Student Experience

The Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Design & Visual Communication offers students autonomy and agency in the face of an ever-changing cultural landscape. The study of graphic design, design methodologies, modes of production, and design histories, provides our students with the skillsets required to actively participate in visual culture, commerce, and communication.

Students build a body of work demonstrating their mastery of tools, media and concepts to effectively communicate ideas to a target audience. The curriculum includes coursework in composition, typography, strategy and design process, design methodologies and research, portfolio development, web and multimedia design, design entrepreneurship and real-world internships in local design firms. Risk-taking, experimentation and productive criticism are central to our program. Our curriculum works as an on-going design laboratory.

The DVC program places a high degree of value on diverse, equitable, and inclusive viewpoints and approaches. Our emphasis on personal growth and an entrepreneurial mindset prepares students to make meaningful contributions to the field, challenge the status quo, and carve their own path forward.

Unique Resources

The aDream Lab, a digital fabrication and design laboratory, offers students access to develop their work with professional-grade 3D printers, vinyl cutter, laser cutter, vacuum former, heat press, wide-format color printer, die-cutting printer, DSLR cameras, photo sweep, lighting kit, fabrication tools, and rapid prototyping supplies.

Additional studio and curricular resources with the Department of Art & Design support interdisciplinary projects. This includes facilities for digital fabrication and design, motion capture, VR and AR as well as the wide range of studio disciplines within the department. In addition, students draw on the extraordinary resources of UW-Milwaukee’s courses, centers, films, lectures, and galleries, and especially the extensive research and special book collections of the Golda Meir Library and the American Geographical Society Library, one of the premier collections of its kind in North America, containing over 1.5 million items supporting instruction, research, and outreach.

Apply Now  Program Highlights

Public Events & Showcases

Every year, seniors in the Design & Visual Communication program hold two public events showcasing their design research.

UWM Design Entrepreneur Showcase
An annual event each Fall semester, at which DVCII/Design Methodologies students exhibit their semester projects. Students exhibit a highly refined prototype, information graphics of their research, personas of their target audience, their company brand and a dynamic story exhibited at the Design Entrepreneur Showcase.

DVC BFA Exhibition
The Senior Capstone BFA Exhibition in Design & Visual Communication is an annual event each Spring semester at which graduating Design & Visual Communication majors exhibit their capstone project and portfolios.

Professional Networking

AIGA-Wisconsin, The Professional Association for Design
Each year AIGA student members attend AIGAWI events, workshops, portfolio reviews, professional studio tours and more.

United Adworkers
United Adworkers is a Milwaukee based organization dedicated to the pursuit of marketing communications excellence. Student have the opportunity to join for free and network with a close knit group made up of advertising practitioners, designers, directors, photographers, production professionals, and all other professionals and students interested in the fine art of propaganda.