CalArts has been included in Graphic Design USA’s (GDUSA) 2026 list of the nation’s top design schools—a roundup from the industry publication highlighting programs that “blend craft, innovation, and critical thinking” in preparing students for evolving creative industries.
In an email announcing the selection, a GDUSA editor noted that the recognition reflects “program strength, faculty dedication, and students’ talent and ambition.”
Earlier this year, the publication also named BFA4 students Kora Chiu and Maria Garsa as GDUSA 2026 Students to Watch.
Housed within the School of Art, CalArts’ Graphic Design Program fosters individual approaches to design through rigorous inquiry, experimentation, and critique-driven studio practice. Coursework spans print, web, UI/UX, motion, typography, branding, history, and theory, with an emphasis on developing both formal and conceptual skills.
Students work in small, collaborative studio environments that encourage interdisciplinary exchange across the Institute’s six schools, supporting a wide range of creative and professional pathways after graduation.
Learn more about the Graphic Design Program at CalArts.
