Accreditation:
NASAD, National Association of Schools of Art and Design
WASC, Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Chair:
Sue Vessella, M.F.A.

Woodbury’s Graphic Design students learn the art of visual communication through the study of design, aesthetics, and media. They are prepared through a sequenced curriculum that develops the expertise required to enter multiple areas of the professional design world. Students begin in the first year with design foundation courses exploring the formal principles of design and color, as well as graphic software and typography, followed in the second and third years by courses in print and web design, motion and interactive media, package design, branding and identity, photography, design history, design research, and business practices. In the senior year, students can focus their creative energy in a branch that sparks their passion by selecting a study emphasis in one of the following areas, or tailor their educational experience by creating their own hybrid configuration of study.

PRINT DESIGN - The study of graphics used in advertising and publications including magazines, brochures, and book design.

ENTERTAINMENT DESIGN - The study of graphics used in the entertainment industry, including motion design for broadcast media, movie posters, concert and theatrical promotion in both print and interactive formats.

ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS - The study of graphics used in the spatial environment, including exhibit design for museums and corporate displays, and outdoor signage systems.

Small class size allows individual attention from the professional faculty and educational experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom, provides students with the ability to create effective and engaging visual communication solutions that have won both national and local awards. Students will experience current art and design events in the Los Angeles area by attending lectures, museums, galleries, and exhibitions exploring a variety of topics including social and cultural issues. They will lend their skills to real-world projects by designing projects on behalf of social welfare issues and non-profit organizations. They can choose a summer study abroad experience, which have included destinations like London, Turkey, and Paris. They will network with professional designers through our affiliation with AIGA, the national professional organization for design. They will grow as professionals through required career experiences and internships. Woodbury’s Burbank, California, location, in the heart of the media capital, offers numerous internship opportunities at companies including Disney Imagineering, Universal Studios, The WB Television Network, MTV Networks, Twentieth Century Fox, and Warner Bros.

As one of the many vibrant programs in the School of Media, Culture and Design, the program is designed to integrate communications and psychology into the graphic designer’s general education curriculum, through the study of visual communications, media culture, consumer behavior, and media psychology.

The Department of Graphic Design is committed to providing students with a design education in accordance with the highest professional standards. Our aim is to inspire graphic designers to develop and create effective visual communications by cultivating their individual talent, potential, and personal voice. We prepare innovative graduates that will advance the practice of graphic design and contribute responsibly in the global community.

• The ability to solve communication problems, including the skills of problem identification, research and information gathering, analysis, generation of alternative solutions, prototyping and user testing, and evaluation of outcomes.


• The ability to describe and respond to the audiences and contexts which communication solutions must address, including recognition of the physical, cognitive, cultural, and social human factors that shape
  design decisions.


• The ability to create and develop visual form in response to communication problems, including an understanding of principles of visual organization/composition, information hierarchy, symbolic representation, typography, aesthetics, and the construction of meaningful images.


• An understanding of tools and technology, including their roles in the creation, reproduction, and distribution of visual messages. Relevant tools and technologies include, but are not limited to, drawing, offset printing, photography, and time-based and interactive media.


• An understanding of design history, theory, and criticism from a variety of perspectives, including those of art history, linguistics, communication and information theory, technology, and the social and cultural use of design objects.


• An understanding of basic business practices, including the ability to organize design projects and to work productively as a member of teams.


• The ability to work collaboratively with multiple disciplines, and to understand the advantages and benefits of cooperative activities.