The philosophy of the Design area is to encourage students' desire for excellence in what they do and to recognize and develop their unique strengths. Courses in design provide students with a foundation in the practical and theoretical problem-solving skills crucial to many forms of visual representation. These art skills are relevant to many professions and disciplines, such as communication, business, film, journalism and architecture. In fact, design students are encouraged to broaden their educational horizons by adding courses or minoring in areas outside of art, such as marketing and business management, advertising and communication.

Design faculty include Haven Lin-Kirk, Design area head, and a distinguished roster of professional designers including Steve Child, Sherin Guirguis, Tom Schorer, Osvaldo Trujillo and Ewa Wojciak.

Design courses range from basic page layout and paste-up techniques, corporate identity and logo design, package design, graphic theories and psychology, typography, and include an extensive digital foundation in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Advanced classes focus on hands-on projects with professional corporate partners such as The Gap, American Rag et Cie., and CBS Studios' Grammy Awards.

A Student Portfolio Day is held each spring, featuring representatives from over 60 advertising and design firms. Most job placements occur here as students shop their portfolios to the various companies.