This spring, faculty, students and alumni celebrated 10 years of the Graphic Design Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) program at Michigan State University.
The Graphic Design B.F.A. major and the minor launched in 2016 to meet MSU student interest and align with industry expectations. Before 2016, graphic design was a concentration within the Studio Art B.F.A. major.
Robert A. McCann, interim chair of the MSU Department of Art, Art History, Design, credits a diverse group of faculty members with building an industry informed and philosophically engaged graphic design program that prepares students for careers that will continue to change and evolve.
“When you think about how to keep up with fast moving cultures and technologies, artists and designers need to stay ahead by leading the way. Our graphic design program has the flexibility and responsiveness to do that,” McCann said. “It’s a student-centered program that encourages discovery, consciousness and innovation.”
Student enrollment in the graphic design program continues to increase. In 2016-17, there were 61 students majoring in graphic design and 224 students minoring in the program. Over the last 10 years, that number has continued to climb. In fall 2025, there were 239 students majoring in graphic design with 261 minoring in the program.
The MSU graphic design program’s reputation has also grown over the last decade, ranking No. 1 in Michigan, No. 10 in the Midwest and No. 23 nationally among public schools and universities, according to the 2025 Animation Career Review rankings.
Graphic design curriculum
The MSU graphic design program enables students to choose design areas to explore in the classroom and studio as well as through professional experiences, including a required internship.
“MSU’s graphic design program has given me a fantastic launchpad for exploring the depths of the graphic design industry,” said Hayley Asai, a junior majoring in graphic design and experience architecture. “From research to letterpress printing, I’ve been able to pursue non-traditional design pathways that align perfectly with my own personal goals and development.”
Faculty also bring different areas of expertise and industry experience, providing a range of opportunities and course offerings to meet students’ interests and needs.
“Graphic design is such a broadly defined discipline, and so diverse faculty helps us meet a wide range of needs and to forecast what the needs might be coming next and be ready,” said Chris Corneal, associate professor of graphic design.
Additionally, students have unique opportunities as part of the broader MSU community including across design, art, communications and research disciplines as well as Big Ten facilities that include the Kresge Art Center, MSU Union Art Gallery and MSU Broad Art Museum.
Internships and professional experiences
Graphic design students are required to complete at least one internship before they graduate to build their real-world experiences and skills.
“It’s really important to balance the classroom lessons and learning with the experiential learning that students gain through internships,” said Kelly Salchow MacArthur, professor of graphic design. “By the time graphic design students graduate, they have a portfolio website, a well-refined resume and work experience that enable them to enter the professional workforce.”
Students agree that internships are a valuable way to discover different industries and types of design work before graduation.
“Internships are an incredible way to explore and experiment with how design can be applied in a professional context with relatively low risk compared to a job or internship post-grad,” said Liam Bordoni, a graphic design senior who graduated in May. “I was fortunate enough to structure my internship abroad with an archeological museum in Greece, engaging in methods of immersive documentation, studying wayfinding, user behavior and broader accessibility in design.”
Bordoni is now using those practices and methodologies to start his own business creating immersive documentation for museums and historical sites across Michigan.
In addition to internships, graphic design students can also apply to be part of the Design Center, which is a course set up like a design agency. Selected students work for clients on a project over the course of a semester.
Corneal leads the Design Center finding clients and guiding students through this professional experience. Past Design Center clients have included the Monuments Men and Women Foundation, city of East Lansing and the MSU “Red Cedar Review.”
“It’s important that the students are involved through the whole process — from the very first meeting with the client — so they can get the project brief directly from the client and ask questions,” Corneal said.
Day of Design
The Day of Design is another way for graphic design students to present their work in a professional setting. Not only do their professors participate, but alumni and industry professionals are also on hand to offer feedback and encouragement.
This year’s Day of Design in the Kresge Art Center was held April 10 and brought 19 alumni back to campus to support 104 students who were presenting their design work.
Current student Asai sees the Day of Design event as a way for herself and other students to gain valuable experience presenting their design work to others.
“It’s one thing to design a short project in class on a three-week schedule. It’s another thing to put your work out there and seek uninhibited feedback or to have a three-day turnaround on a design project,” she said. “Events like Day of Design where students can authentically present their work are crucial for development, since they help push everyone out of their comfort zone and into a learning mentality.”
Graphic design exhibitions
As part of the 10-year celebration, two graphic design exhibitions were on display in the Kresge Art Center highlighting alumni and undergraduate student work — the present and future of design.
Evelyn Diamond, class of 2025, exhibited merchandise she designed for the Kansas City Chiefs, her first position following graduation. Diamond found the professional experiences she had while at MSU gave her confidence in her career, especially now as she moves into a new designer role with the Chicago Blackhawks.
“You really learn design by doing. Internships and events like Day of Design help you understand real timelines, feedback, and expectations,” she said. “I always recommend getting as many portfolio reviews as possible before graduating. Different perspectives are so valuable.”
Ivan Škrtić, class of 2022, was also a part of the alumni exhibit highlighting his logo work from The New York Historical exhibition “Under Cover: J.C. Leyendecker and American Masculinity.”
Škrtić said the MSU Graphic Design curriculum equipped him for his current role as Associate Graphic Designer for Exhibitions at The New York Historical by emphasizing foundational design skills through diverse projects and exercises.
“Hands-on learning experiences like the Day of Design and especially internships are incredibly important when it comes to design,” he said. “Theory is, of course, very valuable and should always be on a designer’s mind, but real-life practice and experience inform what it really means to be a graphic designer.”
A community of Spartan designers
As the Graphic Design B.F.A. program continues to grow, so does its community at MSU and beyond.
“I have the best job in the world because I get to be a student forever,” Corneal said. “We want to positively impact the discipline, and we get to do that here as educators. I don’t know how one can make a larger impact on the design discipline than a faculty member can.”
That growing design community shapes past and present students including Dana Holt, a 2023 graphic design alum and associate art director at Güd Marketing in Lansing. Holt’s Michigan wildlife mural art was displayed in the alumni graphic design exhibition this year near work of current undergraduate students.
“Being a Spartan to me means having a large community of designers and Spartans across the world and across industries that I can look up to,” Holt said. “It’s fun to know that we all started in the same place and to see all the amazing things everyone is doing.”
Corneal added that seeing continued alumni support for the Graphic Design students and program shows a connection that extends far past graduation.
“If we’re building a Graphic Design program successfully, the alumni want to give back. They want to be engaged,” he said. “I think they’re proud to be Spartans and proud to be graduates of our program. We’re proud of them too.”
This story was edited for length. Read the full article on the College of Arts and Letters website.
