Graphic Design

Changing how we view the world

Design is everywhere, part of everything, and you can influence it. In that sense, the world is your gallery. It’s our job to prepare you for the rapid changes occurring in both traditional print and interactive electronic media. We provide a cross-media skill set, so you’ll graduate as a confident, creative design thinker and problem solver who can not only adapt to change but also influence it.

We balance proficiency in software with essential hand skills, such as drawing, painting, collage, model making and experimental processes, because all are important to your success. You can rely on our faculty – all design professionals – to keep you focused and teach you how to use your talents to the best of your ability for all of the good that design can do.

Take a look at our department’s website to learn more.

Awards and Rankings
2019 Highest Honors – Top Graphic Design Schools – Graphic Design USA
#33 in Top 50 Graphic Design Schools in the US – Animation Career Review

“… I traveled to numerous schools in hopes of finding a structured program that would push me... After visiting KCAI, I knew it was the place for me.”

Nick Howland
graphic design, 2015

Full-time Faculty

Tyler Galloway

Associate Professor and Chair

Tyler Galloway

Associate Professor and Chair

As a fresh-faced 28-year-old, Tyler first set foot in a KCAI design classroom as a full-time professor and has never looked back. He has taught at KCAI and the University of Kansas, having earned his BFA from Missouri State University and an MGD from North Carolina State University. Tyler is passionate about design for social change and his recent professional work has centered on visual identity and support materials for “Stand Up KC”, Kansas City’s conception of the international low-wage worker movement. Other projects in this area have been included in the 2017 Graphis Poster Annual, Communication Arts magazine, and “The Design of Dissent”. He also participates regularly in the design educators’ community, delivering papers and project presentations at a national and international level. But perhaps just as important, Tyler loves riding bikes, punk rock, vegan cookies, and being a husband and dad. thenewprogramme.net 
Contact: Tgalloway@kcai.edu

Adam Lucas

Assistant Professor

Adam Lucas

Assistant Professor

Adam Lucas is a graphic designer and educator. Before joining KCAI, Adam was a Senior Designer at SYPartners in New York; a co-founder of LeClair Lucas, a graphic design studio that worked with artists, architects, and cultural institutions to produce identities, publications, and collateral for print and screen; and an art director at Wieden+Kennedy. Adam has taught at Maryland Institute College of Art, Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design, and School of Visual Arts. He received an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design and a BA from Kenyon College. See more about Adam at adamlucas.info.

Lisa J. Maione, M.F.A.

Assistant professor

Lisa J. Maione, M.F.A.

Assistant professor

Lisa J. Maione is an art director, designer, and educator. Born in Japan and raised in the U.S., Lisa cut her teeth at New York studios including 2×4, Pentagram, mgmt. design and Wolff Olins, and later at the publication, Metropolis. In her independent design and art practice, clients range from architects to community organizations, artists, and publishers among others. Since 2008, she has taught undergraduate and graduate design courses at Parsons School of Design, Queens College City University of New York and Oklahoma State University. Lisa holds a BFA and MFA in Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and a post-graduate certificate in Typeface Design from Type@Cooper NYC.

Contact: lmaione@kcai.edu

Adjunct Faculty

Classes

Once you declare your major, graphic design students take the following core courses as they progress from sophomore to senior year. For additional electives and liberal arts courses, download the complete Course Catalog.

Graphic Design Major Requirements

Double Major Art History & Graphic Design Requirements

Double Major Creative Writing & Graphic Design Requirements

 

Sophomore

  • Visual Comm I: Graphic Form
  • Graphic Design History
  • Image
  • Typography I: Intro to Typography
  • Visual Comm II
  • Applied Communication Theory
  • Typography II: Type & Meaning

Junior

  • Human-Centered Design
  • Narrative
  • Information Architecture
  • Typography III: Typographic Systems
  • Professional Practice
  • User Experience

Senior

  • Design Systems
  • Spatial Experience
  • Multimedia Experience
  • Visual Advocacy
  • Senior Studio: Degree Project
  • Typography IV: Experimental Typography

Student Work

 

 

 

 

Professional Practice

Professional practice is a compulsory component of the KCAI program in which students benefit enormously from insights provided by world-renowned visiting artists, scholars and professionals.

Technical Requirements

All graphic design students must purchase a laptop computer. A DSLR camera is also recommended. Students must master a range of applications, including InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and more – available through KCAI within the Adobe Creative Suite Cloud.

Jobs + Internships

Graphic design graduates leave with a well-rounded portfolio that will serve them well in professional job interviews. Our robust internship program allows students to gain valuable professional experience in real-world settings. Many have already made connections and gone on to work with local and national design and advertising firms such as Nickelodeon, Airbnb, Salesforce, R/GA, Garmin, the Getty, Populous, VML, DMH, Barkley, Radius, Hyperakt, Design Army, Hint, Pentagram, Fossil and Hallmark Cards.

Related Links