Graphic Design

We support it, foster it, champion it in our students. A lot of other schools send students out the door with cookie-cutter, faculty-driven projects in the portfolio. None of that stuff here.

Most BAs in Graphic Design are actually a BA in Art with a “track” in Graphic Design, which translates into 4 or 5 courses in design. Ours is an actual BA in Graphic Design, intensively focused on Graphic Design content. You’ll take 76 credits of art & design courses in your 125-credit degree. You’ll be ready to rock a job after graduation.

With a cap of 10 in most studio courses, you’ll receive the kind of one-on-one feedback and assistance from faculty that will help you to succeed in your studio projects and gain mastery in the skills you’ll need to get a great job. And we run as many sections as are needed each semester to make this personal attention possible.

You’ll be advised by Graphic Design faculty members who know you, support you and follow you throughout your four years at YCP. They not only help you with the next semester’s schedule, but with internships, professional advice, and job searches.

To add another facet to your art skill set, you can select from 60+ academic minors at YCP. Entrepreneur-ship, Professional Writing, Marketing, Advertising, or Photography are just a few that will make you more marketable after graduation.

YCP has an official agreement with NABA (Nuovo Accademia di Belle Arti) in Milan, Italy, one of the world’s top design cities. You’ll study Graphic Design in the spring semester of your junior year, and the courses fit seamlessly into your progression back at YCP. There are many study abroad programs in art, but very few are focused in Graphic Design. Bellissimo!

The most successful Graphic Designers are the ones who understand that exciting work does not come from a computer alone, but from the experience of the artist using it. You’ll have the opportunity to learn lots of manual and digital skills in YCP’s program. You’ll mix them in interesting ways, which will make you a more marketable designer. Courses include Letterpress, Printmaking, Book Arts, Hand Lettering, Illustration, Jewelry and Sculpture.

YCP’s AIGA (American Institute of the Graphic Arts) Student Group is active and vital in our program. You’ll be required to join as a junior and you’ll be encouraged to join as a freshman. It’s an organization that focuses on professional development, networking for internships and jobs, events and conferences. Members’ portfolios are included in AIGA’s national portfolio database, as well as having access to exclusive job listings. When an employer sees you’re an AIGA member, that says you are serious about Graphic Design.

A lot of schools focus on competitive opportunities for upperclassmen only. At YCP, you’ll establish an online presence as a freshman which you’ll continue to add to throughout your four years. And you’ll use this online presence to enter competitions and vie for free- lance jobs. You’ll qualify each year to enter the Annual Juried Student Graphic Design or Fine Art exhibition, and have your work selected by nationally known visiting artists. As a senior, you’ll be part of the Senior Graphic Design Exhibition and 20-20 talks.

24-hour, 7-days-a-week access to Graphic Design labs, art studios, and work areas, including during breaks.