The Best Graphic Design Schools in California

Academy of Art University

• The Academy of Art University was established in 1929 by Richard Stephens. Its enrollment of approximately 16,000 students in 2009 makes it one of the country’s biggest art and design colleges. Its School of Graphic Design offers both a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. The BFA program introduces students to many styles of visual communications including typography, print design, branding, packaging and presentation skills. The MFA program builds upon these skills and applies them to narratives, problem solving and conceptual development. The department has full use of 11 classrooms, two storage rooms for pieces, a spray mount preparation area and technology such as three roaming computers and an overhead projection system. Graduates of the Academy of Art University Graphic Design program have forged careers at such companies as Apple, Disney, Dreamworks and Martha Stewart Living, to name just a few major brands.

  Academy of Art University
  79 New Montgomery St.
  San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 274-2200
  academyart.edu

Art Center College of Design

• The Art Center College of Design’s Graphic Design program offers a BFA course of study. In addition to traditional graphic design courses such as typography and drawing, students learn to set type by hand in the on-campus letterpress shop to fuse words and visual art components. Students from the program have won the Adobe Design Achievement Award 11 times since 2007 and the Broadcast Designers Association Award in 2006, two very prestigious honors in the field of graphic arts. Perhaps the most effective component of the Art Center College of Design’s program is its transdisciplinary studio in which students use their design skills to work in real-life corporate and nonprofit companies during a semester.

  Art Center College of Design
  1700 Lida St.
  Pasadena, CA 91103 (626) 396-2200
  artcenter.edu

California College of the Arts

• The California College of the Arts Graphic Design program offers graphic design courses in both traditional media and multimedia. This emphasis on digital arts is reflected by the campus’ all-encompassing wireless network and 10 student computer labs and email stations. Alumni of the program have founded successful graphic design firms around the country, and several have created pieces for national magazines like Time and HOW. The program is split 60 percent/40 percent between graphic design and liberal arts courses, offering a well-rounded education with backgrounds in other subject areas. Upper-level students may apply for local internships for credit to gain first-hand experience managing a design firm.

  California College of the Arts
  1111 Eighth St.
  San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 703-9500
  cca.edu

California Institute of the Arts

• The California Institute of the Arts offers both a BFA and MFA graphic design program. The BFA course of study provides students with an overview of many artistic processes, including photography and design. Professional experience is a required course during the final year, pushing the student to network within the graphic arts community. There are two- and three-year MFA programs available that probe deeper into graphic design application and methodology instead of studio lessons. The program offers a unique Visiting Designers series that hosts well-known national and international graphic designers in workshops, lectures and practicums at the campus. Students are able to interact with these renowned designers to ask questions and to network professionally.

  California Institute of the Arts
  24700 McBean Parkway
  Valencia, CA 91355 (661) 255-1050
  calarts.edu