Welcome to ArtCenter College of Design

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Hillside Campus

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Founded in 1930 and located in greater Los Angeles in Pasadena, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. We offer 11 undergraduate and 10 graduate degrees in art and design disciplines. Located on 165 wooded acres, the Hillside Campus has been our home since 1976. The main building, designed by Craig Ellwood Associates, is a modernist steel-and-glass bridge structure and designated local historic landmark by the city of Pasadena. At the Hillside Campus, we feature undergraduate programs in Entertainment Design, Film, Photography and Imaging, Spatial Experience Design, Product Design, and Transportation Design. Graduate programs include Film, Industrial Design, Spatial Experience Design, Furniture, Lighting and Fixtures, and Transportation Systems and Design.

Student Gallery

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The Student Gallery on the Hillside Campus features a selection of student work curated from each undergraduate department every term. The gallery is updated three time per year and the work on display represents the boundless creativity, stunning skill, and expansive thinking of our students at different points throughout their time at ArtCenter. An ArtCenter education inspires and prepares artists and designers to be the creative leaders of the future and nowhere does proof of this future shine brighter than in our Student Gallery. ArtCenter also features four additional gallery spaces across both campuses, as well as an exhibition space in Downtown Los Angeles with rotating exhibitions throughout the year.

Entertainment Design

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Entertainment designers bring stories to life by creating conceptual worlds, memorable animated characters and immersive gaming experiences. Within this major, students study in one of three tracks- Animation which focuses on character animation, storyboarding, modeling, art direction, and lighting for 3D and 2D animation; Concept which prepares students to become Concept Designers for movies, video games, television, and theme parks; And Game Design which prepares students to create and convey game concepts through prototyping and production for multiple platforms. In this student learning space, there are multiple classrooms and student work and storage space, enabling them to develop both two and three-dimensional projects, as well as prototyping immersive gaming experiences.

Film

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The Film program educates students across a range of critical skill sets necessary to become compelling narrative filmmakers. Students takes classes that expose them to all aspects of filmmaking including directing, editing, cinematography, sound, producing, screenwriting, and more before choosing an area of concentration in directing, editing, or cinematography. Students have classes on the 4,600-square-foot Film Stage, which provides space to shoot any project—from special effects enhanced film scenes to entire automotive commercials. Students can build sets, light, and record sound in a controlled environment. Students also have access to professional film and video equipment, editing bays, sound recording and mixing rooms, Special Effects suites, and Color Correction resources.

Photography

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The Photography and Imaging major teaches students the skills and creative fluency needed to create resonant photographic images. Our students are taught to "make" images rather than "take" them—making purposeful images that convey ideas. Students can focus on product, portraiture, fashion, editorial, architectural, fine art photography, and more. The 4,600 square foot photo stage is used for a variety of shoots, enabling students to work with lighting, staging, and composition in a controlled environment. Additionally, our state-of-the-art photography processing facilities include a black and white lab, a color processing lab and a digital imaging lab. Students have access to cameras, lens and lighting equipment, including medium and large format.

Product Design

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ArtCenter's Product Design students learn to create consumer products, from the highly functional to the highly whimsical, that seek to improve our everyday lives and create a more sustainable future. Students explore how products relate to solving problems and addressing human needs, learning the drawing and physical making skills as well as the materials knowledge necessary to manifest their ideas into effectively designed objects. In addition to having access to the full range of shops and labs on campus, Product Design students also enjoy unique maker spaces to complete a range of projects, such as our state-of-the-art research lab, CMTEL (Color, Materials and Trends Exploration Laboratory).

Spatial Experience

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Through the Spatial Experience Design major, students create resonant spaces and spatial experiences that impact a user from first encounter to last moment of interaction. The space might be a residence, a shopping mall, the center of a town, or a restaurant. Our curriculum includes spatial design, lighting design, and a special focus on furniture design. Our students become creative leaders at top manufacturers, design studios and architectural firms around the world in roles such as Spatial designers, branded environments designer, interior designer, architect museum & gallery exhibition designer, furniture designer, and more.

Transportation Design

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In Transportation Design, students design cars and other vehicles within the context of contemporary mobility challenges. Students develop the vehicles and transportation systems of the future; from cars to motorcycles to boats, aircraft, commercial vehicles, and mass transit designs. Our program focuses on sketching, digital rendering, visual communication, modeling, and concept, teaching students to use form and design to connect vehicles with a target market. Our students have direct access to industry. For example, our Hyundai/Kia Innovation Lab is a dedicated studio space funded by Hyundai/Kia to host courses focused on autonomous vehicle design and for students to use as a lab investigating human experience pertaining to vehicles and mobility.

Library

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The Fogg Library is a vital resource for art and design research featuring more than 100,000 volumes of books, periodicals, database and audio visual collections. A reference librarian and other trained staff are available for research assistance and online instruction to aid students in fulfilling their creative vision. The space also serves as a communal space for study and student gatherings. The Library also includes the ArtCenter Archives and Special Collections, which preserves and makes accessible ArtCenter's history and other rare and unique materials related to art and design. A favorite spot for students on campus, there are different spaces in the library for collaborative work and quiet work.

Hillside Model Shops and Labs

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Our model shops and labs are located on both campuses and provide students with a limitless array of learning opportunities and the resources to create whatever they envision. The rapid prototyping labs feature professional equipment including 3D printing, laser cutting, wood working and metal fabrication. The shops also feature a well-stocked tool and equipment checkout area and a retail material sales area, making it easy to finish projects without driving to home supply centers. A team of professional staff help to guide and teach students when engaging with these complex tools and facilities.

Student Resources

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Student life at ArtCenter is supported by departments and resources across campus. The Center for Student Experience is the center of student life and features student clubs, student leadership programs, social outings and activities, housing information, advocacy, personal counseling, insurance programs, disability support and accommodations, and international student advising. Additionally, the Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offers students robust research, exhibitions, symposia, lectures and curricular expansion on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in art and design. Career and Professional Development or CPD supports students in fulfilling their professional goals. Their services include career counseling, mentorship, internships, career chats, and recruitment events for students and alumni. In addition, ArtCenter offers student support services such as peer coaching, a Writing Center and assistance with time management.

Graduate Programs

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From business ventures to social justice, cultural research to experimental mediums, transportation systems to spatial experiences, ArtCenter's renowned graduate programs offer exceptional opportunities to create unique, personal career and life paths. We offer 10 graduate programs including MFA degrees in Art, Film, Graphic Design, and Media Design Practices, MS degrees in Furniture, Lighting & Fixtures Design, Industrial Design, Spatial Experience Design, and Transportation Systems and Design and two online Master of Design programs in Brand Design and Strategy and Interaction Design. Graduate students have access to facilities and resources including art studios, workspaces, editing bays, photo and computer labs, 3D rapid modeling, modeling facilities and rapid prototyping technologies.

South Campus

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Established in 2004, ArtCenter's South Campus is located at the terminus of the Arroyo Seco Parkway, the symbolic gateway to Pasadena, connecting Pasadena to Downtown Los Angeles. The South Campus complex features three architecturally significant and sustainably renovated structures including a historic supersonic wind tunnel. South Campus features undergraduate programs in Creative Direction, Fine Art, Illustration, Graphic Design, and Interaction Design. Graduate programs include Art, Graphic Design, Media Design Practices, and Transportation Systems and Design. Additionally, our space in Downtown Los Angles, ArtCenter DTLA, serves as a venue for collaborative engagement, partnering ArtCenter's campus and Los Angeles communities through our programs, contributing to a diverse, inclusive and relevant culture.

First Year Immersion

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The First-Year Immersion program opens up an alternate pathway into the highly specialized education that ArtCenter offers. In this unique program, a select cohort of students can begin their undergraduate education before they have decided on a major, taking courses in drawing, creative technologies, visual thinking, and humanities and sciences for their first two terms. These classes will equip students with core skills that they need to succeed in a variety of majors. After gaining familiarity with ArtCenter's programs, along with establishing critical and cultural awareness, students can pursue one of their top three choices of major and finish their degree in six additional terms.

Creative Direction

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Since 1930, ArtCenter's Creative Direction major has taught students the study and practice of creating smart, engaging campaigns that promote products and ideas by creating human connections with brands. The curriculum develops students' professional acumen through cross-disciplinary exposure to the tools of the creative direction trade, including film, photography, graphic and interaction design, social media, and digital engagement. Our faculty of leading art directors and copywriters bring a fresh perspective on the field's evolving landscape. Our Creative Direction graduates join a well-established network of alumni who serve as creative leaders at top agencies and brands around the world including Apple, RPA, Saatchi and Saatchi, Wieden and Kennedy, and more.

Fine Art

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In the Fine Art major, students follow personal directions rooted in contemporary art issues and use a range of media from drawing and painting to installation, video, photography or three-dimensional expression. Students develop their creative, conceptual, and technical skills with the goal of becoming exhibiting artists. Modern studios are available to all Fine Arts student seeking space to create and collaborate, while fostering a sense of community. Among many resources, our printmaking studio enables students to explore intaglio, screen printing, stone and plate lithography, and various photographic printmaking techniques. Our master printer is Tony Zepeda, an acclaimed artist and core faculty member of the Fine Art program.

Graphic Design

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In the Graphic Design major, students learn to infuse words and images with life and meaning whether by creating motion graphics, an interface on the latest mobile device, setting type by hand in our letterpress shop or attending a workshop in our typography center. Our students are challenged to develop design solutions by experimenting with a wide range of media including books and digital magazines, packaging, 3D motion graphics, and apps to create compelling graphic identities and branded experiences, guided by faculty members with expertise in print, packaging, motion, visual interaction and transmedia design.

Illustration

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Illustration, the largest major at ArtCenter, provides students with a curriculum supported by studio courses in drawing, painting, and design to tell stories, convey ideas, or create imagery for professional applications and clients. Once enrolled in the major, students may pursue specialized tracks including Illustration Design, Entertainment Arts, Entertainment Arts Consumer Products, Fine Arts Painting, Motion, and Surface Design. ArtCenter's Illustration graduates emerge with a versatile skillset applicable across media, as problem-solvers, art directors and multifunctional artists. Our alumni work in editorial illustration, illustration for licensing and publishing, toy design, graphic novel and comic book illustration, character development, storyboarding, visual development art for feature animation, entertainment and television.

Interaction Design

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The Interaction Design major immerses students in the entire spectrum of user experience, including user research, prototyping, concept development, information architecture, interface design, and user experience design. Students have access to facilities such as the Immersion Lab, which is designed to immerse students in making with spatial computing technologies. The Immersion Lab has a dynamic technology library that includes HTC Vives, Oculus Rifts, Microsoft HoloLens and Mixed Reality headsets, 360 cameras, Leap Motions, and mobile motion capture suits. Our Interaction Design alumni take on creative roles at companies such as Adobe, Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft and more.

South Campus Shops and Labs

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Our facilities provide students with limitless learning opportunities. Currently, our students have access to wood working and metal fabrication. Future expansion includes rapid prototyping labs featuring professional equipment including 3D printing and laser cutting. Other specialized resources include the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography, which serves as an educational forum, design laboratory, research center and archive. Our Archetype Press is the largest letterpress facility in California and among the largest of any design school in the country, where students learn to set and print type on various printing presses. Our Sewing Lab fosters a unique understanding of design research methodologies, business principles, wearable technologies, manufacturing processes, global trends and sustainability.

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