Graphic Design Program

Program Head: Tanya Cummings

As creative problem-solvers, graphic designers deal with the transmission of ideas, information, and subjective impressions through the use of print, film, video, and digital media. Therefore, the Graphic Design program at California State University, Long Beach, takes a broad approach to the field, including graphic explorations into various media, both traditional and electronic, and also through the lens of advertising art direction.

The BFA degree program in Graphic Design, consisting of 132 units, prepares students for professional careers in design studios, advertising agencies, corporate design departments, motion graphics firms, web design companies, digital design agencies (UX/UI), and free-lance consulting, as well as for graphic design positions with industrial and interior design firms.

Our students have received high accolades for their work including awards and scholarships from the One Show, the Type Directors Club, Adobe Design Achievement Awards, and inclusion in national AIGA shows and competitions. Many of our students have had their work appear in various publications.

Our alumni can be found at every level of the design and advertising community. Several have gone on to illustrious careers with national and international reputations. Inclusions of alumni work in leading professional journals, such as Communication Arts, HOW, and Print, are commonplace.

Students wishing to study Graphic Design at CSULB are first admitted into the BA Studio Arts degree option or as a Pre-Art major. In this degree option, students may focus on Graphic Design. BA students may then choose to apply to enter into the BFA program in Graphic Design. The BFA program has limited enrollment, and the selection process is competitive. To gain entry into the BFA program, a student must:

  • Have earned a 3.0 or better grade point average in your major, a 2.5 GPA overall.
  • Submit a portfolio for formal evaluation on SlideRoom, consisting of no fewer than 6 pieces of work, this could include multimedia or web projects. Students must begin the application through the School of Art advising center to receive a link to SlideRoom and proper instructions.

Student portfolios are evaluated on formal skills as well as the demonstration of imaginative problem-solving and a willingness to take creative risks.

Graphic Design International Workshops

Summer 2023 letterpress workshop with Erik Spiekermann's p98a in Berlin, Germany with California State University faculty and students from the graphic design program.

 

Summer 2023 - Visiting UMPRUM Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague, Czech Republic.

 

Summer 2023 - International Brand Design Workshop with HAW University in Hamburg, Germany