Bachelor of Design in Graphic Design

Prospective Bachelor of Design and Design Studies students, alongside students enrolled in the CS+DES program, share in the Foundations Program experience—an intensive studio-based curriculum introducing various techniques in form-making and conceptual visualization.

Emphasis is placed on perfecting hand skills and in developing proficiency with digital technology. Through exposure to design practice, design culture, and critical observation, students experience Chicago as a global design center.

First year students are rapidly immersed into design process in studio courses developed and organized by Foundation Studio Coordinators, members of our full-time faculty dedicated to undergraduate education. Foundation studio courses are taught by professional designers from within our faculty and from the Chicago design community. Courses in two- and three-dimensional form-making, analog and digital visualization, interactive media, and color theory provide the basis for entry into a BDes or BA program.

Courses leading to a BDes or BA degree depend on successful completion of the first year program. For this reason, the UIC School of Design is not able to accept transfer credit for design courses from other institutions. Students completing the Foundations Program undergo a portfolio review by departmental faculty in consideration for a place in one of the major areas of study.

Click here for more information on the Foundations Program and the Foundation Review.

The second year of the BDes Graphic Design program begins with immersion into the aesthetics, mechanics, and systems of typography. Advanced work in form- and image-making builds awareness and introductory understanding of semiotics. Motion literacy is developed through projects in user-interface design and web-based publishing. Students execute type-based communications, design symbols, complete a work in motion graphics and design and develop a personal website.

DES208 TYPOGRAPHY: FORM provides introduction to the aesthetics and mechanics of typographic form and usage. Students complete a variety of projects that use type as an element of graphic design composition. They gain an understanding for the measurement system separate and distinct to the discipline of typography; learn recognition and classification; explore alignment, hierarchy and legibility. This course introduces students to universal and essential qualities of typography in the context of design practice, serving as a foundation for upper-level design classes.

DES209 TYPOGRAPHY II: SYSTEMS introduces systematic properties of typography and visual order in the context of graphic design practice. Students explore connections between material and immaterial space in typographic systems and are introduced to micro and macro typographic patterns. Projects in print and digital media place emphasis on the theory and practice of grids, proportions, and formats. Students learn to consider their work as a whole including sequence, format, and ratio. Completion of the course will result in the ability to demonstrate sensitivity to form and content, and learn to choose between personal taste, situational possibility, and contextual necessity. 

DES220 FORM AND IMAGE STUDIO introduces principles of creation, comparison and sequencing of symbols, letterforms, and images. Students create graphic symbols, utilize symbols as compositional elements, and develop layout strategies combining graphic and typographic forms. Emphasis is placed on the recognition of communicative qualities as well as unifying and differentiating qualities of signs and symbols. Exercises include the use of color and color systems in symbolic representation.

DES250 DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGN II: INTERACTIVITY expands basic principles of interaction design introduced in Digital Media Design I. Students are introduced to user-interface design and dynamic web-based publishing. Students use web-based software and development tools to create an interactive design work. Emphasis is placed on use of wireframes to organize screen-based content and on the preparation of digital files for web-based publishing.

DES251 DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGN III: MOTION introduces narrative and storytelling through motion. Students expand digital literacy into narrative sequence planning, animation design process, and multimedia technologies. By utilizing animation software, students design and produce a significant motion graphic project. Emphasis is placed on both creativity and planning through the development of storyboards and the integration of type, image, and audio components.

The third year Graphic Design curriculum orients toward an increasing complexity and deeper understanding of typography with a shift toward experimentation and personal expression. New media design coursework is focused on combining multiple tools and technologies in interactive design and web-based applications. In addition to studio courses in typography and dynamic media, students are enrolled in a year-long history of design sequence.

DES235 HISTORY OF DESIGN I surveys the history of design in Europe and the United States from the mid eighteenth century to about 1925. During that period, Europe and North America were swept by a series of economic, political, and social revolutions that dramatically transformed the structure of society. One of the most significant results of those transformations was the increasing importance of design, understood in the broadest sense as the process through which both objects of consumption and the means of their production are determined. Covering a wide range of fields, including art, architecture, and interior design, as well as industrial and graphic design, this course considers objects as indices of the larger cultural, economic, and political forces that have shaped the history of modern design. In addition, it examines individual works in depth in order to understand how they reflect the social, material, and economic imperatives that confronted the designer. After taking this course, students will be able to identify and discuss key figures, events, and trends in the history of modern design; analyze objects and primary source materials to determine their historical significance as well as their relevance for contemporary issues; and compose clear and concise arguments for written, spoken, and “designed” communication. Ultimately, this course aims to introduce students to the myriad ways in which design interacts with culture and society, and to provide an understanding of the evolution of the role of the designer in modern society.

DES236 HISTORY OF DESIGN II surveys the history of contemporary design from various historical, methodological, and theoretical perspectives. Covering a wide range of fields, including art, architecture, and interior design, as well as industrial and graphic design, this course considers objects as indices of the larger cultural, economic, and political forces that have shaped the history of modern design. Particular topics addressed include the rise of consumer culture after the Second World War, Postmodernism, and the current fascination with “socially responsible” design. In addition, it examines individual works in depth in order to understand how they reflect the social, material, and economic imperatives that confronted the designer. After completing the Design History sequence, students will be able to identify and discuss key figures, events, and trends in the history of modern design; analyze objects and primary source materials to determine their historical significance as well as their relevance for contemporary issues; and compose clear and concise arguments for written, spoken, and “designed” communication. Ultimately, this course aims to introduce students to the myriad ways in which design interacts with culture and society, and to provide an understanding of the evolution of the role of the designer in modern society.

DES318 TYPOGRAPHY III: DIMENSION explores physical dimensions of typography as a medium and resource for graphic design applications. Three dimensional objects and environments are constructed, then translated into two dimensions. This course explores the dimensional properties and material potentials of typography.

DES319 TYPOGRAPHY IV: EXPRESSION is an advanced design studio course that explores typographic form and expression. Students engage in textural investigations of typographic form and expression with an emphasis on composition (contrast, rhythm, tension), non-linearity, visual argumentation, dimensions, and the interplay between digital and analog operations. 

DES350 NEW MEDIA DESIGN IV: ADVANCED INTERACTIVITY provides advanced instruction in interactive design with emphasis on web-based applications. Students work in the realm of digital publishing as they gain an understanding for the relationship of design and content in dynamic media. Students utilize a range of tools and technologies which may include CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and Processing. 

In the fourth and final year, studio courses take two distinct paths to applying acquired knowledge: personal and professional. The Graphic Design Thesis is a year-long investigation into a guided, but self-directed project that may encompass multi-media implementation. The professional practice track provides students an opportunity to select from year-long course offerings based on individual interests and project options offered by design studio faculty.

DES480/481 GRAPHIC DESIGN THESIS offers senior graphic design students the opportunity to engage in a year-long investigation into a guided, but self-directed research project. Students initiate and frame a complex design project, clarifying individual interests and strengths as they relate to professional aspirations. Applying knowledge and skills acquired in previous courses, students determine the final form of their thesis project, which may involve multimedia implementation. The senior thesis is exhibited in the UIC Design Year End Show.

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE CAPSTONE occurs in the fourth and final year of the BDes program. Studio courses take two distinct paths to applying acquired knowledge: personal and professional. The professional practice track allows students to select courses from several year-long offerings. In all courses students engage in a team-based interdisciplinary project, often with a client sponsor representing a commercial, cultural, or social concern. Students develop strong creative solutions in the context of real-world constraints. Emphasis is on teamwork and client interaction. 

Each year the School of Design offers Professional Practice track courses with changing topics. Courses are open to seniors in Graphic Design and Industrial Design, and often include faculty and students from other UIC departments. The following are past examples:

DES420 MOBILE APP DESIGN / MAD offers students the opportunity to work in collaboration with faculty and classmates to design and develop a mobile app for smartphone or tablet platform. Involves screen-based typography, visual and interactive design, motion graphics, and development considerations.

DES430 INTERDISCIPLINARY PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT / IPD integrates industrial design, graphic design, business, and engineering students and faculty to develop product/brand concepts for a leading consumer products company. Past clients include: Motorola, Coinstar, Cobra Electronics, Dell, Cricket Wireless, and Whirlpool Global Consumer Design. 

DES430 BIO-ENGINEERING PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT / BIO is a variation of IPD, which includes bio-engineers and focuses on product development at the crossroads of design, biology, and engineering: products for medical applications, medical imaging and healthcare product and service design. 

DES430 ENTREPRENEURIAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT / EPD engages students who are interested in entrepreneurial approaches to design. The first semester covers product venturing—getting products manufactured and making them available for sale. The second semester covers licensing—developing and communicating new product ideas for others to bring to market. The course does not cover how students can become freelance designers or start their own design consultancy.

DES440 DESIGN THINKING AND LEADERSHIP / DTL gives students the opportunity to work together in teams on a large-scale project concerned with the development of a visual identity for a participating client organization. A research and systems-based approach will be utilized to develop context, concept, and design documentation for client presentations. 

DES452 INFORMATION AESTHETICS / INFO introduces students to information visualization and programming in the context of art and design. Project-oriented course using computer code and custom software for information analysis, representation and creative expression.