Design today is about informing, stimulating, persuading and empowering social
change.
The WVU Graphic Design program aims to capture one definition of design: improvement
of a situation, be it for health, efficiency, user experience, aesthetics or
entertainment. Our design studio approaches problems by researching on-site to
understand the environment and culture for which we are designing.
The
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design begins with learning a foundation in
typography, color, symbolic drawings, design for small and large formats and design
thinking. Tactical elements of design are explored hands-on through paper
engineering, book arts courses and access to a letterpress studio.
We run a model design studio, Studio 2453, that serves up to 30 clients per
year. Students work as project directors with clients to produce design that often
benefits a particular place and population. A portfolio class also prepares seniors
for a design career where they present their work in Pittsburgh or Cleveland at
AIGA Portfolio Days to gain feedback from industry professionals.
A Master of Fine Arts graduate degree is also available. The course
of study involves rigorous research to find new ways to communicate effectively.
Graduate students are expected to present a paper at a major conference.
WVU Graphic Design alumni live and work in most major US cities and abroad. They have careers at the headquarters of Coca Cola,
at the helm of NBC’s entertainment division in Burbank, CA, in major packaging
firms, designing the web interests of the New York Times, creating multimedia
for large corporations in DC, and designing for social concerns in the national
offices of Big Brothers/Big Sisters and for numerous environmental groups.
Our graduates have also stayed in the state, contributing to West Virginia
by working at the newspapers, the University, television stations, local
agencies, and their own businesses.
Students intern inside and outside the University and work on client-initiated
projects in the classroom to give them real-world experience.
View more student work and learn about our mission and process in depth at graphicdesign.wvu.edu.
Other areas of study
