Undergraduate Communications Design

This program leads students to one of three major creative careers: Illustration—the art of picture-making for the purpose of communicating ideas and information; Graphic Design—total information design, where pictures as well as words are created and designed to convey messages; Advertising Art Direction— a more focused combination of visual and verbal information design to create a message that moves consumers to action.

Curriculum

These areas are defined by their purpose, not by their production techniques. For a BFA in Communications Design, all studio techniques and tools are taught, including photography, painting, computer graphics, film, typography, and printmaking. This is because the primary objective of the program is to develop and master the conceptual skills that distinguish top managers, directors, and artists from production technicians. 

A communications artist, above all, is a creative problem solver—one who can successfully convey a client’s message in an imaginative, visually arresting way regardless of the chosen media. Courses in creativity are interlaced with those in technical process to form a well balanced curriculum.

Internships

Internships are available in advertising agencies, design firms, and publishing houses. These jobs advance the educational process by extending the curriculum into the business world. -The curriculum also provides many opportunities for electives in other departments and schools at Pratt. Inclusion of the principles and objectives of other disciplines offers a richer educational experience. Students are free to choose a wide variety of courses, from Welding and Forge to Computer Animation.

Career Changes

The Communications Design program provides graduates of the department with the ability to take advantage of future career changes, if the opportunity occurs or if the industry requires this adaptation. For example, the department’s illustration students are trained in basic production methods of graphic design. This enables them to find jobs in this field after graduation while they are establishing their freelance illustration clientele.