Speaking
  • MGMT 227: Consumer Behavior
  • MGMT 251: Marketing Management

Our Students

Kudos To Kilburg!

Angela Kilburg '18 recently took first place in the Student Design Competition held annually by the Society of Publication Designers. Click to view her award-winning layout and learn more about this stellar Greyhound.

Design contest winner

Senior graphic and interactive design majors created, pitched, and developed a real consumer product last fall in Camille Murphy’s Graphic and Interactive Design Practice course.

Art majors behind food cart they designed

51³Ô¹ÏÍø students Lila Shokr ’23 and Ariana Vargas ’24 are building a Mexican food cart, an important element of their project for Design Blast, a Factory-sponsored competition among five teams of graphic design students from ART 331.

Prof Murphy with art student

51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s partnership with Factory was instrumental in providing Liz Mogollan, Class of 2020, with the internship that led to her position as full-time graphic designer.