PSUGD equips students to conquer creative challenges with a breadth of technical and artistic skills. Our program prepares students to be exploratory, experimental, collaborative graphic designers who can thrive in today’s world. CONFIDENCE We empower students to trust their creative impulses, embrace their interests, and direct their own learning experiences. Individualization of projects and self-authorship are encouraged and in turn create powerful creative workers who trust their choices. EXPERIMENTATION: We push our students to try it all. Get weird. Our students are encouraged to engage in a process-driven practice so as to arrive at the optimal—and often most surprising—design solution. MAKE REAL WORK: We offer students myriad opportunities to make work for the real world. Many of our classes pair students with clients—small businesses, non-profits, cultural institutions—to give students the experience of solving design challenges that will have real, tangible impact. CONNECTIVITY: We work to connect our students to the design community within Portland, and beyond. Through PSU.GD’s facilitation of visiting designer lectures, field trips, in-class demos, portfolio days, and internship opportunities, our students become integrated members of a global community of makers. VARIETY: Our students are equipped with an expansive array of skills and an understanding of the many ways design can function in the world. Our program’s core is founded on a breath of practices: branding and identity, illustration, publication design, web and mobile experience design, environmental design, design thinking strategies, social practice applications, self-promotion and collaborative group work.