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
The Fab Lab is equipped with 12 3D printers - in addition to laser cutting and CNC routing 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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August 29, 2019
![Graphic reads: metaproject 10]()
RIT Metaproject 10 marks celebratory collaboration with Vignelli Center for Design Studies
RIT’s Metaproject is coming full circle. Since 2010, Metaproject has paired RIT student designers with a client partner in what has become a seminal project for the university’s nationally ranked industrial design program. This year’s project is honoring both the 10th anniversary of Metaproject and RIT’s Vignelli Center for Design Studies.
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August 27, 2019
![Keli DiRisio instructs a workshop]()
Regional art teachers take faculty-led design master class
Middle and high school teachers acquired new technological tools to advance the digital components of their curriculums during a weeklong workshop taught by School of Design faculty.
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August 26, 2019
![A cover of Vogue Italia Jonathan Conrad worked on]()
Recent Graphic Design alumnus achieves 'dream job' as art director
Since graduating in 2018, Jonathan Conrad has done design work all over the world, including for French fashion designer Christian Louboutin and Vogue Italia.
Featured Work
Designing Healthcare Solutions
Alexa Boyd and Marla Murrett
The "Monarch Wing" is a hospital design where new mothers and their infants are provided with the necessary support. The design draws inspiration from the monarch butterfly — an insect known...
Sustainable Design
Chris Beckley
This comprehensive design for NEXT Global Real Estate Firm's new office in the heart of Denver, Colo., is inspired by the local community, geographical location and biophilic/biomimetic design...
Students Execute Space Planning for Local Nonprofit
Chris Beckley, Min Jang, Melissa Mountain, Riley Nally and Samantha O'Neill
For the Interior Design program's annual hyperspace workshop in 2019, multidisciplinary teams of students were challenged to collaborate with and create design solutions for the Rochester Music Hall...
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
Design Your Future
Spend a full day in the School of Design during our Design Your Future event on Oct. 11. Throughout the day, prospective students can learn about BFA programs in 3D Digital Design, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design and New Media Design. They'll have the opportunity to meet with renowned faculty and staff, participate in hands-on workshops and tour studio spaces and labs.
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.