Graphic Communication
College of Liberal Arts
Graphic communication is the study of how we convey meaning through visual design. This includes the creation, production, management and distribution of advertising, marketing, websites, mobile apps, books, packaging and other media in printed and digital form.
San Luis Obispo, California
The program pairs graphic communication with general education courses providing you with a broad understanding of content management and production workflows with modern digital media processes. Our laboratory and classroom experience is unequalled in the nation.
With over 30,000 square feet of specialized laboratory space, students gain hands-on experience designing, engineering and implementing graphic systems across digital and physical media.
Design Systems Lab
Develop integrated graphic systems that move from concept to implementation across digital and physical media. Students explore typography, layout, information hierarchy and content structure while learning how design decisions translate into scalable production systems. Students practice the technical execution required to transform ideas into high-performance graphic solutions.
Photography and Color Science Lab
Develop expertise in professional photography, advanced photo retouching, motion graphics and color management systems. Students work with calibrated workflows and controlled production environments, and learn to maintain visual consistency and quality across platforms, materials and media technologies.
Packaging, Materials and Prototyping Lab
Design and engineer packaging systems that integrate structure, branding, materials, sustainability and consumer behavior. Students use digital modeling, structural design tools, decorative technologies and rapid prototyping systems to create market-ready solutions applicable across retail and distribution environments.
Media and Production Technologies Lab
Gain hands-on experience with industry-standard graphic production systems across digital and physical platforms. Students work with high-volume production systems, specialty graphics equipment, and industrial-scale processes to understand how graphics are implemented accurately, efficiently and at scale.
Operations, Analytics and Enterprise Lab
Apply principles of workflow optimization, quality control, estimating, sales strategy, data analytics and entrepreneurship to understand how graphic systems operate within organizations. Students practice through applied projects and a student-run enterprise environment, experience real production ecosystems and develop operational leadership skills.
Experience and Immersive Media Lab
Design and evaluate interactive and immersive visual environments. Students develop user-centered digital systems, augmented and virtual reality experiences and spatial storytelling applications. Everything is informed by research, usability testing, accessibility standards and technical integration to ensure reliable, effective performance across platforms and contexts.
Design Reproduction Technology
Course work includes graphic design, typography, branding, color theory, color management and quality control. You’ll also learn about design for packaging and for the publication of books, magazines and websites.
Graphic Communication Management
A practical program that includes business management courses for those interested in management careers in publishing, design, printing, packaging and web commerce firms. The management concentration includes teamwork development, organizational management, estimating, quality analysis and human resources for the graphic arts.
Graphics for Packaging
This concentration provides you with the opportunity to learn graphic design for packaging, including package design, prototyping and production. You will experience the best practices of design thinking, structural design, consumer marketing, package quality and safety. Consumer and industrial packaging are also addressed.
UX/UI
User Experience/User Interface exposes you to the processes of website development, user experience and user interface design. You will get to experience the production and distribution of digital media, digital audio, animation, digital photography, interactive entertainment and digital video. You’ll be exposed to a broad array of technology and management topics, graduating with a solid foundation for a career in this field. Our graduates in this concentration are employed in many of the world’s leading digital services firms.
About the Program
The field of graphic communication represents an industry that embraces change and requires its members to continuously learn new and varied skills in an increasingly diverse and globalized population.
We prepare you for careers in all facets of the industry, from traditional printing and publishing to mobile app development. You will learn color management, digital typography, user experience design, web development and more — there are classes for every graphic communication interest. Courses will provide you with a broad understanding of both traditional printing processes and cutting-edge digital imaging. This is why we are one of the best-known programs in the nation.
California Impact
From developing and managing a project budget to designing packaging for new products, your education will allow to engage in real-world scenarios. You will have opportunities to design packaging for new products or develop a website focusing on user experience design, site structure and information architecture. The modern resources of the department and the vast knowledge of the faculty provide you with the best possible education in graphic communication.
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The graphic communication department has built relationships across the printing, packaging, media and tech industries over many years. Our graduates are in high demand by leading national and international corporations and our alumni have gone on to work at major companies across California and around the world.