statement of purpose
Design begins with the premise that the world is a mutable, transitioning, and shared place. Supported by a diverse array of media-fluid skills and methods, graphic design students at KCAI develop a holistic idea-driven creative practice through critical and exploratory thinking, making, and reflecting. Students learn how to make and shape meaning, and communicate ideas visually, through the manipulation of text, image, and space. Working in multiple orientations in collaborative and self-directed settings, students are encouraged to question and explore how design can creatively impact the world.
Our program will contribute unique, creative thinkers who are accustomed to synthesizing and utilizing a diverse array of research methods, ideas, creative processes, tools, and cross-disciplinary subject matter to the wide-ranging field of graphic design and its related sub-disciplines and specializations. While future jobs for these designers may not yet have titles, existing positions include, but are not limited to, creative director, design manager, art director, graphic designer, user experience/product designer, user interface designer, experiential designer, interactive/web designer, information designer, brand/identity architect, motion graphic designer, and related titles. Students graduating from KCAI graphic design will be well equipped for entry-level positions in these areas and can expect to move quickly into visual/thought leadership positions at organizations ranging from large-scale to start-up environments and corporate to non-profit. Taken with an Entrepreneurial Studies minor or available electives, students will also have the basic skills to freelance or start their own enterprise.
The program is intended for college students with at least 30 credits of coursework and a strong interest and curiosity for graphic design, broadly applied. The preparational emphasis is on a broad survey of graphic design ideas and applications, with the option to emphasize study in interaction, social innovation, branding, or information design.