Studio Art - Graphic Design

The highly popular graphic design concentration provides a balanced, challenging, professional and theoretical education. You’ll learn how to explore using type and image, in print and digitally, to communicate your ideas visually, while understanding who you are designing for, and how your design engages with society and the environment.

Preparing You For Success

As a studio art major, you dive into the creative process through classes in history, drawing and interactive media. While building this foundation, you also take hands-on graphic design courses, identifying a variety of key areas within the industry, always with a strong emphasis on the creative process.

Each graphic design concentration is available in three paths — a B.A., B.S. or B.F.A. The B.S. and B.A. emphasize a liberal arts background, while the B.F.A. is considered the professional degree. As a result, the B.F.A. provides a studio-intensive experience encouraging focused work on the medium of your choice. Hands-on courses help you master techniques and the latest digital tools. In addition, you complete a variety of projects for professional clients, often working with real companies and agencies and go on to develop an intensive print and digital portfolio presentation. If you’re interested in broadening your career options, you can pair graphic design with another major or minor, such as interactive medium, or marketing.

By the time you graduate, your experiences may include:

• Networking and professional development through community design projects, student media and art and design clubs
• In-house and company/agency Internships
• Workshops and individual critique sessions with internationally-acclaimed graphic designers and artists through the departments prestigious Visual Voices Lecture Series
• Study abroad in England, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, and other global hot spots
• Exhibitions with local and regional galleries

Making Your Mark

Graphic design concentrations are good preparation for careers in advertising, branding, digital design, publishing, web design and user interface design. Recent Bradley graduates are pursuing advanced degrees at the University of Memphis, California Institute for the Arts, Iowa State University and the University of Minnesota. Others are working for the Chicago Bears, BBDO, Charming Robot, Roundhouse and even companies in Tokyo, Japan and Auckland, New Zealand.

Major Requirements

Art History Core - 6 hrs.

• ART 140: Survey of Art History I - 3 hrs.
• ART 142: Survey of Art History II - 3 hrs.

Art History Elective Courses (choose three) - 9 hrs.

• ART 243: Non-Western Art - 3 hrs.
• ART 245: American Art - 3 hrs.
• ART 332: History of Graphic Design - 3 hrs.
• ART 335: Medieval Art - 3 hrs.
• ART 340: Renaissance Art - 3 hrs.
• ART 350: 17th and 18th Century Art - 3 hrs.
• ART 360: 19th Century Art - 3 hrs.
• ART 375: 20th Century Art - 3 hrs.
• ART 390: History of Photography - 3 hrs.
• ART 480: Seminar in Art History - 3 hrs.

Studio Core - 19 hrs.

• ART 101: Drawing I - 3 hrs.
• ART 102: Drawing II - 3 hrs.
• ART 105: Two-Dimensional Design - 3 hrs.
• ART 106: Three-Dimensional Design - 3 hrs.
• ART 220: Professional Lecture Series - .5 hr.
• ART 221: Professional Lecture Series - .5 hr.
• ART 230: Life Drawing - 3 hrs.
• IM 113: Introduction to Multimedia - 3 hrs.

Studio Courses - 12 hrs.

• Four studio courses from areas other than the student’s concentration, including at least one from the 2-D areas and at least one from the 3-D areas. 

Studio Electives – 9 hrs.

• Students are required to take an additional 9 hours of elective art credits from any field of study (including their own). 

Concentration Courses - 21 hrs.

• ART 205: Typographic Design - 3 hrs.
• IM 260: User Interface Design and Development - 3 hrs. 
• ART 305: Editorial Design - 3 hrs.
• ART 306: Designing for a Brand Experience - 3 hrs.
• ART 405: Graphic Information Systems - 3 hrs.
• ART 406: Graphic Design Portfolio - 3 hrs.
• ART 496: BFA Design Senior Project - 3 hrs.

Professional Orientation/Seminar Courses - 3 hrs.

• ART 421 - BFA Seminar II - 3 hrs. (Spring semester only)

Total Hours: 79