ArtCenter College of Design — Pasadena

SUMMARY

ArtCenter College of Design is a leading private art and design institution based in Pasadena, California, known for its rigorous studio-based education and strong links with global industries. Founded in 1930, the college has established a reputation for excellence in fields such as transportation design, industrial design, illustration, graphic design, film, and interaction design. Its curriculum combines creative practice with applied research, technical training, and professional preparation.

HISTORY

ArtCenter College of Design was founded in 1930 by Edward A. “Tink” Adams, a prominent advertising professional who envisioned a school that would bridge creative education with real industry needs. The college began on West Seventh Street in Los Angeles, offering practical instruction delivered by working artists and designers. This professional orientation distinguished ArtCenter from traditional art schools of the period.

During the 1940s, the college expanded its programmes in response to wartime industry requirements, including technical illustration and design for aerospace. This period strengthened ArtCenter’s ties to major companies in Southern California, helping establish its signature industry-focused educational model.

In 1976, ArtCenter moved from Los Angeles to its iconic Hillside Campus in Pasadena. Designed by architects Craig Ellwood Associates, the steel-and-glass modernist building became one of the most recognisable design school campuses in the world. The move enabled the college to broaden its facilities and adapt to emerging fields.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, ArtCenter continued its international expansion by launching global initiatives and cross-cultural programmes. These efforts included partnerships with companies and institutions in Europe and Asia, positioning the college as a global design leader.

In the early 2000s, ArtCenter established the South Campus in Pasadena’s downtown area, revitalising former industrial buildings into spaces dedicated to fine art, media, and research. The new campus allowed the college to offer larger studios and advanced facilities for contemporary practice.

The institution has also continued to evolve academically, adding programmes in interaction design, environmental design, media design, and social innovation. These additions reflect the changing demands of creative industries and the growing role of design in technology and society.

Today, ArtCenter remains an independent, nonprofit college with a global reputation for professional design education. Its alumni have shaped industries ranging from automobile manufacturing and film production to digital media and environmental design.

VISION

Founder Edward A. Adams envisioned a college that would prepare students for real-world creative professions through direct engagement with industry. His aim was to offer education rooted in practice, where instructors would be working professionals and students would develop skills relevant to immediate employment. Adams believed that design education should combine craft, technology, and communication. He emphasised the importance of understanding how artistic skills could be applied to solve practical problems in commerce, media, transportation, and manufacturing. This approach laid the foundation for ArtCenter’s distinctive studio culture. His vision also included collaboration across disciplines. Adams hoped to create an environment where illustrators, designers, filmmakers, and photographers could learn side by side, expanding their creative perspectives.

TOP DESIGN COURSES

In ArtCenter’s online Master of Design program, you will explore the broader constructs of successful brand strategy, including audience, revenue streams, business practices, points of contact and messaging. With a focus on graphic design, you will deepen your skills in leading and managing teams while developing strategies for brand inception, adoption and integration. Through hands-on partnerships, you will apply your expertise in practical settings, whether you choose to display your potential in your current workplace or to form new networks for building your post-graduation career.

Media Design Practices (MDP), which offers the only MFA degree with a STEM designation, prepares designers for this “new now” with an interdisciplinary curriculum that encompasses emerging technologies, critical frameworks and experimental studio practices. Through prototyping, research and fieldwork, students—who join us from diverse backgrounds and cultures—learn to question the present and envision the future of how technology will impact humans through our rigorous design MFA program.

The College’s Graphic Design program offers a rigorous, hands-on curriculum that emphasizes depth, experimentation and real-world experiences in an environment that embraces the latest technological advances. As a Graphic Design student, you’ll define your own path while gaining expertise in branding, typography, print, packaging, motion design, transmedia design and visual interaction design. Guided by distinguished faculty, you will build a broad skill set. With access to state-of-the-art tools like Cinema4D with Redshift and Solidworks with Keyshot and to renowned facilities like Archetype Press and the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography, you will bring your ideas to life at a professional level.

KEY TEAM

• Dr. Karen Hofmann — President

• Mark Breitenberg — Provost and Chief Academic Officer

• Brandon Schauer — Chief Strategy Officer

• Emile Metivier — Chief Financial Officer

• Guillermo Bert — Chair, Graphic Design

• Andy Ogden — Chair, Industrial Design

• Stewart Reed — Chair, Transportation Design

• Laura Cooper — Chair, Illustration

JOB INTEGRATION SERVICES

ArtCenter College of Design offers comprehensive career development services designed to connect students with industry opportunities. The Career and Professional Development Office provides workshops, portfolio reviews, mentoring, and employer networking sessions. Students regularly participate in industry-sponsored projects that simulate professional practice. The college also hosts recruitment fairs attended by major global companies in automotive, technology, entertainment, advertising, and product design. Many departments have strong relationships with specific industries, allowing students to engage in sponsored studio projects and internships that often lead to employment. ArtCenter’s alumni network is an essential part of its job integration structure. Graduates working in top companies frequently return to mentor students, conduct interviews, or support hiring initiatives. This global community creates a pathway for students to enter competitive creative fields with professional support.

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