Graphic Design
![student is placing different prints onto the ground in a studio space](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/landscape_10_4_250x100/public/2022-12/graphic-design-backup.jpg?h=bd59f1d3&itok=86TSySw2)
Graphic Design at RISD pushes on the boundaries of the discipline. Here you learn how to communicate ideas visually, play with the tools of the field, frame points of view and messages, build community and embrace a fluid, networked culture. Faculty support you and encourage ambitious ideas along with a mastery of traditional practices.
Degree programs
![student work by Graphic Design alum Ravista Mehra](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/landscape_16_9_349x196/public/2021-02/graphic_design_bfa_work_ravista_mehra_bfa_2018.jpg?h=be8431ba&itok=z4RUKt75)
The communications principles and problem-solving strategies you acquire in the Graphic Design BFA provide you the foundation to build an informed, versatile and impactful design practice.
![student work by Graphic Design graduate alum Cem Eskinazi](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/landscape_16_9_349x196/public/2021-02/graphic_design_mfa_student_work_cem_eskinazi_mfa_2017.jpg?h=8abb9c9b&itok=J8L8IQH_)
By encouraging you to respond nimbly and creatively to a wide range of communications challenges, the Graphic Design MFA program prepares you to thrive in a constantly changing field.
In the studio
In the studio students learn the fundamental value of typography, imagery, grids, systems and more in the course of creating everything from traditional books, posters, logos and websites to apps, interactive texts and other digital media.
![student work projects a phrase onto a table surface](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2021-02/graphic_design_light_projection_project.jpg?itok=P7RhIGM9)
![students interact with a light installation](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2021-02/graphic_design_light_installation.jpg?itok=efGY1c3g)
![a table filled with books and zines created by Graphic Design students](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2021-02/graphic_design_books_and_zines.jpg?itok=YYatUOsX)
Student work
![Student work by Graphic Design graduate alum Rebecca Wilkinson of a literature display with books and pages splayed in various formats.](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2025-01/graphic-design-student-work-rebecca-wilkinson-mfa-24-gd.jpeg?itok=vjLs6G01)
Rebecca Wilkinson MFA 24
![student work by Graphic Design alum Jamie Chen](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2021-02/graphic_design_student_work_jamie_chen_bfa_2017.jpg?itok=l4tCl2ZH)
Jamie Chen BFA 2017
![Student work by Graphic Design graduate alum Zoë Pulley of bright banners with political statements.](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2025-01/graphic-design-student-work-zoe-pulley-mfa-23-gd.jpg?itok=fU_m28p7)
Zoë Pulley MFA 23
![an installation by Graphic Design alum Kendra Xu](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2021-02/graphic_design_student_work_kendra_xu_bfa_2018.jpg?itok=0eK1Qx57)
Kendra Xu BFA 2018
![student work by Graphic Design alum Grace Yoon](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2021-02/graphic_design_student_work_grace_yoon_bfa_2018.jpg?itok=F9R3IhTk)
Grace Yoon BFA 2018
![student work by Graphic Design alum Danielle Moalem](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2021-02/graphic_design_student_work_danielle_moalem_bfa_2019.jpg?itok=Z6I1k5DO)
Danielle Moalem BFA 2019
![a poster for Jacques Tati's film Playtime made by Graphic Design graduate alum Elizabeth Leeper](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2021-02/graphic_design_student_work_elizabeth_leeper_mfa_2017.png?itok=xa50iFNV)
Elizabeth Leeper MFA 2017
![a zine made by Graphic Design alum Somnath Bhatt](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2021-02/graphic_design_student_work_somnath_bhatt_bfa_2017.png?itok=vvWE6MSD)
Somnath Bhatt BFA 2017
![a design book by Graphic Design alum Mostyn Griffith](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2021-02/graphic_design_student_work_mostyn_griffith_bfa_2018_0.jpg?itok=m6Hgn7vr)
Mostyn Griffith BFA 2018
![a suite of printed materials by Graphic Design alum Ruth Lin](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/original_max_width_250/public/2021-02/graphic_design_student_work_ruth_lin_bfa_2017.png?itok=EV_f-n9x)
Ruth Lin BFA 2017
Alumni
Graphic Design graduates leave RISD prepared to work in many fields—from education to film, television, publishing, retail and more. They follow their own paths, including running design studios, working for large corporations, specializing in web and interactive media, and creating everything from package design to title sequences for film and television.
![Graphic Design alum Nicholas Felton holds an example of his info design work](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/landscape_16_9_349x196/public/2021-02/unnamed-2_1.jpg?h=c7dc6f0f&itok=rHbYoxtZ)
Nick Felton first sparked an explosion of interest in infographics in 2005 through his Personal Annual Reports, which weave mundane events in his own life into a complex data trove of charts, maps and statistics. In addition to being a lead designer of Facebook's timeline, Felton cofounded daytum.com and developed Reporter, an iPhone app that helps users record and visualize subtle aspects of their lives. His work is included in the permanent collection at MoMA.
![design work by Graphic Design alum and 2x4 studio cofounder Michael Rock](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/landscape_16_9_349x196/public/2021-02/unnamed-3_1.jpg?h=59a1b8fa&itok=m7ktlfTg)
Michael Rock is a founding partner and creative director at the design consultancy 2x4, where he leads projects for clients such as Barneys, Prada, Nike, Kanye West, Harvard and CCTV. He also teaches in the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and writes design-focused articles for many publications. A RISD trustee, in 2000 Rock received the Rome Prize in Design from the American Academy in Rome.
![a project by Graphic Design alum Jessica Walsh featuring the dramatically-written words "Embrace Change"](/sites/g/files/upbtqy111/files/styles/landscape_16_9_349x196/public/2021-02/unnamed-4_1.jpg?h=31007336&itok=G0Efx8ad)
After graduation Jessica Walsh worked at Pentagram and Print magazine, while freelancing for AIGA, I.D. magazine, Technology Review and The New York Times, among others. Her work has won recognition in leading competitions and, after designer Stefan Sagmeister invited her in 2012 to become a partner in his firm—which became known as Sagmeister & Walsh—she founded her own firm in 2019, & Walsh.
Featured stories
Students in a fall studio are exploring a wide range of motion design techniques, from stop-motion animation to film title sequencing.
As a designer and educator, RISD alum and faculty member Rene Payne strives to break down social and cultural barriers.
Four ongoing research projects by faculty and recent alums focus on composting, improving the visual data used to drive climate research, sustainable biomaterials and tenants’ rights.