Join us!
PSU.GD equips students to conquer creative challenges.
With a breadth of technical and artistic skills, our program prepares students to be exploratory, experimental, collaborative graphic designers who can thrive in today’s world. The faculty in the design program at Portland State University are active makers and educators. Portland State’s graphic design students become part of the larger design community through their efforts and connections. We were recently named the #1 public graphic design school on the West Coast (#6 public nationwide).
Variety
Our students are equipped with an expansive array of skills and an understanding of the many ways design can function in the world. Our program’s core is founded on a breath of practices: branding and identity, illustration, publication design, web and mobile experience design, environmental design, design thinking strategies, social practice applications, self-promotion and collaborative group work.
Make Real Work
We work to connect our students to the design community within Portland, and beyond. Through PSU.GD’s facilitation of visiting designer lectures, field trips, in-class demos, portfolio days, and internship opportunities, our students become integrated members of a global community of makers.
Confidence
We empower students to trust their creative impulses, embrace their interests, and direct their own learning experiences. Individualization of projects and self-authorship are encouraged and in turn create powerful creative workers who trust their choices.
Connectivity
We work to connect our students to the design community within Portland, and beyond. Through PSU.GD’s facilitation of visiting designer lectures, field trips, in-class demos, portfolio days, and internship opportunities, our students become integrated members of a global community of makers.
Experimentation
We push our students to try it all. Get weird. Our students are encouraged to engage in a process-driven practice so as to arrive at the optimal—and often most surprising—design solution.
The graphic design program at PSU draws its strength from its location within an expanded Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design and a large research university. PSU.GD’s curriculum is informed by proximity to programs such as MFAs in Studio and Social Practice and BA/BFA in Fine Arts and Architecture. Students can collaborate across programs and use facilities and lecture series outside the PSU.GD offerings.
COURSES
YEAR 1
100 LEVEL COURSES:
DES 100
PSU.GD equips students to conquer creative challenges with a breadth of technical and artistic skills. Our program prepares students to be exploratory, experimental, collaborative graphic designers who can thrive in today’s world.
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
Expect to develop essential skills in typography, color theory, and composition. You’ll explore both traditional and digital media, building a strong technical foundation. By the end of the year, you’ll have a solid understanding of the core elements of design and how to creatively express ideas through visual communication.
DES 100
DES 100
DES 100
QUESTIONS + ADVISING
Schedule an Advising Appointment
PSU Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design
2000 SW 5th, Portland, OR 97201
TEL: 503.725.3515
EMAIL: art@pdx.edu
