Apply: Graphic Design BFA
HIGH SCHOOL PREPARATION
While still in high school, you can do the following things to prepare for the Graphic Design program at BYU:
- Take any art courses offered at your high school- AP Art, Figure Drawing, Art Foundations, etc. While these courses will not be counted as a pre-requisite to the Graphic Design program, faculty members recommend prospective students to take advantage of any courses offered prior to high school graduation.
- Apply for a Design Dept Talent Award Scholarship in November. These applications are available 30 days prior to the deadline, Dec 1st, and are available to prospective BYU students. In addition, if you are granted a talent award, you automatically bypass the first application process. In addition, if you are granted a talent award scholarship, you automatically bypass the first application process. This means you would be recognized as a pre-BFA student and you would simply take DESGD 145, DESGD 243, DESGD 245, and DESGD 260 before applying to the BFA program in June. For more information about Talent Awards and Department Scholarships,, please visit our Financial Aid page.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Admissions
Prospective BYU students wishing to be admitted into the Graphic Design BFA program for Fall semester must first apply to BYU through BYU Admissions. Admission to BYU does not guarantee admission into the Department of Design degree Programs.
Faculty
Our program has excellent experienced faculty who will work personally with you as you progress through the program. Professors will be mentors, offering advice and direction. Our faculty are all award-winning, established graphic designers with years of teaching professional experience. Visit our faculty page to see individual bios, contact information, or work they have completed.
Software/Hardware
Graphic Design majors are required to supply their own computer to complete the majority of their coursework. In certain courses, highly specialized technology is made available in department labs and classrooms.
Recommended Configuration: Incoming BYU design students are asked to purchase a computer for their own convenience and to maximize their academic experience. Pre-major courses can be completed with the use of university labs, however most students prefer having their own computer. Certain advanced graphic design workflows will require specialized software and hardware that is provided in department labs and classrooms. The Department recommends the following configurations for graphic design students: Apple MacBook Pro (or equivalent Windows PC) with sufficient capacity to support Adobe Creative Cloud (including Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects, Experience Design). Adobe student subscriptions should also include access to Adobe Fonts (formerly known as Typekit). Minimum recommended specifications include 16 gb RAM, and a 500 gb hard drive. The BYU Store carries a full line of discounted computers, accessories and software subscriptions. Students manage their own data storage and may use the free university storage system named BOX (http://box.byu.edu). In addition to BOX, students are encouraged to have a second automatic cloud backup for all files through Backblaze, iDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive or a similar service.
As a new student to BYU and prospective Graphic Design major, you must declare your major as Pre-Graphic Design. This status does not guarantee admission into the program and can be changed at any time, but gives you access to the first pre-requisite course, DESGD 145. To declare as a Pre-Graphic Design student, please visit MyMAP or contact the Advisement Center at (801) 422-3777.
After declaring yourself as a Pre-Major, register for the pre-requisite, DESGD 145. Keep in mind that it takes a couple hours and sometimes days to register your Pre-Major status, so do it well in advance to the day you hope to register for courses.
During DESGD 145, your professor will give you more information on what the Pre-BFA application will require. These applications will be open three times a year. You will have the opportunity to apply one additional time if unaccepted during your first portfolio review.
If your portfolio review is successful, you will then be granted to Pre-BFA status.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Software/Hardware
Graphic Design Majors should purchase a computer with sufficient capacity to support the Adobe Creative Cloud applications. Students favor Apple MacBooks Pros for Graphic Design, but any brand works as long as it can run the Adobe applications. The BYU store carries a full line of discounted computers, accessories, and discounted software subscriptions.
Admissions
Prospective BYU students wishing to be admitted into the Animation program for Fall semester must first apply to BYU through BYU Admissions. Admission to BYU does not guarantee admission into the Department of Design degree Programs.
Transfer Students
Transfer students applying for admittance to the Department of Design are asked to submit a portfolio on the department's application portal, which are reviewed year round. To find out more information, please visit our transfer student page or contact our office.
Faculty
Our program has excellent experienced faculty who will work personally with you as you progress through the program. Professors will be mentors, offering advice and direction. Our faculty are all award-winning, established animators with years of teaching professional experience. Visit our faculty page to see individual bios, contact information, or work they have completed.
PRE-BFA APPLICATION DEADLINES: 2024: April 16, June 17, December 10
Information will be available 30 days prior to the application deadline: Fall 2024 Graphic Design Pre-BFA Application Information
Apply at https://designdept.slideroom.com/#/Login
If you are not accepted into the program after your first application, you have another opportunity to submit your portfolio the next portfolio review. If unaccepted the second time, faculty members will then recommend you to pursue another major.
IF YOU GET INTO THE PRE-BFA
After being promoted to Pre-BFA status, you will then have access to the next 3 pre-requisite courses: DESGD 243, DESGD 245, and DESGD 260. Complete these three courses in any order prior to applying for the Graphic Design BFA program.
BFA portfolio reviews and applications are reviewed once a year in June, and more information on the application process will be available as the deadline approaches. You may review the current requirements for the BFA application, but keep in mind that it is subject to change.
BFA APPLICATION
June 2025 (actual date TBD)
BFA application information will be available 30 days prior to the application deadline.
https://designdept.slideroom.com/#/Login
Students may apply for the Graphic Design BFA degree program only after first obtaining Graphic Design Pre-BFA status.
BFA portfolio reviews and applications are reviewed once a year in June, and more information on the application process will be available as the deadline approaches. You may review the current requirements for the BFA application, but keep in mind that it is subject to change.
If you are not accepted into the program after your first application, you have another opportunity to submit your portfolio the next portfolio review in June. If you are unaccepted after applying a second time, faculty members will then recommend you pursue another major.
BFA PORTFOLIO INFORMATION
Students should present work that showcases work from DESGD 243, DESGD 245, and DESGD/DESPX 260. Also include sketchbooks you created during these classes.
IF YOU ARE ADMITTED TO THE BFA
During your time in the Graphic Design program at BYU, you will have the opportunity to take courses on branding, product design, publishing, interaction design, web design, mobile app development, experience design, service design, motion graphics, and data visualization. Students in the Graphic Design program are required to complete an internship in order to graduate and students are often placed in prestigious studios. For more information about the Graphic Design Major Academic Plan, please visit the Graphic Design Undergraduate Catalog.
APPLY FOR GRADUATION
How to apply
CAPSTONE REQUIREMENTS
(i.e. grade for 497R, and clearance for graduation)
Exhibition
- Your publicly-viewable show
- Document your work (see 2 & 3 below)
Documentation
1. Process/Documentation book
Should include a typeset version of your paper, concept map, initial sketches, rounds of revision, and many images of your final product - with explanation).
Traditionally, these have been printed in a format of your choosing within loose guidelines. To facilitate easier printing, please use the 8x10 format at Blurb.com (Trade Printing, Full color, at least 24 pages, should be about $10 to print.) Submit the Print-ready PDF to the Resource Room the Area to print (Google Drive folder, or Dropbox or Box Link)
Please save files: FirstName_LastName_CapstoneProcess.pdf, e.g. Doug_Thomas_CapstoneProcess.pdf
2. Digital documentation
5+ still JPEG images of the project that are at least 2400 pixels in the smallest dimension. Include PDFs of finished print work, MOV/MP4s, of finished digital/motion work
Please save files: FirstName_LastName_Capstone1.jpg, FirstName_LastName_Capstone2.jpg, etc. e.g. Doug_Thomas_Capstone1.jpg
Be prepared to make additional versions of smaller file sizes to meet competition requirements:
Such as the ADC Young Ones Capstone competition ( https://www.theyoungones.org/categories/adc/#capstone )
EXIT PORTFOLIO
1. Print & Digital
The exit portfolio should encompass your BFA work including:
- Magazine, 2. Major / Minor Brand Identity, 3. UX Project(s), 4. Motion Project(s), 5. Additional Projects from 394 Classes (Typefaces, Data Viz, Alternate Processes), 6. Group Projects.
This should show process sketches and iterations of your design.
Even if you plan to work on your portfolio after graduation, we require an exit portfolio of the work you have before you graduate.
Submit a digital print-ready PDF before graduation.
Please drop-off a printed portfolio to the Resource Room if and when you can (not required this year; we would still love to have it in our collection to inspire the future)
Submit a print-ready PDF to the Resource Room the Area to print (Google Drive folder, or Dropbox, or Box link)
Please save files: FirstName_LastName_CapstoneProcess.pdf, e.g. Doug_Thomas_CapstoneProcess.pdf
SELF PROMO BOOK/WEBSITE
1. Print & Digital
This book is entirely up to you and should be governed by your job search process. Curate it to reflect the jobs you would like to apply for. Please share with the faculty.
Deadlines
For April Graduation all files due April 22 (last day of finals)
If you are registering for the Implementation class in Spring or Fall, the deadline
is the last day of finals for each semester or term.
We are here for you. We want to help you succeed in every way. Please comment with questions in this document, or reach out to your individual mentor, and let us how we can help.
Sincerely yours,
Adrian, Linda, Eric, Brent, and Doug