Graphic Design (BFA) People & Stories
Learn about Graphic Design at UArts from Program Director Angela Riechers.
Faculty Spotlight
UArts Graphic Design BFA faculty are successful, award-winning designers from a range of disciplines, from corporate branding to typeface design to emerging media, in New York and Philadelphia. In addition to teaching in our graphic design program, many provide students with mentoring, internships and job opportunities. Our graphic design faculty have founded their own agencies and worked for major national magazines, global corporations, and branding firms, as well as not-for-profit organizations and cultural institutions. Students in the Graphic Design program receive one-on-one support and professional guidance as they develop their individual creative voices.
![A closeup of Angela Riechers wearing a gray button down shirt in front of a slightly lighter gray background](/sites/default/files/styles/square_500x500/public/ariechers_1.jpg?h=b45f0e55&itok=ZhzVnfWZ)
![A closeup of Anselm Dästner wearing a blue collared shirt against a dark gray background](/sites/default/files/styles/square_500x500/public/adastner.jpg?itok=NkAnZCb8)
Student Spotlight
Students in the Graphic Design program are innovators, collaborators and visual thinkers. Our students benefit from small class sizes and hands-on experiences that prepare them for a career in graphic design.
The Graphic Design floor is a relaxed, friendly environment where all students mingle to become a supportive community and each other’s best resources. Working in airy, open double studios, our students learn and draw inspiration from each other. A spirit of collaboration in the department, as well as with other programs at the university and the larger creative community of Philadelphia, creates a unique atmosphere where everyone is welcomed and heard and ideas flow freely.
Alumni Spotlight
The Graphic Design program graduates step out into the world ready for careers as graphic designers, web designers, UX (user experience) designers, creative directors and more, comprehensively taught and well-rounded in skill and practice from their studies.
Alumni from the Graphic Design program have worked for:
American Museum of Natural History • Apple • Bloomberg • Burson-Marsteller • Buzzfeed • Cloud-Gehshan Associates • Comcast • Dazed Digital • Facebook • Fast Company • The Franklin Institute • Fullscreen • Google • Huffington Post • IBM • The Intuitive Company • King & Partners • Jefferson Health • Lippincott • EMO-NY, • Men’s Health Magazine • Microsoft • MOD Worldwide • Monument Lab • Morningstar • MTV • Pentagram • Philadelphia Museum of Art • Publicis Media • Red Antler • Red Sky Interactive • Sagon-Phior • Siegel + Gale • Situation Interactive • Spotify • Stag and Hare • TracyLocke • Two Twelve Associates • University of the Arts Marketing & Communication • Urban Outfitters • Use All Five • Vanguard • Vimeo • WGBH
Stories
![](/sites/default/files/styles/background_tall_1500x800/public/b107c899_170720tj_canon-09051902.jpg?h=8f74817f&itok=BLwOiKKi)
Why Minu Aktar chose UArts
![](/sites/default/files/styles/background_tall_1500x800/public/sean_gibson_compressed.jpg?itok=SHLETLGF)
Sean Gibson ’23 (Graphic Design) recalls his experience as the first recipient of the new Crayola Creative Arts/Lee Volpe Internship.
![An image of a huge, castle-like building nestled on a bit of landscape with a black background. "Lucid Labor" is set in a serif typeface and hangs on the left of the image; on the right, several thin, one-word columns of text (labeled as an excerpt of "The Circular Ruins" by Jorge Luis) floating in a harmonious arrangement.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-12/13-SharifB_GD_2024_NarrativeInterpretation.png?h=ea1aa2a5&itok=BMQRsZFa)
![a depicting of a branding piece designed by lila nathanson. a mock-up of a website and phone screen are shown side by side, displaying branding identity for Socks for the Streets. at the left, a logotype of a smiley face with sock-like motifs is ringed by text. branding elements are in a pale emerald shade.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2024-05/lila-nathanson.png?h=ad669702&itok=K5BqP3ke)
![A book cover, laid back, designed by Graphic Design student Iman Wiley, features an image of the face of a dark-skinned man with his eyes and mouth closed. He has a peaceful look on his face. There is a hand on the left with two fingers extended, touching the man's eyelids. On the right, a mostly blank, black page, with words in various places, is visible. "Depth" is legible in the bottom right. The other paragraphs of text are too small, but they are arranged harmoniously as part of the overall design.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-12/14-Wiley_Iman_GD_2024_BookCover.png?h=7b262c53&itok=o_efwuh3)
![A composition featuring several images. On the left, a grid with the words "Creativity Is" is shown. On the right, the grid is displayed in three "steps" with the final step showcased in a photographic mock-up of the design with the word "Chaos" spelled out in tumbling blocks.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-12/11-Nathanson_Lila_GD_2024_AugmentedRealityPoster.png?h=fb7217a8&itok=770ZyxVz)
![Zine cover in neon pink, purple, and green with photographs of faces](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2023-08/13_volpe_levi_gd_2023_zines.jpg?h=a2e28998&itok=8s7O85-L)
![Multicolor symbol based large format mural](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2023-08/01-rothmillerzakye_gd_2024_saxby_smural.jpg?h=8f78d6db&itok=xsHYtE4u)
![A multicolored glitched image in the background with text on top. "Landmarks in Toxicology" "Epidemiology in Country Practice" and "William Norman Pickles" make up the text, arranged in various layouts. A logo for "Elsevier" with a lower case e is legible in the bottom of the image.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-12/08-KielblockSonny_GD_2022_KindleBookCovers%201.png?h=655950ea&itok=C1rcwntj)
![A one-page spread with the heading "A Brief History of Nastaliq" printed above two columns of paragraph text on the right-side of the design. The background is a field of orange with a purple accent that appears to be a part of a letterform. On the left, three thumbnail images of Urdu type are depicted.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-12/01-AhmadSenna_GD_2020_UrduTypefaceProcessBook%201.png?h=f10a938f&itok=h-CV0QfD)
![a test-less poster depicting an illustrated scene of sky, with crimson birds flying across a sea of concentric semi-circular yellowish clouds and a gradient from pale to deep blue at the top. airplanes wind patterns in the background and stars and planets hang in the dark above](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2024-05/katelynharris_polyphoneposterart_sp24_scaled.jpg?h=171ab8e6&itok=-wndH0-I)
![A one-page spread featuring process samples and type options for an Urdu Typeface. The background of the image is a deep green; the font is rendered in gold and displayed as individual characters on the left in a grid and on the right in sentence-form (each sentence has a purple bar behind it.)](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-12/01-AhmadSenna_GD_2020_UrduTypefaceProcessBook%202.png?h=672ac2f0&itok=suvSYXGi)
![A grayscale composition featuring a person who appears to be falling from a swing in the center of a landscape; there is lightning in the sky; "The Fall" which is displayed in a serif font in two vertical columns with lots of space in between each character.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-12/10-LeComte_Giselle_GD_2024_BookCover.png?h=d23b55f8&itok=NkLm_xSe)
![a magazine spread depicting a black and white photograph of a screaming person in the vein of vintage hollywood films. a sideways O in chartreuse and a C in mauve rest of the person's face, with a table of contents on the left.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2024-05/toxic_nostalgia_lila_nathanson_24_graphicdesign_scaled.jpg?h=52dc8024&itok=R3kCvWDy)
![a design piece of a magazine spread in deep floral pink with test about queerness. a large black title reads Beyond The Close across the top, with a crossword and quotes interspersed between very fine black text.](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2024-05/closeted_brian_greenwald_24_graphicdesign_scaled.jpg?h=6a83d26e&itok=blD7lA4D)
![Black and white photographic with hot pink graphic elements and text](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2023-08/03-naylorsophie_gd_2022_capstonebook.jpg?h=f9c0ff61&itok=LRvTAxy3)
![text based graphic using red and yellow](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2023-08/09-hull_tyler_gd_2023_nocturnalspublication.png?h=1a783f69&itok=xRwclH-I)
![illustrated tigers in a habitat with multicolor symbol in center](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2023-08/05-gibson_sean_krivonosov_daniel_gd_2023_groupproject.jpg?h=a740e7a9&itok=wSmwrmjC)
![Mix elements, illustration, photograph, text](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2023-08/04-jgibson-selix_gd_2022_restexhibit.jpg?h=652f7123&itok=YAASYcy6)
![a combined multi-textured typographic mural spelling out IDEA in sky blue plain lettering. The letters drift and wobble away giving way to black space spilling forth glossy trippy molten shapes and squiggles](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2023-10/alex_pirani_mural.jpg?h=fa5cb939&itok=6EuuoZr_)
![mock up of a website webpage with photograph and text box](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2023-08/08-marbley_donyel_gd_2021_website.jpg?h=c66b121e&itok=Ql0mCY1d)
![An image of a huge, castle-like building nestled on a bit of landscape with a black background. "Lucid Labor" is set in a serif typeface and hangs on the left of the image; on the right, several thin, one-word columns of text (labeled as an excerpt of "The Circular Ruins" by Jorge Luis) floating in a harmonious arrangement.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-12/13-SharifB_GD_2024_NarrativeInterpretation.png?h=20f54256&itok=YbgIH1Rf)
![a depicting of a branding piece designed by lila nathanson. a mock-up of a website and phone screen are shown side by side, displaying branding identity for Socks for the Streets. at the left, a logotype of a smiley face with sock-like motifs is ringed by text. branding elements are in a pale emerald shade.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2024-05/lila-nathanson.png?h=dc652b2c&itok=StqR8Bak)
![A book cover, laid back, designed by Graphic Design student Iman Wiley, features an image of the face of a dark-skinned man with his eyes and mouth closed. He has a peaceful look on his face. There is a hand on the left with two fingers extended, touching the man's eyelids. On the right, a mostly blank, black page, with words in various places, is visible. "Depth" is legible in the bottom right. The other paragraphs of text are too small, but they are arranged harmoniously as part of the overall design.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-12/14-Wiley_Iman_GD_2024_BookCover.png?h=2679f0df&itok=YoP6eTTr)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/video_thumbnails/777912904.jpg?itok=gCVVEcR3)
![A composition featuring several images. On the left, a grid with the words "Creativity Is" is shown. On the right, the grid is displayed in three "steps" with the final step showcased in a photographic mock-up of the design with the word "Chaos" spelled out in tumbling blocks.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-12/11-Nathanson_Lila_GD_2024_AugmentedRealityPoster.png?h=0747f322&itok=H4PraXAy)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/video_thumbnails/777912928.jpg?itok=cB_7bErz)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/video_thumbnails/777912936.jpg?itok=GtGzHCOo)
![Zine cover in neon pink, purple, and green with photographs of faces](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2023-08/13_volpe_levi_gd_2023_zines.jpg?h=8ea054ab&itok=KbvwjYzJ)
![Multicolor symbol based large format mural](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2023-08/01-rothmillerzakye_gd_2024_saxby_smural.jpg?h=e853f88f&itok=cr2ZGVkH)
![A multicolored glitched image in the background with text on top. "Landmarks in Toxicology" "Epidemiology in Country Practice" and "William Norman Pickles" make up the text, arranged in various layouts. A logo for "Elsevier" with a lower case e is legible in the bottom of the image.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-12/08-KielblockSonny_GD_2022_KindleBookCovers%201.png?h=30a8b459&itok=Lg6ZbJsY)
![A one-page spread with the heading "A Brief History of Nastaliq" printed above two columns of paragraph text on the right-side of the design. The background is a field of orange with a purple accent that appears to be a part of a letterform. On the left, three thumbnail images of Urdu type are depicted.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-12/01-AhmadSenna_GD_2020_UrduTypefaceProcessBook%201.png?h=c7543cbc&itok=8N1P5f89)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/video_thumbnails/777912959.jpg?itok=RnOAPiku)
![a test-less poster depicting an illustrated scene of sky, with crimson birds flying across a sea of concentric semi-circular yellowish clouds and a gradient from pale to deep blue at the top. airplanes wind patterns in the background and stars and planets hang in the dark above](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2024-05/katelynharris_polyphoneposterart_sp24_scaled.jpg?h=95764451&itok=-sDXYkgI)
![A one-page spread featuring process samples and type options for an Urdu Typeface. The background of the image is a deep green; the font is rendered in gold and displayed as individual characters on the left in a grid and on the right in sentence-form (each sentence has a purple bar behind it.)](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-12/01-AhmadSenna_GD_2020_UrduTypefaceProcessBook%202.png?h=baba46a5&itok=qe2kIsAY)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/video_thumbnails/777912920.jpg?itok=o49dtERU)
![A grayscale composition featuring a person who appears to be falling from a swing in the center of a landscape; there is lightning in the sky; "The Fall" which is displayed in a serif font in two vertical columns with lots of space in between each character.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2022-12/10-LeComte_Giselle_GD_2024_BookCover.png?h=548b5e75&itok=Feb2R8IJ)
![a magazine spread depicting a black and white photograph of a screaming person in the vein of vintage hollywood films. a sideways O in chartreuse and a C in mauve rest of the person's face, with a table of contents on the left.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2024-05/toxic_nostalgia_lila_nathanson_24_graphicdesign_scaled.jpg?h=9e38d948&itok=gwqV8bkX)
![a design piece of a magazine spread in deep floral pink with test about queerness. a large black title reads Beyond The Close across the top, with a crossword and quotes interspersed between very fine black text.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2024-05/closeted_brian_greenwald_24_graphicdesign_scaled.jpg?h=749c8a30&itok=crHQ49Dc)
![Black and white photographic with hot pink graphic elements and text](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2023-08/03-naylorsophie_gd_2022_capstonebook.jpg?h=67ba9230&itok=k27pevPX)
The School of Design at UArts redefines what it means to educate a 21st century designer, providing creative, cross-disciplinary and business practices in the curriculum. Its key innovation is a celebration of the reality that the boundaries between all sorts of contemporary design practices are more permeable than ever before, and that a modern designer needs a greatly expanded skill set at their disposal.
The School of Design 1st Year Core is a unique and critical first year experience for all undergraduate design majors. These collaborative courses will expose you to multiple modes of practice and technologies while providing a solid grounding in design thinking, drawing as thinking, communication, audience and meaning, design technology, and collaboration and team building. You'll complete projects that encourage experimentation and develop your unique artistic voice across a range of social, cultural, political, technological and historical topics. This year of focused studies will prepare you to enter your discipline successfully. During your first year in the School of Design, you’ll also take course modules in the university’s Makerspace and Center for Immersive Media.
![Student Experience - Graphic Design](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-06/Graphic%20Design%202016-8_compressed_0.jpg?h=531f18d9&itok=pUuPoGlP)
![Student Experience - Graphic Design](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2022-06/Graphic%20Design%2020162-compressed.jpg?h=9637ab91&itok=BGKQ2kLN)
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![Student Experience - Graphic Design](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2019-02/Graphic%20Design%202016-7.jpg?h=e90f6181&itok=GFFhvG9A)
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![Student Experience - Graphic Design](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2019-02/Graphic%20Design%202016-12.jpg?h=49e7f340&itok=Y6wNg-Iz)
![Student Experience - Graphic Design](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2019-02/Graphic%20Design%202016-9.jpg?h=71e1bb50&itok=mrWpTK6F)
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![Student Experience - Graphic Design](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_gallery_project_image/public/gallery/2019-02/Graphic%20Design%202016-3.jpg?h=2fc2306b&itok=OeCAdHl9)
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![Student Experience - Graphic Design](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_300x300/public/gallery/2019-02/Graphic%20Design%202016-15.jpg?h=b9c13e1d&itok=6aTtU5V9)
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![Card](/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_right_left_side_750x525/public/student-center-art-2023.jpeg?h=dd4d9ff6&itok=DSRRsxi0)