RISD's graduate program in Graphic Design prepares students for professional practice by emphasizing the role of social context, media and aesthetics in the production of visible language systems. Like the discipline itself, it requires a nimble and intelligent response to constant change and burgeoning technology, while building a strong foundation of formal, aesthetic and analytical knowledge.

The department's accomplished professors extend the energy and ideas graduate students bring to the studio and encourage generative thinking and making. In addition, visiting designers offer varied models for practice and introduce students to resources in the larger design world.