Massachusetts College of Art
Massachusetts College of Art professor Jan Kubasiewicz foresees thatdesign will be the art of the 21st century. The graphic design profession is one that is complex and ever-changing, charging designers and illustrators with sending clear visual messages - on the internet and in print and signage. They will be called upon to be team leaders and must have a deep understanding of a variety of artistic and commercial design applications.
With this dynamism in mind, the curriculum at Massachusetts College of Art ensures that all students have working knowledge of both print and interactive web site design, as well as a firm grasp on the fundamentals: images reinforce the message, color heightens meaning, and typography must read clearly. Faculty members are design professional themselves, and bring their expertise to the classroom.
As juniors, Graphic Design majors do coursework in information architecture and print design. In their senior year, they keep exploring these two aspects of design through print and new media projects as well as coming up with an original degree project which incorporates two-, three- and/or four-dimensional design. This degree project often influences the professional direction that students take, and as seniors refine their portfolios, faculty members are on hand to offer advice on internships and interviews. Representatives from publishing houses, advertising agencies, software firms, and design studios that create print and interactive media are on campus for the annual portfolio show.
Students are encouraged to take advantage of Massachusetts College of Art's internship affiliations with web design firms, advertising agencies, and high tech companies, as well as Houghton-Mifflin and WGBH. For nearly thirty years, each of the five design concentrations has sent an exceptional junior to the International Design Conference in Aspen, Colorado. Other students share in this experience upon their classmates' return.
