18 Excellent Design Schools From Around the World
If you are a designer who is looking to transition from a hobby to a career, choosing the right design school may be an important decision. Today, we have gathered a list of some excellent design schools from around the world. Each school listed has some amazing programs in several design disciplines. If you have been toying with the idea of going to a design school, than this article is definitely for you.
North America
Art Center College of Design, Pasadena CA
The Art Center College of Design is located in sunny California and has been cranking out amazing designers for over 80 years. In the schools statistics report it notes that 88% of the students who graduated from the basic undergrad program have landed jobs, so that is definitely a positive. This College specializes in Advertising, Graphic Design, and Illustration programs. Some notable alumni that have graduated from the college are Dustin Edward Arnold & Sandeep Menon.
Parsons School of Design, New York NY
Next we will travel to New York and show you the Parsons School of Design. Their curriculum trains students to be able to solve complex problems as well as creating new innovative approaches. This school pretty much covers every facet of design from Fashion to Art history. Parsons has produced big names such asMarc Jacobs & Norman Rockwell, this is definitely the art school to attend if you can get into the prestigious institution.
Pacific Design Academy, British Columbia Victoria Canada
Only about 19 years old, this Canadian institution has made a name for itself by providing some of the best design education in Canada. This school focuses on Graphic design as well as architecture and fashion, and its classes are lead by some of the best designers in the area. So if you live in Canada and are thinking about attending a design school then you might want to consider this one.
International Academy of Design and Technology, Toronto Canada
This is another Canadian institution providing some of the best art education out there. This school focuses how to prepare students to apply their design skills in real life situations. The curriculum focuses on all the basic types of design as well as video game creation and fashion marketing. This is another solid school to consider if you are living in the area.
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn NY
Pratt Institute located in New York has a huge selection of design associated programs. From the common Graphic Design to Digital Arts, and Interior design, it is all covered at Pratt. The institute has a long list of distinguished alumni that you can view here.
Rhode Island School Of Design, Providence RI
The Rhode Island School of Design is another well-known college that focuses on Graphic Designing. If you choose to enroll you will be engulfed in the fine arts learning about everything from Typography, to Design Theory. You can earn your Bachelors of Graphic Design in 5 years at the school, which will mean you are proficient in the arts. This school also has a very long list of noteworthy alumni which you can check outhere.
Europe
Central St. Martins College of Art & Design, London UK
Now that we wrapped up North America we can move onto Europe, and Central St. Martins is a great art and design college in the UK. This is one of the more prominent design schools in Europe having ties to many creative industries around the world. This school offers many different design programs that you can choose from if you decide to go. The notable alumni’s that have graduated from this college can be viewedhere.
University of Art & Design, Helsinki Finland
The University is over 138 years old and is dedicated to many different forms of design like media art, and motion graphics. You will definitely get a well-rounded education in this school because of its renowned curriculum.
Umea Institute of Design, Sweden
This Swedish institute has a multitude of interesting design orientated classes and is renowned as the best art school in all of Sweden. The institute was even featured as one of the best design schools in the world 2 years running by BusinessWeek. Only about 14 students are accepted annually to their bachelors program so this is definitely a hard school to get into, but you won’t regret it if you do.
Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
With their school mantra being “Mind over Matter” we can already tell this school is dedicated to learning. Although it is not known for its graphic design program, the school is recognized for architecture and industrial design.
Florence Design Academy, Florence Italy
This design academy in Italy is focusing on the future of design, it has amazing international programs accepting many students from other countries to come and study in Italy. The school has some impressive galleries of past students work in fields like Graphic and Industrial design. Classes are equipped with the latest models of all your favorite programs, so look into this school if you are in the area.
Créapôle Ecole de Creation Manqagement, Paris France
This academy located in the heart of Paris trains designers to think ahead and focus on the future of their fields. All the basics are covered in this school and then some other alternative majors as well. This is a great school for those who want to or already do live in France, so make sure to check it out if you are interested.
Asia
National Institute of Design, India
Our first Institute in Asia was recently rated one of the top 25 Schools on the continent. The NID focuses in providing its students with the very best design programs. They even offer some postgraduate work in 14 different design fields. The school only consists of about 300+ students, so it is a difficult one to get accepted into.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong China
The core values of this institute are centered around what they call Humanistic Designs. The university preps its 1200 students to become strategic thinkers in regards to their art. This school has taught many now prominent designers which you can view here.
Tongji University, Shanghai China
Even though this university is in China it offers a broad range of international programs. While its main art focus is in architecture it still offers classes for advertising, graphic design, and animation.
MIT’s Institute of Design, Maharashtra India
This 25-acre campus features one of the best design schools in India. The university explains what it means to be a designer and then teaches the students how to be a good artist, as well as a thinker. The school features all the major design fields and also focuses on making their students as well rounded as possible.
Australia
Australian Academy of Design, Melbourne Australia
The Australian Academy of Design will give you a wide selection of majors to choose from in the art field. Each discipline has its own bachelors program and a strong curriculum surrounding it, this school immerses the student in a great environment. The school also supports international students, so it is a plus for anyone who wants to study in Australia.
Curtin University of Technology, Perth Australia
This massive school holds a whopping 44,000 students but it is considered to be one of the best design schools in Australia. This university also offers an international program for overseas students, and its current courses focus on Photography, Graphic Design, and even Jewelry. This is another great choice if you are in the area and want to go to a design school.
More Information
If you are interested in checking out more design universities in your area please use this great directory created by Core77.