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The School of Design at University of the Arts redefines what it means to educate a 21st century designer. We celebrate the reality that modern designers need a broad range of skills at their disposal and strongly believe in collaboration, self-expression and professional preparation.
Designers play one of the most important roles in our society. We reshape our world into a better place, move people to action and create significant cultural and political contributions.
Programs in the School of Design work together, providing depth in your discipline while expanding your understanding of design and preparing you for future creative practice in a continually evolving world.
Image credit: Li Wen Kuo MDes’22 (Product Design)
Undergraduate Design Programs
GRAPHIC DESIGN (BFA)
UArts’ Graphic Design BFA will equip you with a solid design process, as well as problem-solving strategies for every form of visual communication.Image credit: Hayley Romansky BFA ’21 (Graphic Design)
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ILLUSTRATION (BFA)
Discover and develop your distinct visual voice in Illustration at UArts. You’ll be trained in technique, image-making, concept development and self-promotion.Image credit: Kiara Tounsley ’22 (illustration)
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INTERACTION DESIGN (BFA)
As an Interaction Design student, you will learn web design and development, user interface (UI) and experience design (UX), mobile application design and development and more.
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PRODUCT DESIGN (BFA)
Product Design teaches you to create objects, services and systems that solve problems and improve lives and equips you with human-centered problem-solving techniques.
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What You’ll Do First
In our first-year Design Core, you’ll be creating, designing, illustrating and making from day one–unlike many other art schools–and you’ll be taking a series of courses taken by every first-year Design student. These courses provide a solid foundation in design theory, critical thinking, visual communication, design technology and working together. You’ll also explore innovation in UArts’ Makerspace and Center for Immersive Media.
Learn more about the first-year Design Core.
Learn more aboutUArts’ Makerspace.
Learn more about theCenter for Immersive Media.
Student Testimonials
Hear from Design students about why they chose UArts to advance their creativity.
School of Design @ UArts
School of Design Student Work @ UArts
Illustration @ UArts
Explore the work of University of the Arts Illustration students.
Illustration @ UArts
Explore the work of University of the Arts Illustration students.
Lexi Hagelgans' Lock and Key thesis work in the Illustration Progra
Abigail McManus ’22 (Illustration) - Chameleon
Kiara Tounsley ’22 (Illustration) - Night Market
Julia Barnes ’19 (Illustration)
Sophia Clendenen ’22 (Illustration)
Zack Stith ’22 (Illustration) - Where We Live
Explore the work of University of the Arts Illustration students.
Graphic Design @ UArts
Explore the work of UArts Graphic Design students.
Graphic Design @ UArts
Explore the work of UArts Graphic Design students.
Dixie Miller ’22 (Graphic Design)
Jonai Gibson-Selix ’22 (Graphic Design)
Can I Sit Here? Hostile Architecture in Philadelphia Parks - Lucy Angell ’22 (Graphic Design)
early bird app layout
Sophie Naylor ’22 (Graphic Design)
Explore the work of UArts Graphic Design students.
Product Design @ UArts
Explore the work of University of the Arts Product Design students.
Product Design @ UArts
Explore the work of University of the Arts Product Design students.
Student work by Monica DeDomenico
Kerui Wang - Muscle Orthopedic on Clothing
Rescue by Casey McDonough
Aura by Justin Martin
Student work by Elmira Deldari
Student work by Palmer Purcell
Interface by Han Wen Chang
SOF by Paige Cataldo
Shopping Wizard by Haonan Zhang
Interiors by Kevin Chen
Hera by Ian Botes
Explore the work of University of the Arts Product Design students.
Interaction Design @ UArts
Explore the work and experience of UArts Interaction Design students & faculty.
Interaction Design @ UArts
Explore the work and experience of UArts Interaction Design students & faculty.
A student creating in VR wearing Oculus Goggles
UArts App Interface redesign by Cathy Escarsega Design
AI work by Isabel Link
Mental Killers Homepage by Ruqaiyyah Al-Athariyyah
Museum Design for Seeing Impaired by Jason Casey
Print to AR by Lila Nathanson
IxD Course with Juan Parada
IxD Course Work
Explore the work and experience of UArts Interaction Design students and faculty.
Liftoff 2023
Liftoff! is the spring exhibition for the School of Design, showcases student work from our four programs: Graphic Design, Illustration, MDes in Product Design, and MFA in Museum Exhibition Planning and Design. Each year, it takes place in Philadelphia’s Center for Architecture.
With support, expert knowledge and instruction provided by exceptional faculty and staff, UArts School of Design students create work that distinguishes them as artists and designers of the highest caliber. This online exhibition marks not the end of our students’ academic years but the beginning of their professional careers.
Liftoff! 2023
Explore the School of Design’s Liftoff website, which is full of dynamic student work from all our programs.
Ely Exhibition
Check out senior Illustration work that’s part of the juried, annual William H. Ely Illustration Thesis Exhibition.
Underground Pool
UArts’ student-run literary magazine, Underground Pool, is edited and designed by Creative Writing and Graphic Design students. Each issue features student work from all majors.
Faculty Spotlight
Joe DiDomenico
BFA '93 (Illustration)
Illustrator and designer who works in the children’s book, toy and specialty markets for DC Comics, NFL and Running Press Book Publishing
Christine Larsen
Illustration (BFA)
Illustrator and Harvey Award nominee
Armando Veve
Adjunct Professor
Six-time Society of Illustrators gold medal winner; Forbes 30 Under 30
Alumni Spotlight
Noa Denmon
BFA '18
Illustration (BFA)
Illustrator who won the Caldecott Honor Award for her debut children’s book
Joseph Game, aka Chogrin
BFA ’07
Illustration (BFA)
Animator, illustrator, curator and designer who has worked in animation on “Clerks III,” “Adventure Time,” “Regular the Movie” and other series and films
Joseph Game BFA ’07 (Illustration) AKA CHOGRIN
School of Design Alumni Spotlight
Internships & Careers
Sean Gibson ’23 (Graphic Design) recalls his experience as the first recipient of the new Crayola Creative Arts/Lee Volpe Internship.
The demand for design professionals has never been greater.
UArts designers graduate prepared to make significant cultural contributions, reinvent the way we live through creative problem solving, run their own creative businesses, create work for diverse communities and public spaces and effect social change through self-expression.
Among many other organizations, our students and alumni have worked for:
20th Century Fox · American Museum of Natural History · Anthropologie · Apple · Blizzard Entertainment · Cartoon Network · Comcast · Disney · DreamWorks · ESPN · Facebook · Fisher Price · Harper-Collins · Hasbro · Major League Baseball · Marvel Comics · Mattel · MTV · NASA · National Geographic · Nickelodeon · NPR · Oprah · PBS · Penguin Group Publishing · Philadelphia Museum of Art · Random House · Scholastic · Simon & Schuster · The New York Times · The New Yorker · The Wall Street Journal · Warner Brothers · Wizards of the Coast
Life in Philly
With its 3,600+ murals; hundreds of museums, design firms and art galleries; and countless performance venues of all sizes, Philadelphia is steeped in creativity and is the perfect place to live, learn and make your mark. It was even named among “the best city for creatives” in 2019.
Find out more about life in Philly.
