The primary mission of the School of Visual Communication Design is to provide a comprehensive and superior professional education in the study and practice of visual communication design that complements university studies in the liberal arts, humanities and sciences. Uniquely positioned within the College of Communication and Information, the curriculum encourages cross-disciplinary studies to meet the challenges of an evolving marketplace.

 

The School of Visual Communication Design at Kent State University in Ohio is nationally recognized for outstanding quality in design education, with emphases in visual design (graphic design), illustration and photo-illustration majors and degrees.

 

Explore our Spaces in 360

Explore Taylor Hall — home to the School of Visual Communication Design — in this immersive 3D Matterport experience.

Explore Taylor Hall
  • Undergraduate Programs

    Undergraduate Programs

    The school offers three baccalaureate programs of study: the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Visual Communication Design, Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Visual Communication Design, and Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Photography.

  • Graduate Programs

    Graduate Programs

    The graduate program in the School of Visual Communication Design is one of only three programs in the state to offer the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Visual Communication Design and was the first to offer the terminal degree in the field, the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.).

  • Student Work

    Student Work

    Our students work through an iterative process of problem solving to complete each project, with both long and short term goals in mind. Students create comprehensive and diverse portfolios in preparation for creative careers. 

    View a variety of student working, from introductory level freshman courses to senior level work.

  • Visual Communication Design senior Julia Gray (Spring ’23) has been interested in design before she even knew what it was. “My family had an ongoing joke throughout my childhood that I ‘was born with paper in one hand and a pencil in the other,’” she says.

  • When senior visual communication design major Jordan Edgar, '23, was asked to design the logo for Homeslice Pizzeria, Kent State’s newest dining location, she wanted to create a logo that would match the environment of the Kent Student Center and incorporate elements of a pizza restaurant. 

  • Misinformation has permeated conversations across all walks of life. And in the Taylor Hall Gallery at Kent State University this winter, visitors can see misinformation exposed in a new, visually interesting way, thanks to a collaboration between Associate Professors Sanda Katila of Visual Communication Design and J.D. Ponder of Communication Studies.

  • Two Kent State University graduates, David Wilson '09, adjunct professor of Illustration, Design and Graphic Narrative, and Misty Wilson '15, a graduate of the Masters of Arts Teaching program, are making strides to eliminate gender roles and stereotypes with their graphic novel titled “Play Like A Girl."