by Katie Rodriguez

As a graphic design student at Montana State University, I have the privilege to work hard and play hard in this beautiful place we call Montana. The vast outdoors are great for obtaining natural, free inspiration. The beauty and outdoor opportunity of Montana have really had an impact on my design style. With the strong community-feeling of Bozeman, you are able to see locally produced designs everywhere you go, from the morning coffee shop menu to farmer’s market products, local breweries, and strolling through Main Street’s local shops.

The graphic design program covers numerous periods of art history, and you will work in a variety of media and materials throughout the four-year program. As a graphic design student, you will have access to the School of Art’s vintage letterpresses, computer lab, studios, and other facilities. You can also expect to take basic and advanced course in topics like design principles, motion graphics, sculpture, and illustration.

In a four-year program, friendships are created during late night mounting jobs, last minute printing problems, and five-hour computer classes. Some of my closest college friends I have were made in class. The creativity and originality of every student creates a fun, competitive atmosphere. Every year, senior students and professors visit a nearby city to see top design firms, advertising agencies, and in-house design departments. This year we visited the Boulder/Denver, Colorado area. It was a definite highlight of my senior year and some great memories were made.

My advice for a design student at MSU: don’t have a specific style. Explore and create as many directions, possibilities and techniques as possible. Even though this can be frustrating in the short term–few masterpieces will be developed–the freedom to be able to utilize a whole array of strategies will be incredibly helpful as a professional. While in school, I don’t think it’s helpful to use one’s time to develop an original formal language; this can all be done later.

There are so many classes available for graphic design majors to take. Ceramics, letterpress, metalsmithing, sculpting, printmaking, and independent study opportunities are all great options.

Visit the Graphic Design major info page to learn more.

Interested in interning for design at Outside Media Group? See our internships page for more details.