Graphic Design
Make a powerful impression on people and the world.
Want to create designs that influence people and make a difference in the world? With a bachelor’s in Graphic Design from Columbus College of Art & Design, you can do just that. Here, you’ll develop technical skills, learn to consider design from a user’s perspective, and build your professional network as you learn in and outside of the classroom.
At CCAD, you’ll take on real-world assignments with real-world clients like Airstream and Red, White & BOOM!, and you’ll take part in events such as the American Advertising Federation-sponsored event “The Pitch,” which focuses on social change projects. Plus, you can join the AdGraph Collective, a group for students who love design (and pizza), and local professional organizations, such as the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts.
Our Graphic Design students win top awards in regional and national advertising and graphic design competitions, and our graduates make work that makes change around the world. Not to mention, our hometown, Columbus, is a growing design hub whose agencies actively recruit CCAD alumni.
Recent employers
- American Greetings
- Apple
- Bath & Body Works
- BrandWell Solutions
- Civitas Experiential
- E. & J. Gallo Winery
- Huntington Bank
- IBM iX
- Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
- JPMorgan Chase
- Lane Bryant
- Nationwide Insurance
- Origo Branding
- Orlando Museum of Art
- Procter & Gamble
- SpotOn
- Wondersauce
Graphic Design Student work
Native Sunscapes
Benji Decker
iam...
Max Bass
Cobra
Gabe Greathouse
uni Brand
Samirah Rahman
The History of Holiday Plants and Flowers
Anna Sinyuk
Critical Resistance Informational Collateral
Braylon Thompson
Gumroad App
Seeun Do
Right Place, Wrong Person Event Campaign Design
Summer Hamed
Aussie Sauce
Graison Ray
Ovulove
Eryn Coughlan
Native Sunscapes
Benji Decker
2026
Physical Installation
iam...
Max Bass
iam... is an experimental profession of my love for audio. Its abstract front is rooted in a deeper understanding and love for the intricacies of perception, or how someone's literal and metaphorical voice can shape their image. The interactive audiovisual machine attaches a “visual soul” to the user’s voice through in-depth audio analysis and intuitive audiovisual metaphors. During Chroma, CCAD's annual show featuring art across disciplines, the "visual soul" was projected onto a mirror so that it would reflect onto the person speaking.
2026
Projection and Installation
Cobra
Gabe Greathouse
2027
Digital
uni Brand
Samirah Rahman
2027
Digital
The History of Holiday Plants and Flowers
Anna Sinyuk
2027
Digital Drawing
Critical Resistance Informational Collateral
Braylon Thompson
2028
Digital
Gumroad App
Seeun Do
The Gumroad app design makes a new education sub-brand by breaking the tutorial section of the Gumroad website into smaller categories. The existing website has many different items, which made it hard to find what you were looking for, so this app was made to help users who are interested in tutorials find and explore content more easily. It includes tutorials from different fields and uses friendly characters and an easy-to-use interface to improve the user experience.
2026
Digital
Right Place, Wrong Person Event Campaign Design
Summer Hamed
2027
Digital
Aussie Sauce
Graison Ray
2026
Digital
Ovulove
Eryn Coughlan
2026
Digital
Take the Next Step
Learn how to apply, build your portfolio, explore financial aid, and start your journey at CCAD.
Spaces to Make
Our campus has the tools and the spaces to help you make your vision real.
Collaborate with others or study peacefully on the 3rd floor of Crane, which has pin-up boards for easy material viewing, high-resolution scanners, and color printers.
Create work in our video and photography studio outfitted with advanced Canon DSLR cameras and access to industry-standard lighting equipment.
You can make use of the Tad Jeffrey FabLab, the CCAD Print Lab, and our open-access computer labs to take your work from a concept to a professional level.
Faculty
Meet the people who will help you along your creative and professional journey.
Adjunct Faculty
- [email protected]
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Brice Bunner[email protected]
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Suann Song[email protected]
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Lydia Stutzman[email protected]
Course Spotlight
DESIGN CONCEPTS
Learn design principles and how to promote products and services through a user experience perspective. For your final project, you’ll create a portfolio that displays your advertising and graphic design work as well as your marketing strategies.
Graphic Design First Year Experience
Academic Year
Freshman Year - Fall
| Course Title |
|---|
| 2D Creative Practices |
| Systems of Drawing |
| Collaboration |
| Art History |
| Writing & the Arts |
Freshman Year - Spring
| Course Title |
|---|
| Intro to Graphic Design |
| What Can a Drawing Do |
| 3D Making with Care |
| History of Design & Applied Arts |
| Math Quantitative Literacy |
Graphic Design careers
After earning their BFA in Graphic Design, our graduates leave ready to take on such roles as:
- Art Director
- Brand Manager
- Creative Director
- Graphic Designer
- Environmental Designer
- Interactive Media Artist
- Social Media Manager
- User Experience Designer
- Web Designer
Graphic Design News
Lucas Velazquez’s (Graphic Design, 2025) summer internship with the Cleveland Cavaliers shows you can land a job with the NBA without perfecting your jump shot.
