BFA Graphic Design

The BFA program in Graphic Design provides a sequenced studio approach to design, preparing students to thrive in a dynamic, creative professional environment. A solution-based practice, framed by the key principles of form, authorship, audience, medium, and context defines the program’s core.

Degree Type

Undergraduate

Formats

In-Person

Availability

Full-Time

Location

On-Campus

Link to the bulletin

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program in Graphic Design provides a sequenced studio approach to design, preparing students to thrive in a dynamic, creative professional environment. A solution-based practice, framed by the key principles of form, authorship, audience, medium, and context defines the program’s core. Each course focuses on design thinking over determined output: the process is the product. This process-oriented approach sets the program apart, and is at the forefront of entrepreneurial thinking across creative industries.

BFA Graphic Design students are challenged to think creatively and strategically, working closely with faculty to develop their technical and conceptual skills.

The esteemed design faculty—all working designers and design theorists—serve as an entry point into professional practice through their own studio practices and professional networks.

Program of Study

All Graphic Design undergraduates begin in the Foundation program. First-year Foundation courses introduce visual concepts in two and three dimensions, with an emphasis on drawing from observation. Students specialize in graphic design coursework beginning in their sophomore year. Year-long graphic design and typography studios emphasize form and communication.

In the Junior year, graphic design and typography studios address authorship, audience, and medium.

Senior year culminates in the thesis project and end-of-year exhibition, in which students articulate a personally driven design methodology through an installation of their work in the Boston University Art Galleries.

Electives in design, visual art, and in programs across the university complement the core graphic design and typography studios, affording the opportunity to specialize in areas of interest and providing a flexible and open-ended approach to design research and practice.

Visiting designers and theorists are regularly invited to the program to present talks on their work, provide workshops, and participate in group critiques of student work.

Students are expected to actively participate in the Boston-based design community in order to cultivate their own professional networks.

Opportunities

BU’s partnership with AIGA Boston brings leaders in the field to campus, and provides opportunities for students to interface directly with Boston area designers and design studios.

The Graphic Design program benefits from cross-disciplinary engagement with the College of Communication and the Questrom School of Business, granting students the opportunity to collaborate with creative individuals across various communication-driven fields.

Partnerships with area businesses and design firms help undergraduates to navigate the professional world, leading to internships and employment.

Undergraduates can study graphic design alongside printmaking, glassblowing and other coursework in the school’s study abroad program in Venice, Italy.

Other past Graphic Design-related study abroad trips have included a two-week design intensive in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and a two-week Printmaking workshop at the Franz Masareel Centrum in Kasterlee, Belgium.

A group of people stand outdoors in an urban area near a traditional Chinese-style gate with green tiled roof and Chinese characters. The group appears to be engaged in a conversation or tour, with one woman in a black shirt gesturing and speaking. The surrounding area includes buildings with multiple windows and a "Hot Pot Buffet" sign. Red lanterns hang in the background beside some trees. One person carries a purple backpack, and the weather looks clear with blue sky and some clouds.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

My experience interning at Chinatown’s Pao Arts Center

Megan Kwan (CFA’27) BFA Painting

As an intern for the Pao Arts Center, Megan Kwan (CFA’27) has expanded her skillsets, teaching, mentoring, working on communication and social media materials, giving tours of Chinatown’s history and art, and assisting artists and curators with gallery installations and deinstallations.

For Megan, the one thing this whole experience has taught her is that she wants to work with communities for the arts. In CFA’s Beyond the Classroom series, Megan shares her gratitude towards Innovate@BU and the doors it has opened for her, and how this internship has helped her get a clear sense of where she wants to be and how she’ll get there.

read Q&A

Notable Graduates

Gael Towey, former Chief Creative Officer, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and 2014 AIGA medalist
Katie Noyes, Associate Creative Director, Converse Inc.
Victor Mathieux, entrepreneur and product designer
David Delmar, founder, Resilient Coders
Amber Vittoria, Freelance Illustrator and Forbes 30 under 30 recipient
Dana Feruzzi, Art Director, Small Army
Anna Snell, Graphic Designer, Converse
Carol Liao, Interactive Designer, The Artificial (Amsterdam)
Annie Wilcox, Graphic Designer, Free People
Pedro Gandaria, Founder and Creative Director, Hobo Urbanwear

Facilities

Graphic design undergraduates share communal workspaces equipped with flat files, printers, and paper trimmers.

Additional digital studios for undergraduate graphic designers include a computer lab fully equipped with the Adobe Creative Suite and a digital workshop equipped with large-format printers, a Risograph printer, bookbinding equipment, and vinyl cutters.

With training, students are also granted access to the School’s Printmaking facilities, which include etching, lithography, silkscreen, bookmaking, letterpress, and digital print studios.

Additional facilities available to students include black-and-white darkrooms, a digital photography lab, a fully equipped wood shop, welding shop, and ceramics facilities.

The Visual Arts Resource Library is a non-lending resource library of art and design books, periodicals, and audio/visual resources. Additional resources for student use include Apple desktop computers, a large-format scanner and copy stand, and digital equipment for short-term loan, including digital SLR cameras, projectors, lighting kits, and more.

The Graphic Design program regularly works with EPIC (Engineering Product Innovation Center), a pioneering facility at Boston University for fabrication that offers laser cutting, 3D printing, robotic manufacturing, and more.

Students may also take coursework outside of the School of Visual Arts and explore programs across the BU community. Many undergraduate Graphic Design students are dual-degree majors.

EXPLORING NEW MEDIUMS, FINDING ONE’S VOICE

Tyler Best (CFA’26)

BFA GRAPHIC DESIGN

CFA is a vibrant, nurturing space where creativity is celebrated, cultivated, and allowed to thrive. It’s a community that supports artistic growth by encouraging students to explore, experiment, and challenge their limits. In just my two and half years in the program, I’ve had the chance to explore a multitude of artistic mediums including painting, drawing, laser cutting, risograph printing, typography, sculpture, motion graphics, printmaking, zine-making, woodshop, and even electrical work. This creative exploration is amplified by the people around you—peers, faculty, and visiting artists who are constantly sharing ideas, giving feedback, and celebrating each other’s wins. Opportunities through the BU Office for the Arts, the Tuesday Night Lecture Series, and exhibitions such as Multiple Formats showcase are just a few of the many ways CFA fosters a dynamic and collaborative environment where students can share their work, connect with others, and be inspired by a diverse range of artistic perspectives.

FACULTY FEATURE

Designer and educator with over two decades of experience, James Grady, assistant professor of graphic design at BU School of Visual Arts and creative director at BU Spark!, came to BU with an interdisciplinary career leading design projects for clients such as Google, Nike, and Samsung.

In CFA’s Faculty Feature series, Grady shares with CFA his excitement in teaching the next generation of graphic designers, the beauty of the art of graphic design, and the graphic design faculty’s professional background is a major advantage for students.

The beauty of graphic design is it’s still being defined. It’s not tied to a particular medium. It doesn’t need to be a poster or even typography, although those are some of the tools we use. Our graphic design programs are built to assist students through the long term, not just create a portfolio style to get a job. We give them real-world projects. We do that in the context of a fine arts college that encourages them to be more divergent in how they think about graphic design as an independent field.
James Grady, Assistant Professor

read full Q&A

Program Faculty

Next Steps for Applicants

The best way to determine if BU is right for you is to visit us in-person or remotely. Observe classes. Faculty members are available to meet with you and to discuss your educational interests, individual learning needs, and career goals.

Explore our admission requirements, financial tools, and resources to determine if the program is the right match. Reach out to visuarts@bu.edu with any questions along the way.