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The Graphics Design program is designed to meet the National Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) program standards and guidelines for Graphic Design which are:

Standards and Guidelines for Specific Professional Degree Programs

Graphic design is the profession that plans and executes the design of visual communication according to the needs of audiences and contexts for which communication is intended. Graphic designers apply what they have learned about physical, cognitive, social, and cultural human factors to communication planning and the creation of appropriate form that interprets, informs, instructs, or persuades. Graphic designers use various technologies as means for creating visual form and as an environment through which communication takes place.

Graphic designers plan, analyze, create, and evaluate visual solutions to communication problems. Their work ranges from the development of strategies to solve largescale communication problems, to the design of effective communication products, such as publications, computer programs, packaging, exhibitions, and signage.

Titles normally used to identify the four-year professional programs with a major qualifying students for entry to the field are Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising Design, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design, or Bachelor of Graphic Design. Only schools with sufficient qualified design faculty, technological resources, and a comprehensive curriculum of study in graphic design have the prerequisites to offer these degrees or others with different titles having career entry objectives.

1. Curricular Structure

   Curricular structure, content, and time requirements shall enable students to develop the range of knowledge, skills, and competencies expected of those holding a professional baccalaureate degree in graphic design. Curricula to accomplish this purpose normally adhere to the following guidelines: studies in graphic design comprise 25-35% of the total program; supportive courses in art and design, 20-30%; studies in art and design history, 10-15%; and general studies and electives, 25-35%. Studies in the major area, supportive courses in art and design, and studies in visual arts and design history normally total at least 65% of the curriculum.

2. Recommendations for General Studies (in addition to those stated for all undergraduate degree programs)

   Curriculum requirements and strong advising should direct students to general studies that support their study in design. Appropriate areas of study for all graphic design majors include communication theory, writing, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and business, as well as the humanities. Professional degree programs with a specific focus (example: advertising, design planning/management, interactive media) should require or strongly recommend study in relevant areas such as marketing, economics, organizational psychology, human factors, systems theory, or computer science. Course work in the major should make use of concepts and skills acquired through study in areas other than design. Design faculty, technological resources, and a comprehensive curriculum of study in graphic design have the prerequisites to offer these degrees or others with different titles having career entry objectives.

3. Essential Competencies (in addition to those stated for all professional degree programs)

   1. 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.
   2. 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.
   3. 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.
   4. 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 (film, video, computer multimedia).
   5. An understanding of basic business practices, including the ability to organize design projects and to work productively as a member of teams.

4. Relevant Competencies for Specialized Programs (in addition to those stated above for all graphic design programs, and to those stated for all professional degree programs)

   1. For graphic design programs with special emphasis in advertising, design experiences should include the application of communication theory, planning of campaigns, audience/user evaluation, market testing, branding, art direction, and copyrighting, as well as the formal and technical aspects of design and production.
   2. For graphic design programs with a special emphasis in design planning and strategy, design experiences should include working in interdisciplinary teams, systems-level analysis and problem solving, writing for business, and the application of management, communication, and information theories.
   3. For graphic design programs with a special emphasis in time-based or interactive media, design experiences should include storyboarding, computer scripting, sound-editing, and issues related to interface design, as well as the formal and technical aspects of design and production for digital media.

5. Essential Opportunities and Experiences

   1. Easy access to studios and libraries with appropriate graphic design resources and reference material in other relevant disciplines, such as the social sciences and the humanities.
   2. Easy access to appropriately equipped labs and technology necessary for the execution of design solutions.
   3. Ongoing access to instruction and critique under faculty with educational and professional backgrounds in graphic design. Sufficient numbers of qualified faculty to provide the diversity of expertise required for a comprehensive education in graphic design.
   4. Field experiences and internships are strongly recommended.