Visual Communication Design

Collaborative spaces

Herron’s eight visual communication design studios encourage a team-driven approach to projects. VCD students also have access to research and studio spaces including the Think It Make It Lab, woodshops, photo lighting studios, book arts studio, and the Herron Art Library.

Design for communities

Senior year in VCD brings a focus on experience design and related methods for engaging with people. Your final semester will culminate in a capstone project that you develop with a focus on either service experience or digital experience design, as well as a shared senior exhibition.

There is a culture in the VCD studios … [that] has allowed us to grow without judgment, truly be ourselves, and enjoy the process of becoming designers.

Haley Francis-Halstead (B.F.A. Visual Communication Design '19)

Student work

Clockwise from top: Shelby Elrod, FundCast, 2020. Branding and digital application. Chad Wysong, A *somewhat helpful but definitely mediocre* Survival Guide, 2020. Saddle stitched pocket guide. Bailey Weaver, Rally, 2020. Branding, collateral design, and prototyping. Courtesy of the artists

A student cuts pieces of denim fabric.

Foundation studies

Your first year at Herron focuses on skills that are crucial to your success in art and design school. You will explore basic principles and techniques, as well as your own historical, cultural, and personal influences as an artist or designer.

Learn more about foundation studies

Facilities

Herron’s VCD classrooms and studios offer a collaborative studio environment and ample open space for discussions and presentations. To bring your design visions to life, the following resources are at your disposal.

  • Adobe Creative Cloud available for free download
  • Inkjet printers and tabloid size laser printers
  • Shared studio spaces with individual desks for sophomores
  • Dedicated workstations in a shared studio for juniors and seniors
  • Flat file storage for sophomores and juniors
  • Portable whiteboards for collaborative teamwork
  • Ceiling mounted projectors and screens for presentations
  • Large cutting mats, saddle staplers, and paper cutters
  • Access to the Think It Make It Lab and woodshop as well as ceramics, photography, printmaking, and sculpture facilities

Professional opportunities

With Herron's intensive visual communication design program you will be prepared for a number of career opportunities. In junior year, you become eligible for your required design internship, which provides valuable professional experience and, for many students, leads to a job offer.

Pursue your calling as a professional:

  • Graphic designer
  • Exhibit or environmental designer
  • Art director
  • Brand strategist
  • User experience designer
  • Mobile app designer
  • Typeface designer
  • Interactive designer
  • Motion graphics animator
  • Book designer
  • Package designer
  • Broadcast designer

Faculty

Madison Anderson

Madison Anderson

Associate Faculty

Amrita Datta

Amrita Datta

Acting Assistant Professor

Aaron Ganci

Aaron Ganci

Visual Communication Design Department Chair, Associate Professor

Andrea Haydon

Andrea Haydon

Associate Faculty

Youngbok Hong

Youngbok Hong

Director of Visual Communication Design Graduate Programs, Professor

Sylvia Ess McKee

Sylvia Ess McKee

Associate Faculty

Gürkan Maruf Mihçi

Gürkan Maruf Mihçi

Assistant Professor

Pamela Napier

Pamela Napier

Associate Professor

Helen Sanematsu

Helen Sanematsu

Associate Professor

J S

Jennifer Shivers

Associate Faculty

C V

Chris Vaulter

Associate Faculty

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