Conveying a message, branding a project, animating a film, illustrating a story – solutions to complex visual and textual design problems are at the heart of the department of Communication Design.

Housing the applied arts disciplines of Graphic Design, Illustration, and Animation, the department of Communication Design teaches students to provide creative responses to the needs of a wide range of clients. “This is an outward form of creativity,” says department chair Elizabeth Resnick. “We communicate to the public.”

For students who choose a major in Communication Design, the sophomore year is devoted to classes emphasizing the design process and the use of interdisciplinary methods in solving visual communication problems. During the sophomore year, Graphic Design students take shared design classes with students in the Environmental Design department; students in Illustration and Animation take classes in Drawing Competency and Human Figure and Illustration.

For all students in Communication Design, the emphasis is on developing a strong foundation in drawing, painting, and the use of time-based media. Classes consist of lecture and critique, and students spend significant amounts of time working independently outside of class. Those who wish can gain further professional experience in their fields by performing internships in independent design studios, corporations, or in nonprofit settings.