Evaluating colleges and universities to determine which one offers the right graphic design program for your future career is an important step for students. With more than 60 graphic design colleges and universities in Illinois, deciding on the institution that is the right match for your needs can be a formidable task – while there is no magic formula for choosing a college, you can get a head start by researching school rankings and guides to help you find the best school for you.

Best Graphic Design Programs in Illinois for 2019

Top 10 Graphic Design Programs in Illinois

School rankings are based on data published by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), a system of surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Education. Key factors include a commitment to high academic standards, return on investment, faculty ratings, and long-term employment statistics that track graduate success.
  • School of the Art Institute of Chicago
  • University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign
  • University of Illinois at Chicago
  • Columbia College of Chicago
  • DePaul University
  • Bradley University
  • North Central College
  • Elmhurst College
  • Augustana College
  • Benedictine University

Our Rankings

Graphic designers are professionals who use both artistic and technical expertise to convey a visual message to their audience. Formerly known as commercial artists or even sign makers, graphic designers work in a number of diverse industries, including music, IT, utilities, and of course, advertising. Alone or as part of a team, graphic designers collect and assemble pictures, logos, and type in order to create the intended message through published media channels like newspapers, magazines, or websites. To become a successful graphic designer, one must be skilled at building a plan to communicate a visual message. Strong artistic and technical skills are also required. Listed below are colleges with excellent teaching reputations, and that continue to offer the best education for art students. To see how we select and compare the foremost graphic design schools, please visit our methodology page.

Illinois Employment & Jobs Outlook

Graduates who possess a degree as a graphic designer enter the job market with a portfolio of work that showcases a number of carefully developed skills. Useful in a variety of industries, every business will have need for a graphic designer at some point. According to employment trend publisher Careerinfonet.org, the employment rate for graphic designers is increasing year over year. Employment prospects for graphic designers in Illinois are good and are projected to increase by 6% which translates into 420 new job openings from year to year until 2020. This rate of new job growth is faster than the growth of many other professional fields.