California may be the number one state for film, after all, the world’s very first motion picture theater opened in Los Angeles in 1902, but the Golden State is also quite the attraction for designers of all kinds—including graphic designers. Aspiring graphic designers have plenty of opportunities to find work at one of the states many graphic design firms, media companies, advertising agencies and many more, but advertising seems to be a popular career option for many professionals in this field.
California is home to top advertising agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi, J. Walter Thompson, and Foot, Cone & Belding. The state is also home to hundreds of independent firms located in major cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, Fresno, and Sacramento. Aspiring graphic designers choose California for reasons beyond the best advertising firms and the vast variety of unique employment opportunities. California is also a great place to work, study, and live!
The state has more sunny days than most other states making it great for year round recreation, it is home to hundreds of famous art galleries and museums such as the J. Paul Getty Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), and there are so many schools that offer graphic design programs here, you’ll lose count.
California Graphic Design Schools
California is home to more art schools, technical schools, and traditional colleges that offer Graphic Design programs than just about any other state. The schools here offer the world’s widest variety of Graphic Design programs ranging from the standard B.A. in Graphic Design to an M.F.A. in Graphic Design and Visual Effects. Scroll through the list below to review California’s many schools for aspiring graphic designers and the truly unique degree programs they offer.
Burbank
Woodbury University - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Graphic Design, Animation
Chico
California State University, Chico - Degrees Offered: B. A. Communication Design – Graphic Design Option; B. F. A. Electronic Arts – Computer Animation Studio Pattern
Emeryville
Ex’pression College for Digital Arts - Degrees Offered: B. A. S. Motion Graphic Design, Animation and Visual Effects, Game Art and Design
Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Entertainment Art/Animation, Graphic Design, Illustration; M. F. A. Design – Graphic Design and Illustration Concentrations
Irvine
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising - Degrees Offered: A. A. Graphic Design (Branding or Entertainment), Digital Media; many students go on to earn their B. S. degrees in Business Management
Laguna Beach
Laguna College of Art and Design - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Graphic Design, Illustration, Game Art, Animation
Long Beach
California State University Long Beach - Degrees Offered: B. A. and B. F. A. in Art with Graphic Design or Illustration Option; M. F. A. Art with Concentration in Studio Art: - Graphic Design or Illustration/Animation Track
Los Angeles
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising - Degrees Offered: A. A. Graphic Design (Branding or Entertainment), Digital Media; many students go on to earn their B. S. degrees in Business Management
Loyola Marymount University - Degrees Offered: B. A. Animation, Studio Arts with Graphic Design Emphasis
Otis College of Art and Design - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Graphic Design, Illustration, Digital Media; M. F. A. Graphic Design
University of Southern California (USC) - Degrees Offered: B. A. Animation and Digital Arts, Interactive Entertainment; M. F. A. Animation and Digital Arts, Interactive Media
Northridge
California State University Northridge - Degrees Offered: B. A. Graphic Design, Animation, Video/Digital Art, Illustration; M. A. Art, Studio Art Option with Video/Digital Art Concentration; Visual Communication Option with Illustration or Video/Digital Art Concentration; M. F. A. Art, Studio Art
Option with Video/Digital Art Concentration; Visual Communication Option with Illustration, Video/Digital Art Concentration or Graphic Design Concentration
Orange
Chapman University - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Graphic Design; Digital Arts with Emphasis in Animation or Visual Effects; Studio Art: New Genres
Pasadena
Art Center College of Design - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Graphic Design; B. S. Entertainment Design; B. F. A. Illustration
San Diego
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising - Degrees Offered: A. A. Graphic Design (Branding or Entertainment), Digital Media; many students go on to earn their B. S. degrees in Business Management
San Francisco
Academy of Art University - Degrees Offered: A. A., B. F. A., M. F. A. Graphic Design; A. A., B. F. A., M. F. A. Animation and Visual Effects; B. F. A., M. F. A. Game Design; A. A., B. F. A., M. F. A. Illustration
California College of the Arts – Degrees Offered: B. F. A Graphic Design, Animation, Illustration; M. F. A. Design
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising - Degrees Offered: A. A. Graphic Design (Branding orEntertainment), Digital Media; many students go on to earn their B. S. degrees in Business Management
San Jose
San Jose State University - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Graphic Design, B. A. Art: Design Studies with emphasis in Graphic Design, B. F. A. Art: Animation/Illustration, B. F. A. Art: Digital Media Art; M. F. A. Art: Digital Media Art Concentration
Valencia
California Institute of the Arts - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Graphic Design, Art, Character Animation or Experimental Animation; M. F. A. Graphic Design (with or without specialization in Motion Graphics), Art and Technology, Experimental
More California Schools with Graphic Design related programs:
- San Francisco & Online
- Winter Park, FL & Online
- Computer Animation - Bachelor's - Online & Campus
- Game Programs - Bachelor's & Master's - Online & Campus
- Graphic Design & Digital Arts - Bachelor's - Online & Campus
- Film & Digital Cinematography - Bachelor's & Master's - Online & Campus
- Mobile Development - Bachelor's - Online & Campus
- Simulation & Visualization - Bachelor's - Campus
Employment and Salary Trends for California Graphic Designers
In 2006, California was home to a whopping 27,080 graphic designers. By 2010, the talent pool decreased slightly to 26,390. Although lower than 2006 figures, the number of salaried graphic designers living in California is still the largest in the U.S. Even better is, salaries have been on the rise since 2006. The average salary for California graphic designers was an impressive $49,620 in 2006. In 2010, the
average was $57,240.
Nationwide, as of 2010, the mean annual wage for graphic designers overall was $48,140 per year. The lowest paid graphic designers earned less than $26,110 (median), and the highest 10 percent earned more than $74,660 (median). The middle 50 percent earned between $32,600 and $56,620 (median).
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “senior designers, who may supervise junior staff or have some decision-making authority that reflects their knowledge of graphic design,” earned a median salary of $60,000. “Solo designers who freelanced or worked under contract reported median earnings of $57,000. Design directors, the creative heads of design firms or in-house corporate design departments,” earn $95,000. “Graphic designers with ownership or partnership interests in a firm or
who are principals of the firm in some other capacity” average $95,000 per year.
