Studios, Labs, & Letterpress
Students work in spacious facilities that include small and large format printers, a RISO printer and large plotter, Macs and tablets, a Letterpress Studio, and more.
Communication Design BFA students gain a robust working knowledge of print design, information design, branding, and dynamic media.
Location: On Campus (Boston)
Format: In-person, Full Time
Length of Program: 4 years
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design
Communication Design BFA students learn how to develop creative solutions in a range of media, implement visual language and graphic form, and design user-focused systems. Through coursework with practicing designers and design educators, students work on:
- Package design
- Publication design
- Web and app design
- Interactive communication
- Advertising
- Creation of graphic identities and brand systems
During their time at MassArt, Communication Design students receive critique on their work and learn how to thoughtfully critique the work of others.
Students are encouraged to complete an internship to gain experience producing design work for clients, and discover the application and demands of the profession in different environments.
Sophomore Studios class with Faculty member Fish McGill.
Sophomore Studios class with Nancy Hughes.
Making Meaning class in the Tower building with Ryan Diaz and Katherine Hughes.
Making Meaning class (Communication Design) in the Tower building with Ryan Diaz & Katherine Hughes.
Making Meaning class (Communication Design) in the Tower building with Ryan Diaz & Katherine Hughes.
Making Meaning class (Communication Design) in the Tower building with Ryan Diaz & Katherine Hughes.
What You’ll Learn
You’ll start with assignments that focus on developing technical skills while also encouraging inventive and experimental approaches from the very beginning. As you move into your own projects, you’ll gain efficiency in production, explore organizational methods, strengthen creative problem-solving, and build adaptability. Alongside these foundational abilities, you’ll also learn how to teach yourself new techniques—a vital skill for any successful communication designer.
As students create original work, they will also refine their projects through revision and participate in group critiques. In this collaborative environment, you’ll be part of a close-knit community of Communication Design students and faculty who are eager to support your growth and push your work to the next level.
BFA Learning Outcomes
Students who complete the Communication Design BFA program are expected to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes.
- Practiced a wide variety of approaches to problem solving through design
- Demonstrated proficiency in developing concepts as well as in implementing visual language and graphic form
- Designed for a variety of media including print, time-based and interactive, and gained expertise in matching media to content
- Applied the fundamental concepts of visualizing complex information
- Gained experience in designing systems that allow users to logically and easily interact with data
- Demonstrated proficiency in typography for both print and screen environments
- Developed competent critical language for analyzing and evaluating their own design work and the work of others
- Learned how to research and evaluate user and audience needs
- Worked effectively in a team
- Acquainted themselves, through readings and presentations, with current trends and people in historical and contemporary design
- Mastered a wide range of technical and craft skills, and gained a realistic understanding of how to implement their knowledge in a professional design environment
Career Outcomes
Graduating students have mastered a wide range of technical and craft skills and gained a realistic understanding of how to implement their knowledge in a professional design environment.
Because MassArt’s program is both broad-reaching and conceptual, and provides rigorous training in typography and information architecture, our graduates enjoy an excellent reputation in the profession. Alumni are in demand in multiple industries, including UX design, exhibition design, branding, type design, publishing, editorial design, web design, and design management.
Career Paths
Graphic Designer, UX/UI Designer, Web Designer, Art Director, Brand Strategist, Motion Graphics Designer, Marketing Communications Specialist, Print Designer, Exhibition Designer, Creative Copywriter, Social Media Manager, Design Consultant, Content Strategist, Illustrator, Freelance Designer
Internships
Burton Snowboards, Fidelity Investments, Museum of Fine Arts, Sony Music Entertainment
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