At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
The Graphic Design minor is intended for students interested in augmenting their academic major with the physical, technological, aesthetic, and conceptual skills associated with a design discipline. Courses will include foundational emphasis on visual communications, design methodologies, image making, typography, and the production of work in both physical and digital form. Coursework may also include an introduction to communication theory; contemporary issues in communication, audience, and context; and formal research methodology. Advanced courses in the minor degree will apply the students’ design acumen towards practical coursework within the context of their declared major. A Minor Capstone Studio will situate students within an appropriately rigorous environment for the application of design methods.
What is Graphic Design?
Graphic design is a professional field that uses visual communication and complex problem-solving to shape how we experience the world. Designers do more than "make things look good"; they integrate typography, imagery, and interaction into visual languages that inform, instruct, elevate, and persuade.
There are many practices that fall under graphic design, including developing compelling brand identities, intuitive user interfaces, and immersive physical spaces. The ultimate impact of this work is connection: using creative thinking and deliberate practice to bridge the gap between people and ideas, making the world more navigable, informative, and inclusive. It is an ever-evolving practice dedicated to advancing the human experience through intentional, visionary design.
Is Graphic Design relevant with the advent of AI?
Absolutely. AI can generate images, but that is not really what graphic design is about. Design is problem-solving.
The hardest part of any design problem is understanding people whose needs you are addressing: how they think, what confuses them, what they want, and what they feel. That demands empathy, ethics, and strategic judgment.
AI will change how designers work. But the ability to understand people deeply, to communicate with them clearly and honestly, and to solve knotty problems is the work designers do, and it is more relevant and essential than ever.
You Might Like This Program If...
- Bad typography on billboards and passing trucks drives you nuts.
- You love words and images and colors.
- You are engaged and creative, digital and analog.
- You like art, advertising, psychology, and entrepreneurship.
- You defy classification and don't like being stuck in ruts.
Designers are agile thinkers and creators who blend concepts and craft, art and ideas. If you're interested in everything and love challenges, graphic design could be your 'thing.'
At this time, the Graphic Design Minor is not accepting any new portfolio submissions to enter the minor. We encourage students interested in a creative minor to explore other minor or certificate options within the College of Arts and Architecture.
Entrance to Minor
Entrance into the graphic design minor is based on a portfolio review. The portfolio will consist of examples of visual work, an original poster design, and a statement of intent.
Entrance Procedures
Additional information on entrance procedures, please visit the website for the College of Arts and Architecture.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 21 |
Requirements for the Minor
For a minor in Graphic Design a minimum of 21 credits is required.
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| GD 100 | Introduction to Graphic Design  | 3 |
| GD 101 | Design Foundation I | 3 |
| GD 102 | Design Foundation 2 | 3 |
| GD 200 | Graphic Design Studio I | 3 |
| GD 201 | Typography | 3 |
| GD 405 | Minor Advanced Studio | 3 |
| GD 406 | Minor Capstone Studio | 3 |
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
University Park
Kyrie Harding
Director of Advising
104 Borland Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-9523
kyrie@psu.edu
Contact
University Park
DEPARTMENT OF GRAPHIC DESIGN
121 Stuckeman Family Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-0345
ndb2@psu.edu
https://arts.psu.edu/academics/department-of-graphic-design/