Graphic Design

student is placing different prints onto the ground in a studio space

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

a student's hand reaches towards a long sheet with many small, square images hangs from a wall, surrounded by other printed works
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)

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.

three petri dishes featuring printed images on their inner surface, sitting on a white surface
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

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.

a student looks at a long unfolded piece of paper sitting on a brick step
yellow pieces of paper, each featuring a single black letter, spell out "Collect made public" on a pillar inside a study spaceout "
a hand reaches up toward a computer monitor in a dark room, with the monitor displaying color bars and the number 36 repeated many times

Student work

Student work by Graphic Design graduate alum Rebecca Wilkinson of a literature display with books and pages splayed in various formats.
Graphic Design student work by Willow Baker of offset black text and numbered images on a white and gray background.
Student work by Graphic Design graduate alum Zoë Pulley of bright banners with political statements.
Student work by Graphic Design graduate alum Georgina Nolan titled Future as Medium using visuals to display yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Graphic Design student work by Joyce Kim of a 3d cubic display projecting images onto a wall with posters.
Graphic Design student work by Sejal Gupta of various books and charts set against a blue and black grid background.

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
Nicholas Felton BFA 99 — info designer

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
Michael Rock MFA 84 — creative director

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"
Jessica Walsh BFA 08 — studio principal

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.

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