School of Design
School of
Design
Overview
The School of Design is ranked among the best, with Business Week naming it one of the top 10 design schools in the country. Effective design combined with creativity and professionalism are the school’s tenets. Using both technological and theoretical approaches to find solutions to design problems, students work with award-winning faculty who are creatives, critical thinkers, and innovative problem-solvers. Students have access to state-of-the art laboratories and computer facilities as well as the Cary Graphic Arts Collection and the entire archive of renowned designers Massimo and Lella Vignelli, housed in RIT’s Vignelli Center for Design Studies.
6
Number of designs from the industrial design program’s Metaproject senior studio that are currently in production through various companies.
12
Our Fab Lab is equipped with 12 3D printers - in addition to laser cutters, CNC routing devices and other technology - to complete submitted projects by students, faculty, and staff.
20
Faculty are professional members or affiliates of more than 20 national, international, and local organizations.
Latest News
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November 25, 2020
![A collage of three shirts co-designed by RIT faculty.]()
Making a difference through design
Sales from t-shirts designed by faculty Carol Fillip and Lorrie Frear are benefitting Music is Art, a non-profit organization founded by Goo Goo Dolls bassist Robby Takac.
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November 5, 2020
![four pieces of entry in paperboard packaging competition.]()
Students take top placements in annual Paperboard Packaging Design Challenge
The RIT student-designers on Team Frears placed second in the 2020 Paperboard Packaging Student Design Challenge for their packaging designs of a toolkit for educators to be distributed by the national program Trees into Cartons, Cartons into Trees, (TICCIT).
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October 23, 2020
![four researchers posing for photo.]()
Research team wins Catalyst Award in first year of international challenge
David Borkholder, Linwei Wang, Caroline Easton, and Adam Smith, part of RIT's Personalized Healthcare Technology signature research initiative, recently won a Catalyst Award from the National Academy of Medicine for their project, “Improving Health for the Aging through Daily Vital Signs Monitoring.”
Featured Work
Designing a Product Showcase
RIT’s Interior Design Exhibition and Merchandising studio course was invited by WantedDesign and partner manufacturers to curate the WantedDesign Interiors exhibition as part of New York Design Week...
Townimals
Cynthia Muniz
Patient Pug
Ethan Constant
new drink
Featured Profiles
Design Research
Adam Smith, Marla Schweppe, Alex Lobos
Research in design is unique at RIT’s College of Art and Design. We discover new ways of solving problems in an environment brimming with endless possibility. Not only do students have...
Industry Partnership
Industrial Design students at RIT found their way to Sesame Street as they celebrated the culmination of a thrilling industry partnership with the widely beloved brand.
Mobile App Designer
Emmi Hintz '12 (New Media Design) is a lead product designer at Anchor, a podcast creation app owned by Spotify.
Undergraduate Programs
Innovative and creative design solutions that enrich the ways in which people live, work, and play is the emphasis of the school’s undergraduate programs. The school offers BFA programs in 3D digital design, graphic design, industrial design, interior design, and new media design.
Graduate Programs
The School of Design offers two MFA programs — one in visual communication design and another in industrial design. The MFA in visual communication design focuses on all areas of design, including graphic design, user experience/interaction design, design studies, motion graphics, and 3D digital design. The MFA in industrial design includes seminar courses in design history and research and studio courses focusing on sustainability and design process.
Minors and Immersions
Student Resources
For internal College of Art and Design resources such as academic information, forms, FAQs and more, visit inside.cad.rit.edu. For information about academic advising, visit here.