The Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Communication Design prepares students for the graphic design and illustration professions. Students develop technical proficiency and design expertise in the organization of imagery and typography to communicate information in both the two-dimensional and three-dimensional form. Students produce work for print, video, screen displays and interactive experiences, as well as package design, exhibition design and environmental wayfinding.

As this major focuses on design and illustration in the context of a broad liberal arts program, students have the flexibility to choose 20 percent of their coursework (with guidance). This provides the opportunity for students to take a variety of courses to complement their design degree.

Programs in the College of Communication and Information are, by nature, innovative, interdisciplinary and collaborative, which is critical to both professional and scholarly disciplines. Students are educated to work at the intersections of communication, information and technology. Through a core of diverse theory- and practice-based courses, students learn basic concepts that apply across the range of college programs and develop a sense of professional expectations and build toward interdisciplinary thinking and application.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the ethics (and legal issues) closely associated with fields of visual communication.
• Demonstrate an understanding of traditional hands-on skills relative to craftsmanship. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the basic use of digital technologies as they relate to their areas of study.
• Demonstrate an ability to create visual response to communication problems, including understanding of hierarchy, typography, aesthetics, composition and construction of meaningful images.