garrison-blair_GD_2024-01-1.original Blair Garrison ('24 Graphic Design)

Classes + Course Requirements

Visual Inquiry, Type and Image, Graphic Design Histories, Research and Process, Professional Practices, Branding and Identity, Interaction, Social Innovation, Information and Data Visualization, and Self-Directed Inquiry

1st year

Your journey starts in the Foundation program where you will explore new techniques and find passions that you never knew you had.

2nd year

  • Visual Inquiry
  • Type & Image 1 and 2
  • Graphic Design Histories
  • Communication Inquiry
  • Media Inquiry

3rd year

  • Research & Process
  • Professional Practices
  • Interdisciplinary Inquiry
  • Information & Data Visualization Inquiry

4th year

  • Branding & Identity Inquiry
  • Interaction Inquiry
  • Social Innovation Inquiry
  • Type Inquiry or Image Inquiry
  • Self-Directed Inquiry

“Whether it’s through the communication of a message that sparks a new idea, or whether it’s helping make people’s dreams come true, it’s inspiring to see the ways design can truly empower people.”

Hannah Rae Ernst (‘22 Graphic Design)

Graphic Design Faculty

KCAI faculty are artists, designers and scholars in their fields.

Lecturers

Kelly Ludwig
Jessica Molina
David Svet

EOS_GraphicDesign-4_Full_Width_Image_3840x2156.original

Junius B. Irving Building

Each student will have their own desk/studio space within an open studio environment that is theirs alone.

  • Adobe Creative Suite, including InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and more
  • Analog studio encourages non-digital making (bookmaking materials, letterpress studio, professional photography equipment, typewriters, stencils, spray booth, light table)
  • Four iMac workstations with large-format scanners and font design software to complement student laptops
  • Group studios that encourage close interaction and camaraderie between under and upperclassmen
  • Laptop required upon entering the program (MacBook Pro)
  • Color and black and white printers, letter and tabloid size
  • Campus-wide print output center for large format printing, risograph printing, vinyl and sticker output, and more.
  • Department-specific technology check-outs include DSLR cameras and lenses, projectors, VR headsets, iPads, and more.
  • Color and black and white printers, letter and tabloid size

Career Paths + Career Outcomes

Graphic Design School graduates work as Art Directors, Brand Identity Designers, Web Designers, Creative Directors, Exhibition Designers, UX Designers, Motion-Graphic Designers, Advertising Directors, Illustrators, and Designers for PR and Marketing Firms. KCAI alumni are employed by TikTok, IBM, Facebook, Slack, Nickelodeon, Airbnb, Apple, YouTube, Salesforce, R/GA, Garmin, the Getty, Populous, VMLY&R, DMH, Barkley, Radius, Hyperakt, Design Army, Hint, Pentagram, Fossil, Hallmark Cards and a host of boutique agencies across the U.S.

KCAI's Professional Practice Center will help you prepare for your career.

Internships

Aspiring Graphic Design majors benefit from early professional experiences and many of our students freelance or work as graphic designers through the college's work-study program. Faculty strongly encourage each student in the Graphic Design school to complete an internship while in school.

Graphic Design Alumni

Graphic Design School alumni are leaders in their fields.

headshot Garrett Fuselier (’08 Graphic Design)
AimeeBrodbeck_ProfilePhoto.width-600 Aimee Brodbeck ('08 Graphic Design)
Myles Thompson Myles Thompson ('16 Graphic Design)
lauraberglund copy Laura Berglund ('10 Graphic Design)