Become a Graphic Designer in San Francisco, California

From the Golden Gate Bridge, to the famous Alcatraz Prison, San Francisco is a truly breathtaking city. It is also home to the Art Institute of California, a great place to begin your career in graphic design.

If you have been thinking about attending graphic design school, you are most likely asking yourself questions like how much is it going to cost, how long will it take to graduate, how & where do I apply and is financial aid available?

Art Institute of California in San Francisco, California offers a programs in Media Arts and Animation, Game Art & Design, and Graphic Design. To see if this school is the right fit for you, click on the “Request More School Info” button, fill out the short questionnaire and a representative from the school will contact you to answer any additional questions about the school, costs, financial aid and how to apply.

Art Institute of California - San Francisco
1170 Market Street (at U.N. Plaza)
San Francisco, CA 94102

About The Art Institute of California - San Francisco

The Art Institute is a design, media arts and culinary arts post-secondary school that provides bachelor's and associate's degrees. Located in the heart of San Diego's Mission Valley, The Art Institute is closely situated to the area's business community, cultural attractions, shopping, entertainment and its famous beaches.

Program Advisory Committees and more than 100 faculty members are working professionals who bring a real-world perspective, work setting and industry standards into the classroom.  The program is offered on a year-round basis, on the quarter system.

Curricula are reviewed periodically by faculty and industry professionals to ensure they meet the needs of a changing marketplace. The school partners with local and national employers to help deliver industry-relevant education that benefits both students and employers.

Many students gain on-the-job skills through participation in internship or externship experiences at local companies and nationally recognized corporations. Career Services keeps its eye on employer satisfaction and industry trends to provide employers with candidates who fulfill their needs while enabling graduates' career success, both now and in the future.

Graphic Design Programs

Graphic design is used in advertising, television, publishing, and offers great opportunities for visual communicators, designers and artists. They create visual communications which may include corporate identify, annual reports, package design, brochures, direct mail and multimedia presentations.

Art directors work with writers in advertising agencies to develop original concepts. They supervise the creative process that uses the talents of production artists, layout artists, illustrators, printers and photographers.

Art directors and designers work with editors and journalists in publishing to design and produce books, magazines, and newspapers.

The television industry now employs many trained visual artists who use conventional and computer technology to create commercials, sophisticated titling, and graphics.

Emphasis is placed on learning the skills and techniques of both computer graphics and traditional design and production tools, such as the drawing board and drawing instruments. Advanced training includes the execution of assignments encountered by professionals in the field. Students graduate with the training and portfolio normally required for an entry-level position in visual communications.

Media Arts and Animation

Graduates of this program develop skills that can be used to work in television, major corporations, film productions companies and commercial post-production facilities. They work as artists in animation and special effects, broadcast graphics design, and video post-production.

This program trains graduates to be highly skilled and specialized visual communicators who combine their artistic talent with technological know-how to create moving-image impressions.

Students begin with a foundation in drawing, design, color, video production, and computer applications. They also develop skills in varied aspects of computer graphics and animation. They use the tools of the computer animation profession, which include everything from computer operating systems to 3-D modeling and desktop video production. These tools develop students' creativity and flexibility, and help them to put together individualized digital portfolios that showcase both their technical and practical abilities.

Game Art & Design

This is a bachelor's degree program that offers a a focused career path with a range of work-ready design and technology courses. Students acquire skills in drawing, 2D design, perspective, and animation. They study lighting and scene setup, anatomy and gesture, color theory, and will study motion maps, level design, characters, and prototyping.

Students also learn storyboarding, character animation, 3D model creation, level design, game prototying and texture mapping. The program also teaches the importance of creating reels and portfolios that reflect their game industry knowledge.

Students gain an understanding of game content creation, communicate a game's premise and design puzzles out of the experience of the game. Game designers lay out game options with an underlying purpose or story in mind.

Licensing and Accreditation

Accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT).

Approval from or approval to work with recipients/participants of the following groups/statutes, including The California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE) to operate as a Degree Granting Institution under CEC 94310 (a), Bureau of Indian Affairs to provide education to Native Americans, Veterans Affairs for the training of veterans and other eligible persons in accordance with the provisions of USC 1775, Title 38, Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) to enroll foreign students and issue Certificates of Eligibility (Form I-20 Visa, and the California State Department of Rehabilitation.

Going to College in San Francisco

The 4th most populous city in California, San Francisco is also the 14th most populous city in the United States, with a 2006 estimated population of 744,041. San Francisco is part of the much larger San Francisco Bay Area, which is home to approximately 7.2 million people. The city is located on the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, with the Golden Gate Bridge to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the San Francisco Bay to the east.

A city with a history dating back to 1776 when it was settled by the Spanish, San Francisco has been home to some major events in United States history, such as the Gold Rush of 1848, and the 1906 fire and earthquake, which devastated the city.

Today, San Francisco is a popular tourist destination renowned for its steep rolling hills, an eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture, and a cosmopolitan population that is highly diverse.Home to such famous landmarks as the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the cable cars, Coit Tower, and Chinatown, to sporting teams such as the Giants and 49er's, San Francisco has no shortage of entertainment and culture to suit any taste.

More Information

If you are interested in any of these programs and would like to find out more, please request information from The Art Institute of California - San Francisco, California.

San Francisco, CA Graphic Design School The Art Institute of California