Bring Ideas to Life with Visual Storytelling
The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Design with a concentration in Illustration empowers creative students to develop engaging visual and interactive experiences that inform, entertain, and inspire.
Illustrators illuminate ideas, enrich narratives, and build entire worlds through imaginative visual solutions. Illustration students learn how to employ design fundamentals, problem-solving skills, and communication theory to develop an expert-level understanding of visual project development.
Our graduates work in a variety of roles at top companies such as Pixar, Hallmark Cards, and Disney, and many develop independent practices. Recent graduates have also pursued advanced degrees at some of the top schools in the nation.
Careers
Career opportunities for illustrators span a wide range of in-demand professional fields. Illustration & Animation graduates work in film and television, book and magazine publishing, motion graphics, entertainment, advertising, fashion, video game design, and many other professions.
Job Titles
Artist / Graphic Artist
Children's Book Illustrator
Concept Artist
Fashion Illustration
Game Illustration
Medical Illustrator
Patent Illustrator
Work by Emily Fisher
Work by Abra Shirley
Work by Sophi Dominguez
Curriculum
Refine artistic and technical abilities
The hands-on studio environment will allow you to focus your artistic and technical skills, to find your voice, and apply it confidently across a range of analog, digital, and time-based media.
You will develop and refine methodologies in image making while acquiring professional-level expertise in project planning, imaging and animation software, storytelling, and design thinking. Beyond honing artistic and technical skills, students also explore character development, psychology, and the intersection of audience, culture, and history.
Projects, coursework, and guidance from our faculty practitioners are sequenced to provide you with the individual instruction, collaborative experiences, and project development training needed to accomplish your academic and career goals.
Resources
Opportunities to expand skills through hands-on discovery is built into the learning experience.
The Animation and Illustration programs share dedicated computer labs and additional design department labs are equipped with the software and hardware necessary to create imaginative studio projects.
Bookmaking, print, and finishing labs allow students to create 2D and 3D creative projects, books, posters, and more.
Photography facilities are equipped with an extensive variety of professional-grade cameras, studio lighting, and sound equipment.
Digital fabrication labs include CNC routers, laser cutters, robotics, and other machine-driven tools.
