The BS in Visual Communication Design program is an interdisciplinary program with a blend of professional and fine art studio courses and a liberal arts curriculum. Specific objectives are centered on professional preparation including technical competency, effective visual communication, and development of a professional portfolio. The program prepares students for careers in advertising, publishing, illustration, and design for print and digital media, or for entry into graduate school.
The BS program can accommodate a second liberal arts major or a study abroad experience.
Students develop technical competence, informed aesthetic judgment, and skills for collaborative visual production on creative teams. They develop an understanding of branding and marketing concepts, and how visual design supports them. Students learn to develop meaningful visual solutions for problems in a global, competitive marketplace using both print and digital media. The liberal arts core enables students to develop the critical thinking and communication skills necessary for professional preparation.
Strong connections to local firms, professional organizations, and alumni working in the industry provide students with various internship, networking, and employment opportunities.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Creative, analytical, critical thinking and problem solving abilities for visual communication Acquire abilities to develop creative strategies and responses to visual communication problems, understand message hierarchies, typography, aesthetics, composition and the construction of meaningful images. Acquire the ability to connect those concepts to pragmatic contexts and for public interaction.
- Vocabulary for critical evaluation, Understand and effectively use graphic design terminology and vernacular to define successful visual communication and related design aesthetic principles.
- Media and skills Use specific media and processes as a means of developing personal aesthetic. Develop the skills needed for immediate entry into graphic design professions or graduate school. Develop an understanding of basic business practices, including the ability to organize design projects and to work productively as a member of teams.
- Analyze design with regard to cultural context: Achieve a broad understanding of issues related to the cognitive, social, cultural, technological and economic contexts for contemporary design. Understand and apply knowledge of significant historical, global, and contemporary achievements and issues in design.
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