Temerlin’s graphic design minor provides a basic understanding and development of skills necessary for message design across various media. Topics and skill sets may include identity (logos, branding collateral material, packaging), digital (social, mobile, online media), publication (magazines, newspapers, books), and other areas of design.
Professor Cheryl Mendenhall, program director for the graphic design minor, explains, “Learning to become a better visual communicator can enhance a variety of career paths. It’s so much more than learning the software used in the industry. It is about cultivating your ideas; using design principles of composition and layout; and learning about typography, imagery and color choices along with a little psychology to best present your ideas.” Research confirms the demand for graphic design skills:
- The U.S. market size for graphic designers is $12.7 billion.
- A Content Marketing Institute study reveals that 51% of business-to-business marketers say creating visual content is a priority.
- According to a Digital Trends study by Adobe, 73% of companies invest in design to make their brand more recognizable than their competitors’.
- Research by iScribblers shows that visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text and that it takes twice as long to process and recognize words.
This year the Temerlin Advertising Institute has expanded the minor to include two new-upper level electives, Image-Making and Graphic Design for Digital Media. Image-Making explores various styles and techniques to produce conceptually based imagery. The second course, Graphic Design for Digital Media, examines specific design challenges posed by various digital media and platforms, including issues of scale, color, typography, resolution, file sizes and color modes.
Preview recent student graphic design work:
Learn more and apply to the graphic design minor here.
