Programs and Curriculum
Graphic Design
Graphic Design is a reflective, problem-solving discipline: a creative process that combines art and technology to visually convey a message to an audience. The graphic designer uses diverse forms of communication beyond the printed matter that is the graphic designer's mainstay. In essence, graphic designers combine the traditions, cultural heritage, symbols, and civic values of preceding generations into visual forms that are used everyday by nearly everyone.
At VCUQatar students learn to formulate vibrant and efficient communication solutions with the imagination of an artist and the meticulousness of a scientist. The Graphic Design Program stresses creative and intellectual thinking as well as awareness of individual, social, and cultural issues.
The VCUQatar Program includes courses covering the history of graphic design, photography and the film, business practices and ethics, creative strategies, and problem seeking. It includes an extensive study of typography, photography, and digital image development, information design, and corporate identity.
The Program balances the need to acquire technical knowledge and real-world experience with the development of critical conceptual thinking and analytical skills. Students gain skills in solving communication problems through research which enable them to create appropriate and powerful solutions to the tasks assigned.
While students learn about Graphic Design in the classroom, they are also exposed to the professional world through guest lectures and field trips aimed at enhancing their knowledge of design in both the academic and professional aspects of the discipline. Each student participates in the Graphic Design internship program - a transition between school and the professional working world. Students work in a business environment to allow them to apply their academic knowledge. The program's curriculum reflects a commitment to working with, and advocating for Qatar, the Arab Gulf, and the Middle East region in a diversity of contexts.