Graphic design is everywhere. It’s powering the apps on your phone, driving the opening titles of your favorite TV series and surrounding you at stadium concerts. While pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from ArtCenter, you’ll learn how to turn your ideas into powerful visuals that inspire, influence and get noticed.

In 2025, ArtCenter was ranked the #1 design school in the U.S. at the Young Ones competition. a recognition of the strength, abilities and creativity of our students.

The College’s Graphic Design program offers a rigorous, hands-on curriculum that emphasizes depth, experimentation and real-world experiences in an environment that embraces the latest technological advances.

As a Graphic Design student, you’ll define your own path while gaining expertise in branding, typography, print, packaging, motion design, transmedia design and visual interaction design.

Guided by our distinguished faculty, you will build a broad skill set needed for a successful career in today’s competitive landscape. With access to state-of-the-art tools like Cinema4D with Redshift and Solidworks with Keyshot and to renowned facilities like Archetype Press and the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography, you will bring your ideas to life at a professional level.

As you pursue your degree, you’ll develop a robust visual and cultural literacy, a remarkable level of craftsmanship, and a commitment to collaboration and ethical practice. It all culminates in a strong portfolio of work that shows the world, and future employers, your capabilities and potential.

You’ll graduate prepared not just to create, but for a successful career in graphic design.

Be taught by the pros.

At ArtCenter, you’ll be taught by world-class faculty who are working professionals—designers, strategists, creative directors—who will help you discover your unique voice and master your skills. They bring current industry insight with them into every critique. And their commitment to one-on-one mentorship ensures every student’s growth is personal and purposeful.

Our faculty are practicing designers and creative leaders who have worked with and held leadership positions at companies like Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, Disney, Google, Lego, Mattel, Microsoft, NBC, NFL, Salesforce, Samsung, Under Armour and Warner Bros, meaning you’ll be learning directly from leaders in the field.

What you’ll learn

• As a Graphic Design major at ArtCenter, you’ll discover that graphic design is about much more than style. It’s a discipline that moves ideas, shapes culture, builds brands and sparks change.
• You’ll begin by building a foundation in typography, image-making and systems thinking, then explore five areas of emphasis—Print and Publication, Packaging, Motion, Transmedia and Visual Interaction Design—to shape a path that aligns with your personal voice and professional goals.
• In order to stay ahead of the curve, you’ll expand your creative skills in a learning environment that brings together all mediums and that critically embraces the latest technological advancements.
• You’ll blend and experiment with a wide range of analog and digital media—coding, books, film, press kits, packaging, environmental graphic design, visual interaction design, 3D motion graphics and more.
• Through the process of research, strategy, concept development, prototyping and project execution, you’ll learn to craft compelling brand imagery and graphics-based experiences for a range of classroom and real-world clients.

Unparalleled access to industry

Since it’s inception, ArtCenter has focused on creating a strong talent pipeline for industry.

In that spirit, we built our BFA program in Graphic Design around offering students real-world opportunities to produce campaigns, collaborate with subject matter experts, convey institutional core values and develop their own entrepreneurial branding.

Our location in California, a global leader of the creative economy, allows access to top companies and organizations in advertising, art, film, music, television, themed entertainment, tech, transportation and much more.

Through the College’s signature Sponsored Projects, you’ll have in-class opportunities to work directly with top industry experts on real-world design challenges. With our internship program, you can spend a term working directly with a company and gain invaluable experience. And in our 10-week mentorship program you’ll be paired with an alum or industry partner and gain priceless networking and portfolio advice.

Countless career opportunities

ArtCenter grads enjoy a 95% employment rate* and alumni from our Graphic Design program lead the creative direction of global brands, launch new ventures, and help define what graphic design looks like in the world today. They work at companies like Netflix, Spotify, Pentagram and Airbnb.

Graphic Design career paths include:

A global network of ArtCenter creatives

At ArtCenter, you are not just earning a degree, you are becoming part of an international community of influential designers. Our alumni are creative leaders at top studios, agencies and brands around the world. As a student and alum, you’ll have access to this powerful network of mentors, collaborators and industry insiders who know the value and excellence of an ArtCenter education.

Frequently asked questions.

What is graphic design?

Graphic Design is the art of combining type and image to create meaning in print, on screen and in the environment. It’s about much more than style; it’s a discipline that moves ideas, shapes culture, builds brands and sparks change. 

How has graphic design changed over the years?

Graphic design has evolved to become more than ink on paper; it has conquered space, motion and interaction. Today, it is everywhere, from apps on phones to the immersive experiences found in stadium concerts. Due to the rapidly changing nature of the field—and the strategic importance graphic design plays in an increasingly visual world—today’s graphic designers must embody the roles of designer, artist and entrepreneur.

What kind of jobs are available for individuals with a degree in graphic design?

Since graphic design is omnipresent, practitioners of the discipline work in nearly every industry imaginable. Just a few possible careers graphic designers gravitate towards include branding and corporate Identity, art direction, publication design, web design, app design, interface design, interaction design, motion graphics, film title design, package design, environmental graphics, exhibition design, information architecture, production management, printing, poster design, and typeface design.