Department of Design

Welcome to the Department of Design

Design Programs

BFA, Animation / Illustration

BFA, Graphic Design

BS, Industrial Design

BFA, Interior Design

Graphic of 4 Smartphones with a Prototype App

BA, Design Studies

MDes, Master of Design

Minor, Graphic Design

Minor, Interaction Design

Minor, Interior Design

Animation & Illustration Team Launch Capstone Game "Poco"!

This spring, one of our graduating Animation/Illustration capstone teams launched Poco, a beautifully crafted 2D/3D hybrid point-and-click adventure game. In Poco, you play as the world’s smallest clown, banished from the sky-bound circus after an underwhelming performance. Cast down into the mysterious Below World—a surreal place where all things lost, broken, or forgotten end up—Poco must navigate the unknown and discover their purpose. The game has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, and it's free to download! Don’t miss your chance to explore this imaginative and emotional journey—play Poco today!

How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

We're thrilled to celebrate Devin Rowe, a 2023 graduate of the Animation & Illustration program, on his first feature film credit for How to Train Your Dragon (2025)! Devin’s talent was already evident in his senior capstone project, the animated short film “The Prince’s Dilemma,” which he directed and which has now screened at over 100 film festivals worldwide. After graduation, Devin joined Framestore in London, where he continues to work on exciting, high-profile projects. How to Train Your Dragon (2025) marks a major milestone—be sure to check for his name in the credits when you watch it on the big screen! Pictured is a small sample of some of the shots he worked on.

2025 Design Senior Show

Wall Street Journal Ranks SJSU the #4 Public School in the Country

The National Design Awards

Professor San Fratello is the recipient of the 2025 National Design Award for Digital Design. The National Design Awards is a Cooper Hewitt initiative launched in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council. The awards and its associated public programs seek to increase national awareness of the impact of design in our everyday life.

The book cover for Technocreep and the Politics of Things Not Seen features a dark, atmospheric scene with cylindrical white surfaces arranged in a staggered formation. Each surface is illuminated by projections of black abstract, symmetrical patterns resembling inkblot tests. The book's title, "Technocreep," is displayed in bold, pink and white letters at the top, with the subtitle "and the Politics of Things Not Seen" in smaller white text beneath it. The editors' names, Neda Atanososki and Nassim Parvin, are listed at the bottom in white capital letters. The cover design evokes a sense of mystery, technology, and surveillance.

Virtual Empathy: Transforming Design and Social Change through VR

Professor Marjan Khatibi will present "Virtual Empathy: Transforming Design and Social Change through VR," at the College Art Association (CAA) 113th Annual Conference in February 2025 in New York and her artwork is being published in the upcoming book "Technocreep and the Politics of Things Not Seen," published by Duke University Press.

A futuristic architectural space with a large, curved LED ceiling displaying vibrant, abstract visuals in red, purple, and blue hues. The darkened interior has a few people walking, and a large screen on the wall shows a black-and-white image of Earth's surface. Below, a second image shows a cityscape at dusk with a modern, spaceship-like building illuminated in soft blue light, surrounded by high-rise buildings and streetlights. The urban environment is lively, with cars and people visible in the streets.

"Plastic Landscape - The Reversible World"

Graphic Design Professor Yoon Chung Han exhibited her work "Plastic Landscape - The Reversible World" as part of the cultural event for the UN Plastic Treaty Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee (INC-5), which was held at the Busan Cinema Center from November 22, 2024 to December 3, 2024. The multi-channel video installation was screened across various locations at the Busan Cinema Center, including the Big Roof, Small Roof, Media Facade, and Outdoor Theater.