New York Film Academy’s Graphic Design program utilizes contemporary design thinking within the context of the school’s film program. This unique curriculum offers special focus on areas of design practice relating to communication, narrative structure, storytelling, motion graphics, and the integration of design and film. Emphasis is placed on acquiring design fundamentals, understanding client design briefs, generating ideas, sketching, refining, prototyping, and production. Guided by a world-class faculty of respected and active professional graphic designers, 1-Year students develop a diverse design portfolio, professional fluency in industry standard software, and in-depth knowledge of graphic design.
The Graphic Design Program at NYFA, located in New York City — the epicenter of all things design — afforded the recently graduated students many opportunities to visit museums, attend lectures, participate in design discussions with world famous graphic designers, and attend design show openings. Students got to see first hand how design studios run, what design work environments are like, and to hear how the vision and design philosophy of the studios is conveyed through the work. A few notable events, museums and lectures include:
- Studio visit and discussion with Milton Glaser
- Studio visit and discussion with Mirko Ilic
- Studio visit and discussion with the Creative Director of Penguin Books, Paul Buckley
- Design Opening: The Type Directors Club/TCD63/The World’s Best Typography
- AIGA/American Institute for Graphic Arts/The Hillary for America Design Team
- Posters and Patriotism and Propaganda by Design/The Museum of the City of New York/Lecture and exhibition
- Art Deco Walking Tour of Lower Manhattan with NYFA Design Historian Keith Godard
Student Success Stories
Elle Hasanli uses her art as a tool for social justice. The self-proclaimed human rights activist is inspired by abstract patterns in everyday life and uses many of these elements in her design work. The Graphic Design alum has already landed an internship with Mirko Ilić Corp., an internationally recognized designer in NYC. “The mentors at NYFA made sure to provide us with practical skills so that we could enter the world of design,” Hasanli said. “In 8.5 months, I learned how to use InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects.” Because these programs are essential skills to get work, Hasanli felt more than equipped to enter the job market and learning them has clearly already paid off for her. She sums up the program as such: “I needed the basic skills and I needed the inspiration. I got both of them. The course promised to be very intensive and it was just what it promised. The program taught me how to communicate my ideas effectively through graphic design.”
Graphic Design includes numerous feature projects including Motion Graphics: Personal Visual Identity, which involves a personal visual identity that reflects aspects of the student designer (i.e. Kevin Zhang’s love of music and dance). The Design for Interaction: Cross Platform Publication also deals with students’ personal areas of interest. For example, Elle Hasanli chose to focus on the symbiotic relationship between art and fashion, both past and present. Madrid Light City: Poster Competition (pictured below) invited all graphic designers to take part in an open poster exhibition supported by the Business Forum for Madrid, DIMAD, and the Madrid City Council.
