Bachelor Degree in Graphic Design (BFA)

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Why Choose Saint Rose for Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design?

Graphic design is art with a different aim: to create something both beautiful and functional. Saint Rose art and design faculty believe that the best graphic design program is one that finds an ideal balance between art and usability, and helps you apply those lessons practically and personally, to your own talents and goals. Saint Rose has produced some of the finest graphic designers in the industry—a fact recognized by both Graphic Design USA and the NY Art Directors’ Club—for those very reasons: a balanced program that marries design foundations and theory with professional, practice-ready projects.

We pride ourselves on creating an intimate class environment that offers individual attention for every student and building a powerful reputation and alumni network, both of which have opened doors for our graduates and result in some of the industry’s highest job and grad school placement rates. That blend of small classes, big ideas, and proven outcomes has led to multiple-award-winning work and propelled our graduates to their dream jobs in: advertising, publishing, entertainment design, web design, web animation, creative art direction, and every design role —including heading up their own design firm.

Program Highlights

Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)
Previously recognized by the NY Art Directors’ Club as one of the top 20 US design programs
Named a “Top US Graphic Design School” by Graphic Design USA in 2015
Students consistently win American Advertising (ADDY) Awards on the local, regional and national levels
Small classes allow dedicated faculty—all of whom are practicing designers—to mentor students
Curriculum integrated with the fine arts program, and supported by a broad liberal education that promotes critical thinking
Three computer labs outfitted with current design software and professional exhibition space in the Esther Massry Gallery
Internships are a degree requirement and students find placements nationwide
Ideal location for art exploration in NYC, plus opportunities for faculty-led design and art programs in London, Spain, Italy, France, Ecuador, Cuba and China
Proven outcomes in both professional career placement and acceptance by prestigious grad schools like Yale, Tyler and the Portfolio Center

Requirements and Course Descriptions

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design

Faculty

Graphic Design students are asked to design and prototype a user interface for an augmented reality application that delivers layered information to the user. Tim James ’19 created a golfing analysis app that assists the golfer and the coach when analyzing the swing of the athlete. The app tracks the motion of the body and captures that information and presents it to the user through a screen-based interface. The coach can then make recommendations to the golfer to make corrections to his swing.

Farrah Mills '18 Ngan Le '18 Mattew Carerra '18 Corinne Troccoli '18 Anne Lin '20 Kacey Visser '18 Jackie Saucier '18

More Information

Suggested Four Year Course Plan

Graphic Design

Bachelor Degree in Graphic Design (BFA)

Learning Objectives

Students who successfully complete the BFA Graphic Design program will be able to:

Create and develop visual responses to communication problems within the graphic and interaction design professions.
Demonstrate a range of traditional and digital skills in the creation of design that is an effective combination of research, concept, media, and craft.
Demonstrate the ability to incorporate historical, social, and cultural contexts in their creative and intellectual processes.
Develop business and communication practices to function productively in a professional and collaborative environment.
Create a portfolio of work that meets professional standards in the graphic and interaction design fields.

Notable Employers

Our graduates have excelled with impressive and well-known employers, in many different fields.

Notable Graphic Design Outcomes

Fields of Graphic Design

Graphic design is effectively applied to all sorts of visual communications from print to interactive. Here is an overview of specialties within the graphic design field that our graduates pursue:

BRAND AND IDENTITY SYSTEMS — Specialize in the creation and strategy behind identity, mark-making, brand positioning, and systems design.
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS — Specialize in the design of corporate communications, working with a range of mediums and formats. Can be an  in-house design job for a large company or university.
EDITORIAL — Design the formats and visual identity of magazines or newspapers, including art direction of photographers and illustrators.
BOOK DESIGN — Develop the style and visual elements of a book using the graphic elements of typography, illustration, and photography.
MARKETING DESIGN — Specialize in design of catalogs, packaging, brochures, direct mail, packages, annual reports, posters that all relate to the promotion of a company or product. Design meets advertising.
ADVERTISING — Incorporate design skills to create work directed at “selling” that includes the application of visual and written solutions to a marketing strategy.
INTERACTIVE/USER EXPERIENCE — Specialize in information architecture, the design of information and space within the digital environment, and the user experience.
MOTION GRAPHICS — Design for a motion environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL/WAY FINDING — Plan, design, and specify sign systems and other forms of
visual communication in the built environment.
PACKAGE DESIGN — Working with brand identity to create the three-dimensional package form. Knowledge of materials, engineering, and printing is involved.
INFORMATION DESIGN — Specialize in display of information representing quantitative, data, or spatial information.