Become a professional designer for the 21st century, ready to tackle current momentous challenges. Whether as an industry professional or an entrepreneur, you’ll develop design solutions and strategies that innovate and improve life.
Pratt Industrial Design students become designers, artists, educators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and corporate leaders — diversity fostered by a program that encourages exploration and professional growth. You’ll begin with grounding courses in drawing, color, 3-D form, model making, and digital computer skills, and design studios that introduce you to critical thinking, problem solving, and environmental responsibility. During junior and senior year, specialized studios focus on your individual areas of interest such as product design, furniture, tabletop, food design, athletic gear, or exhibition design.
The design studio is at the core of your educational experience at Pratt. It is a creative space and a community in microcosm, from which we connect to the larger community. We believe education takes place in the studio and the classroom and that the work in the studio benefits the student’s growth equally. Working with tools and materials in the studio deepens knowledge of the opportunities inherent in form-making and design exploration.
Maker Spaces and Labs
Sustainability, material exploration, and methods of production drive our passion for making. We are hands-on and immersive; any student of design can discover, iterate and refine their investigations through the use of our many labs. Learn more
Capstone Project
In your senior year, you’ll complete a capstone project focused on an area of your interest which is a first milestone towards your future professional practice. The capstone studio project is presented at the annual design show, a public event attended by industry leaders and potential employers. Pratt Shows 2023.
Study Abroad
Isamu Noguchi sculpture, Keio University’s Art Center, Japan
Immersing yourself in another culture is an incredible experience that can extend the boundaries of creativity. Study abroad programs are an integral part of the college experience, and Pratt has deep connections with university partners around the world. See where you can go.
Learning Resources
We develop disciplinary fluency in our program of study and we celebrate the interdisciplinary nature of design critical to address the plurality and complexity of the environments in which we operate. Learn more.
Our Faculty
Pratt’s distinguished faculty of outstanding creative professionals and scholars share a common desire to fully develop each student’s individual potential and creativity. The faculty come from diverse educational and professional backgrounds representing the breadth of Industrial Design’s complexity. This multiplicity of views and experiences provide for a tailored education that is as unique as each of the students. See the full list of Industrial Design faculty and administrators.
Industrial Design alumni have risen to the tops of their fields in product design, exhibition design, health and wellness industry, academia, transportation, government, community development and advanced research.
Where They Work
Creative Director of Brand Strategy, General Motors
Executive Director, Smart Design
Creative Director, Tumi
Director of Design Development, Bioforcetech Corp
Executive Director, Global Visual Merchandising at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
Ready for More?
HERE’S HOW TO APPLY
PORTFOLIO HELP
OUR CAMPUS & BEYOND
Thinking seriously about Pratt? Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.
Building your portfolio can be daunting. We’ll answer your questions and help you feel confident about the portfolio you submit with your application. Start building your portfolio, now.
Find yourself at home at Pratt: our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighbors. Check us out.
Check out Utica, home to our upstate campus, @PrattMunsonUtica! Students who start at PrattMunson are emersed in a historic city with a deep connection to the arts, nature, and history.
#PrattInstitute #PrattMunson #UticaNY #Munson #FineArts
Do you know about Pratt Munson (@PrattMunsonUtica)? At our extension campus in Utica, NY, in partnership with the historic arts organization, Munson (@MunsonUtica), students study Communications Design (graphic design, illustration), Fine Arts (painting, drawing, sculpture and integrated practices, jewelry, printmaking), Art and Design Education (art teacher certification) and Photography then transition seamlessly to our Brooklyn campus for their junior and senior years. At Pratt Munson, students experience the same rigorous curriculum in Utica, New York, a small city that provides you with a quieter environment for the first two years of study with a historic arts community anchored by Munson. All week we will be exploring the student experience at Pratt Munson and in Utica, NY!
PrattMunson Alumni: Share a memory of Pratt Munson in the comments!
Images: Pratt Munson campus, studio spaces, and student work on display.
#PrattInstitute #PrattMunson #Munson #Utica #ArtAndDesignSchool #ArtSchool
Happy Thanksgiving! Is your turkey arranged yet?
This tablescape features the final result from a 1963 Food Services lecture on turkey arrangement. Swipe to see a few steps in the process.
Image: Pratt Institute Archives Negative Collection (@prattinstitutearchives)
#PrattInstitute #FoodServices #VintageFood #HomeEconomics #FoodScience#ThrobackThursday #TBT
Just a few more weeks to check out @PrattFashion's "No More Wire Hangers". Faculty art and design work is on view in the Schafler Gallery through December 6.
#PrattInstitute #PrattFashion #FashionDesign #FashionArt #OnViewNow #Brooklyn #ArtAndDesign
@nycjewelryweek is here! We kicked things off in the Steuben Gallery to celebrate the 11 exhibitions of wearable artwork on display at our Brooklyn campus. Visit the link in our profile to explore all the events. #NYCJewelryWeek @nycjewelryweek @pratt_institute_jewelry @prattfineart @soartpratt
The winning shot!
@PrattMensBasketball won their season opener against City College of New York! The tie-breaking three-point shot came at the end of overtime, bringing Pratt a 101-98 victory. Follow @GoPrattGo for the latest from our all of our athletics teams.
Video courtesy of @GoPrattGo: Basketball player dribbles and shoots three-point shot and the crowd cheers.
#PrattInstitute #CollegeBasketball #Division3 #D3Hoops
Last night, we celebrated the 2023 Pratt Legends! At the dazzling gala, we paid tribute to three illustrious Pratt alumni— the esteemed furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue, the visionary architect Edward Mazria, and the celebrated artist Kay WalkingStick—for their remarkable accomplishments as creative luminaries.
The annual scholarship benefit, this year held at the historic Weylin in Brooklyn, helps to fund scholarships that prioritize equal access in education. Nearly 80 percent of Pratt students receive merit and need based aid to pursue their education.
President Frances Bronet with Kay WalkingStick and Kenneth Cobonpue (@KennethCobonpue); student speaker Catherine Chattergoon, BArch ‘24; student award designer Jessica Yan Chen, BID ’24; Brooklyn United Music and Arts Marching Band and Dance Team (@bkunitedmb); Board of Trustees Chair Gary Hattem; Marisa Mazria Katz and Quilian Riano, dean of Pratt School of Architecture (@prattsoa); Board of Trustees members Derrick Adams (@derrickadamsny) and Catherine Chenault; David Kim, June Kim, and Christiane Seidel (@itsmechristiane); guest enjoying the evening.
Photos: @AndrewWerner
Highlights from Earth Action Week! Just a few of the events included a trip to the local shoreline to clean up trash, learning about plant propagation, writing poems on seed paper for a "Writers' Plot", and supporting sustainable fashion systems with a clothing swap.
#Sustainability #NewYorkCity #PrattInstitute #Pratt #Brooklyn #ClimateWeek
Pratt industrial design alumni are designers, artists, educators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and corporate leaders. This diversity comes from a program of study that allows freedom to explore. In the first and second years, students take core courses, which provide grounding in drawing, color theory, 3-D form, model making, and a full suite of digital design and production skills. At the same time, they take design studios that introduce them to critical thinking, problem-solving, and sustainability. Various studio options are available to the students in the junior and senior years when students can take specialized studios that align with their individual interests and professional aspirations, such as product design, furniture, tabletop and food design, shoes, athletic gear, exhibition design, and interdisciplinary design.
At the end of the senior year, students will complete a capstone studio, which aligns with their concentration area and the direction their future careers may follow. The capstone studio project is exhibited at the annual design show, a public event that industry leaders and potential employers attend.
The department offers study-abroad exchanges with several leading European design schools and a summer furniture-making program in Copenhagen through the Danish International School.
Upon completion of their studies:
Students demonstrate entry-level professional competence in translating their ideas into 2D and 3D design solutions.
Students can apply the steps of the design process according to current professional practice.
Students demonstrate fluency in using digital and analog design tools.
Students use a life cycle approach to examine environmental and social impacts of their design, and apply that knowledge to the development of holistic sustainable strategies.
Students approach the needs of clients and end-users from an ethical, socially responsible perspective.
Students use intellectual, ethical, and critical methods of design inquiry.
Students demonstrate an understanding of the broader context of design in relation to issues of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusivity.
