The BFA in Graphic Design Program is for students interested in the detailed academic study of design, with a focus in career preparation in the graphic design field or intensive study for graduate school admittance. Our goal is to prepare our BFA students with the tools necessary to be successful in a highly competitive field. Graphic Design is the pursuit of finding visual solutions to visual communication problems. Our program takes the core components of art and design (visual thinking, research, and iteration) and applies them in a real-life industry related context. Students who choose the BFA in Graphic Design will be challenged with rigorous analysis of branding and commercial design, leading to graphic design internship placements with established relationships with local design firms and organizations. We reach those conclusions through methods in client research, design history and theory, critical analysis of trends, user experience/user interface design, typography, printing, comping, and presentation. At Westfield, our students are enhanced by their studies in the Fine Arts Foundations Studio classes, which they bring into their design related courses in the form of tactile explorations of type, illustrations, and three-dimensional artwork.
Students should expect their range of training to include editorial design, collateral design, package design, 3D modeling and printing, print specification and pricing, visual design systems (branding), experimental methods, environmental design, digital resources, and user experience design.
