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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June 7, 2023
![3D artist sitting at a desk with three monitors showing baseball fields and stadiums.]()
Alumnus steps up to the plate to help bring ‘MLB The Show’ video game to life
Andrew Lytle ’19 (3D digital design) was never a big baseball fan growing up. Before accepting his job at PlayStation’s San Diego Studio as an environment artist, his involvement with sports was limited to attending RIT hockey games. Now, after nearly four years of working on the iconic baseball video game franchise, MLB The Show, Lytle says he’s a proud fan.
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June 6, 2023
![a furniture display showing different types of sofas and chairs.]()
RIT’s Metaproject 13 Encouraged Students To Push the Boundaries of Seating
Design Milk features industrial design students' senior projects.
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May 25, 2023
![Students, faculty and alumni of Metaproject 13 pose in front of Lazzoni's showroom in NYC.]()
Design students unveil seating solutions at NYC Design Week
Thirteen students worked with Lazzoni to produce contemporary chairs and sofas, with one of the designs now set to move into production with the high-end furniture brand.
Featured Work
New Media Design Portfolio Showcase
How can design do good? From games, apps and installations, students from the New Media Design program create exciting new experiences.
Portfolio Showcase
Visual Communication Design MFA students to dive deep into emerging and future design, technology, interaction and motion trends.
3D Digital Design Reel
A compilation of student work from the last few years.
Featured Profiles
German Design Fellowship
Daeya Shealy '21 (Industrial Design) earned a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals fellowship to study and work as a designer in Germany for one year.
Building a Virtual Production Curriculum
Supported by MegaGrant from Epic Games, MAGIC Spell Studios has brought groundbreaking research and filmmaking techniques to RIT.
Medical Device Designs
RIT students in the Industrial Design (BFA and MFA) and Graphic Design programs showcased the power of industry partnership as they worked with medical technology company Stryker to design home...
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.
The 3D visualization option gives you the flexibility to pursue a broad range of applications that use digital design as the platform for 3D content creation. The option emphasizes creation and simulation of environments and objects for virtual spaces for a growing number of real-world opportunities. This option is part of the in the 3D digital design BFA degree.
The game arts option focuses on the creation of visual elements and assets for a wide range of game platforms. The option allows you to pursue creative interests in game arts, from designing virtual elements and lighting to animated characters and backgrounds. An innovative and adaptive curriculum prepares you for a career in the emergent fields associated with games culture while encouraging critical analysis of these fields through the dynamic general elective courses offered throughout RIT. This option is part of the 3D digital design BFA degree.
Graduate Programs
The School of Design offers two MFA programs and an MS program. 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. Meanwhile, the MS in integrative design establishes a variety of creative design thinking techniques in multiple areas.
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.