Study Graduate Design at School of Visual Arts

MFA Design site.

Tailored for students and professionals from graphic design, environmental design, product design, film, photography and computer art backgrounds, the graduate design school at SVA encourages authorship and entrepreneurship in a broad range of media. Students in the graduate school of design work closely with instructors and fellow students to further develop the skills they need to answer the challenges of today's marketplace. Request a catalog to learn more about graduate design school at SVA.

Since its inception as a profession, graphic design has been primarily service-oriented, with a few original creators emerging in every generation who guide the way and set standards as well as styles.

In recent years, the advent of new media has changed the role of graphic design. Designers are more in demand to develop branding, identity and packaging programs. But with desktop production, designers are also becoming glorified production "artists." The danger, of course, is that graphic designers will be edged out of the creation process, relegated to only the mechanical follow-through.

The "designer as author" is predicated on the need for content providers throughout the visual media. Drawing on one's fluency with the graphic design language of type and image, this program has been created to encourage authorship and entrepreneurship in a broad range of media.

The concept of authorship is, first and foremost, rooted in the independent creation of ideas. Our focus is on authorship in the broadest sense: beginning with a viable concept, we encourage students to write, edit, film, compose, fabricate, produce and, ultimately, market their intellectual properties. Our students are form-givers and committed originators of unique concepts. The purpose is to create products of value that are responsible to the needs and wants of society; the goal is to contribute objects of worth that integrate the best design.

Students must be fluent in the languages of graphic design and typography and must be able to convey ideas verbally and visually. We do not teach students how to design, but rather how to marshal their abilities to rise to the next creative level. In addition, we welcome those who have a background and interest in motion, sound, writing and editing.

We believe it is important for the designer of the future to be thoroughly integrated into numerous communication platforms. Our students are encouraged to draw inspiration from other visual and communication arts that share authorial aspirations. In this way, the program is not restricted to a conventional curriculum. Instead, we embrace a broad set of visual languages as the foundation for creative activity.

Our "studio" is accessible 24 hours a day, and is designed to simulate a real media firm with spacious individual workstations. In addition, students have unlimited access to high-end editing rooms, a conference room, a design library and an exhibition gallery. Through these facilities, we offer the opportunity to stay connected to the professional world, while partaking in an academic one.

The program is tailored for students and professionals from graphic design, environmental design, product design, film, photography and computer art backgrounds who are interested in working on an advanced level.

Steven Heller, co-chair
Lita Talarico, co-chair