Embark on an education where you will flex your creative muscle and communicate ideas and experiences through images, words, and forms. As you prepare for a career in the dynamic and ever-changing field of Graphic Design, you will gain skills in software programs designers need to know, understand the foundations of good design, and build your personal portfolio, gaining real-world experience.
Building on a foundation of core courses that hone your artistic skills, Graphic Design majors are trained to use signs and symbols to convey an idea or concept through innovative thinking. Students gain a core knowledge in traditional linear print media, web design, motion graphics and time-based media.
Concordia offers both a major and a minor in Graphic Design. As a Design student at Concordia, you will find that our faculty members empower students to follow an exciting vocational path in the visual arts. Students leave the program equipped for a successful future in their chosen field.
They gave me so much freedom to create beautiful art and then would help to push my imagination further to create something even better."
I really enjoyed learning Graphic Design at CUI and was honored to receive the department design excellence award. Working on independent projects with the professors were invaluable learning experiences and complimented my athletic schedule. I am very grateful for everything the department offered me.”
I love the individual attention students receive at Concordia! It is a fabulous place to go to school and I highly recommend an education at Concordia to others!”
I had a very positive experience working with Professor Soo in the Graphic Design. The program was new and I had to squeeze in classes before I graduated in order to finish the minor. She worked with me one-on-one and helped me complete necessary classes as independent study courses. She also was sensitive to my degree area and helped me learn how to use music (degree area) and graphic design together.”
Concordia has a complete up to date facility with all the most current technology along with great professional professors. I think that the biggest advantage to attending Concordia is the class sizes because it truly allows you to learn and collaborate with the professors one on one instead of being another face in the crowed.”
As for the Graphic Design department, I entered not knowing a thing about Photoshop, and Adobe was simply something to be updated on my computer. I graduated with a full knowledge/membership of the Adobe Creative Software, my own Wacom Tablet, and a few projects under my belt, because of that my student work had caught the attention of a few clients.”
The goal of the Art department is to instill abilities across the arts in our students so they graduate with a well-rounded skill set. Students create art and design that utilizes the elements and principles of design, composition, and strong drawing skills while they also build aesthetic and communication capabilities. The relationship of technique and content is further explored as students are introduced to art history, contemporary practices, and a distinct cultural awareness.
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Graphic Design Sample Courses
Graduates from Concordia University Irvine’s Graphic Design department are putting their degrees to work for major brands and entrepreneurial start-ups. The skills students learn in verbal, intellectual, and conceptual expressions are highly sought-after into today’s visual marketplace.
Alyssa Hale '15
"An Eye for Design" Associate Global Designer, Roxy Footwear
Alyssa Hale had toured a handful of schools prior to visiting Concordia and was beginning to get disheartened.
Jeff Clark
"Innovation and Creativity" Founding Partner and Director of Development, Codeless Interactive
Soccer had been a part of Jeff Clark’s life since he was a child, and was a huge factor in deciding which college to attend after graduation.
Megan Miller
"Beautiful Roots" Photographer, Beautiful Roots Photography
Megan Miller was sitting in her freshman dorm with the front door open, drawing on a pair of white shoes, when a student passing by happened to catch a glimpse of her.
Concordia University, Irvine prides itself in giving you abilities across the arts and equipping you your senior year to gain meaningful design experience through an internship as well as preparing a portfolio to showcase your talents. Many of our recent graduates are using their diverse and unique skills in jobs in Orange County, LA County, and around the United States.
Designers never stop learning. Understanding formal concepts, methods, theories, and techniques and how to apply them is an ongoing journey. In a community of learners, designers share their work and knowledge so they can learn from each other. Concordia offers many opportunities through writing, talks, and collaborative learning to refine and grow your skills.
As a Graphic Design major, you can combine your degree with a related minor, or double major.
Become proficient in digital publishing, digital image manipulation, and digital illustration while building strong portfolios and participating in service learning assignments creating design projects for campus organizations or nonprofit organizations within the community.
In your senior year, you will complete a semester-long internship or practicum in the graphic design profession, as well as participate in a required portfolio review. Concordia Irvine’s location offers access to a large number of professional businesses in Southern California. Below are just a few examples of where our students have interned.
Many of our Graphic Design and Art students choose to continue their education and find success in applying to the graduate school of their choice. The rigor and virtues inherent in a Concordia education give our students resources for continued success as they pursue their masters or doctorate.
Professors in the Graphic Design Department are active participants in helping you develop and practice habits of learning that you will use over the span of your career. Our courses are developed and delivered by faculty who provide opportunities for you to learn through making and critique and where students are encouraged to express their faith through art.
Prof. Rachel Soo
Professor Soo is Co-Chair of the Art Department at Concordia University, Irvine. She teaches digital image manipulation, digital illustration, digital publishing, typography, and graphic design classes. Utilizing both traditional and digital media, she creates artwork which investigates issues of identity and culture. She explores self-discovery by examining memories, perceptions and personal relationships. Professor Soo earned her BFA in Commercial Art from Concordia University in Nebraska, and an MFA in Integrated Visual Art from Iowa State University, Ames. Soo lives in Irvine with her husband and two sons.
Prof. Rachel Hayes
Professor Hayes enjoys all types of art, but especially loves drawing, mixed media and textiles. She started her art career right here at Concordia University, Irvine, earning a BA in Art and Secondary Education. She went on to earn her MFA at Southern Illinois University before teaching art in the K-12 setting. Hayes has been an art instructor for various non-profit groups, and is happy to now find herself back at her alma mater where she teaches painting, design, and children’s art. She is inspired by “found photographs infused with hidden history, and the task of creating/reliving a story.”
Prof. Niclas Kruger
“The fundamental approach to art is...learning to see differently, and by extension, to think differently...to develop a different way of experiencing the world.” Professor Kruger’s art covers such universal themes as love, distress, separation, pain, joy, isolation, complacency—all feelings that are part of our human existence. Originally from Sweden, Professor Kruger has studied art in Austria, Germany, and France. He earned his BA in Art from the Art Institute of Southern California and his MFA from Cal State Fullerton, and has been teaching at the university level for 18 years.
One of our greatest assets at Concordia University, Irvine is our dedicated faculty. In a small learning environment, our professors care about you—not just your performance—and they cultivate lifelong mentoring relationships with the students they teach.
For more information about the Graphic Design major at Concordia University Irvine, we invite you to contact us directly.
Rachel SooGraphic Design Program Director rachel.soo@cui.edu (949) 214-3289
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