BFA In Graphic Design

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Graphic Design offers a rigorous curriculum involving research and development, critical thinking and fearless image making as it applies to work in the 2-D, 3-D, 4-D fields.

Students create projects in a wide variety of media with various audiences  including social media, coding, product development, interface, augmented reality, environmental graphics, print-based work and more. 

Achieve the highest level of design excellence through coursework, critiques, reviews, and workshops.

Recent graduates have gone on to work for influential companies including  Apple, Google, Amazon, Anthropologie, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Southern California Institute of Architecture (SciArc), Guess, Metro, and Capitol Records among others.

Curriculum

At Otis College, we create thinkers and sophisticated image makers who balance real world problem solving and fearless experimentation.

Our courses focus on core knowledge appropriate to the professional standards of today, with a forward-thinking approach  to the standards and demands that will define the future of the expansive and evolving  field of graphic design.

Otis College’s Graphic Design program embraces a liberal arts-oriented approach that emphasizes collaborative work with the Liberal Arts Department, with Art History and Capstone aligning with assignments in Graphic Design studio courses.

Through dedicated academic advising, mentorship, faculty encouragement, and  departmental support, our faculty continuously champion your success.

Our students graduate as well-rounded artists and designers who understand the complexities of their globalized world and the vital role they play in shaping how  society communicates through visual mediums .

Learning Outcomes

Students Majoring In Graphic Design Will:

• Engage and utilize past and present theories and histories while evidencing professional mastery of relevant methodologies, skills, and tools applied to a broad range of media.

• Cultivate, model, and continuously improve confidence in one's communication skills, including listening, writing, empathizing, negotiating, presenting, critiquing, and reflecting

• Define, iterate, and evaluate solutions for problems using a forward-thinking and reflective studio practice.

• Apply purposeful risk taking designed to produce content, concepts, and formal outcomes that feed personal passions and professional growth.

• Demonstrate professional best practices, including editing and presentation of work, networking, time management, project planning, budgeting, and collaboration.

• Actively seek out and utilize cross-disciplinary studies and extracurricular activities to grow as well-rounded artists and engaged global citizens.

Program Structure

• Second Year

• Third Year

• Fourth Year

Immersion and Experimentation

Learn the fundamentals of typography in Typography I and II and how to create meaningful images in Graphic Design I and II. During  this first year, you will experiment with inventive materials in a cross-disciplinary fashion.

Using typography and images together, managing  composition in the form of a poster, motion and sequencing to create a narrative with projects resulting in short ‘zine and motion videos. 

Begin studying how meaning is communicated through  graphic design by using semiotic principles in developing messages through symbols, stylization, structuring and organizing content.

By the end of your second year, you will be able to use typography and formal image-based principles and carry out projects from the initial research to concepting, iteration, refinement and production. 

Career Outcomes

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design will prepare you to be a sought after professional within the world of graphic design.

Equipped with  specialized knowledge and a diverse skill set, our graduates gain employment in key industry sectors  such as graphics, publication, and advertising.

The BFA in Graphic Design degree recognizes and provides core knowledge as well as skills within individual areas of interest, preparing students to be responsive to industry changes, and are ready to engage with emerging industry sectors.