GD MFA program, MICA

Joseph Galbreath, 2nd year MFA candidate, MICA

The Graphic Design MFA program at MICA focuses on developing students through exploration, experimentation and investigation. Graphic design is viewed as an art of engagement- a visual, intellectual and communal experience. Led by Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips, the GD MFA program publishes books, works with visiting designers, critics and educators, engages in various forms of manufacturing and encourages all forms of design exploration. Students focus on personal interests while informing their own point-of-view through discussion, reflection and group projects. The studio creates both popular and academic materials that educate and engage a broad range of audiences.

We read, we write and we make stuff.

Themes investigated in the studio include: design culture–past and present, societal concerns, creative methodology, the social aspect of design and publishing. Books published include D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself, Graphic Design: The New Basics and most recently Indie Publishing.

Approximately 1,800 students attend Maryland Institute College of Art, located in Baltimore. Founded in 1826, MICA is the oldest fully accredited, degree-granting college of art in the country.