Graphic and Interactive Design

Learn how to develop design concepts, create images, work with typography and master a wide range of new and traditional media with the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic and Interactive Design in Temple University's Tyler School of Art and Architecture. In this 126-credit undergraduate degree program, you'll learn to create memorable experiences, gain the ability to communicate effectively to solve complex problems, and use your visual voice to open minds and address social and cultural issues.

Graphic and interactive design is the communication of information and ideas through visual language–to serve commerce, culture and the public good. The Graphic and Interactive Design BFA program, known for its rigor, puts an emphasis on creative intelligence and skill, and is extremely competitive. Students are evaluated by exacting standards of the design profession, preparing them for the first jobs in the field or graduate-level studies.

Mentored by a passionate, award-winning faculty, Graphic and Interactive Design Major students experiment and develop original, research-driven concepts across all areas of visual design, including branding, digital media, illustration, packaging, typography, virtual reality and more. Students find and hone their unique voices and have opportunities to flex their design skills in a city that is a living laboratory for design-driven solutions. Philadelphia hosts a booming design community with one of the largest national chapters of the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

Student work from Tyler has been featured in numerous national and international design competitions and publications, and students have won numerous awards and honors. They are sought out by recruiters from studios and agencies and are highly successful in finding employment after graduation.

Graduates are employed by studios and agencies around the country and abroad. They work in print and web design studios, advertising agencies, publishing companies, film and television, music packaging and promotion, product design and packaging, in design departments of major corporations, and as freelance illustrators.

Opportunities

Every year, Tyler students benefit from exposure to scores of architects, artists, designers, professionals and scholars who are at the top of their fields. Students meet with these inspiring individuals through class visits, demonstrations, lectures and more–including three diverse lecture series and two major speaker programs–the Jack Wolgin Visiting Artist Program and the Knowles Architecture Alumni Lecture.

Students in the program also have the opportunity to participate in CREATE, the Graphic and Interactive Design department's senior portfolio showcase. During this event, industry professionals team up with our graduating seniors to review their design work. The CREATE showcase serves as a chance"¯for seniors to sharpen their presentation and networking skills, and often leads to job opportunities. 

Students connect with a plethora of art centers, arts projects, collections, design firms, programs, studios and workshops and through internships, residencies and other opportunities listed in Tyler's biweekly newsletter, The WHAT. 

Pursuing a degree in art and design will teach you how to be a dynamic thinker and problem solver–two of the most valued skills that today's employers seek in new hires. Art and design programs teach creative ways of seeing, thinking and making. Students learn versatility and technical skills while becoming adept in traditional practice and new technologies. Students enter a competitive workforce at the head of the pack, ready to use their skill sets and creativity to tackle society's toughest challenges. 

Leveraging robust faculty and alumni networks, graduates find employment in a variety of work environments around the country as well as abroad, including the following.

• Advertising agencies
• Fortune 500 technology companies
• Design studios
• Illustration entrepreneurs and start-up design businesses
• Motion and experiential design studios
• Music industry and digital services
• Packaging design
• Publishing companies
• Streaming platforms and network television
• User-experience (UX) and user-interface (UI) design firms

Companies where our students have worked include Anheuser-Busch, Chronicle Books, Google, Hallmark, MTV, Nickelodeon, The New York Times, Pentagram, Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Phillies (MLB), Simon and Schuster, Spotify, URBN, and Vanguard.

Career Services

Tyler career coaches specialize in the types of jobs available in the arts and built environment, mentoring students on everything from cover letters and résumés to career advice and interviews. 

Temple's Career Center"¯is another resource that empowers students to find pathways to future success. The Career Center offers comprehensive career development services, from résumés and interviews, to finding internships and jobs.

1. Make an application plan.

If you’re a first-year applicant, you’ll first want to pick a deadline goal and decide if you’d like to apply Early Action (due Nov. 1) or Regular Decision (due Feb. 1).

2. Apply using the Common Application.

Temple exclusively uses the Common Application. When completing your application for Temple, be sure to indicate whether you’re applying Early Action or Regular Decision if you’re a first-year applicant. Even if you apply before or by the Early Action deadline, you still must indicate Early Action on your application to ensure you will receive an admissions decision early. Transfer applicants do not need to select a deadline preference.

There’s an application fee of $55, which you will submit at the same time as the Common Application unless you qualify for a waiver.