Graphic Design

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

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.

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

Rebecca Wilkinson MFA 2024

Willow Baker BFA 2026

Zoë Pulley MFA 2023

Georgina Nolan MFA 2021

Joyce Kim BFA 2026

Sejal Gupta BFA 2025
Featured stories
Launched in 2021 by His Majesty King Charles III and Sir Jony Ive, the competition seeks to drive environmental progress through private-sector innovation.
Faculty members Sara Jordenö and Pouya Ahmadi and alum Nina Martinez view forced migration through unique lenses and present radical and creative interventions.
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.