Graphic Design Program Highlights

Across Los Angeles and Beyond: Recent Achievements from the Graphic Design Community at Otis College

The BFA and MFA Graphic Design programs at Otis College continue to foster collaboration and professional engagement across Los Angeles and beyond. Recent months have seen students, alumni, and faculty participating in national design conferences, exhibiting work internationally, and contributing to industry-leading initiatives that highlight the program’s global reach and creative momentum.

“We’re off to a dynamic start to the fall semester with our BFA and MFA students and faculty engaged in a wide variety of projects both on and off campus. It’s exciting to see our community connect with Los Angeles and the broader design community in meaningful ways,” says Chair Brendan Griffiths.

Leading and Networking at the Professional Association for Design

This October, Eager Zhang, director of the MFA program, served as lead designer for the 2025 AIGA National Design Conference. Selected by AIGA’s national board, Zhang led the conference identity design for nearly a year, contributing to the visual direction of one of the design field’s most significant gatherings. Read more about Zhang’s work, which details how they “created a visual system that celebrates performance, creativity, and the moment we shine.⁠”

The MFA Graphic Design program partnered with AIGA Los Angeles to co-host “Emergence: A Creative Mixer,” an official event of the conference. The mixer brought together creative professionals for networking and community building. Students Pratibha Gajula and Mei Imamura and alum Antonio Valverde (’25 MFA Graphic Design) had their projects featured as part of the evening’s showcase. 

At the conference, MFA students also presented “How to Bake A Graphic Designer,” an interactive printmaking installation that invited visitors to engage directly with the process of creative formation.

Industry Visits and Professional Development

Students in both the BFA and MFA Graphic Design programs participate in studio visits, industry partnerships, and professional mentorships throughout the year. 

Recently, graduate students toured Media Arts Lab, the award-winning agency responsible for Apple’s global advertising campaigns, gaining firsthand insight into major brand storytelling. Garrett Fuselier, augmented reality lead at TikTok, visited Otis as a guest artist.

Otis students also strengthened ties with Adobe, participating in a company event during which MFA candidates Haidyn Reynolds and Lauren Scheide presented their work alongside industry professionals. And through an apprenticeship at Adobe, alum Antonio Valverde is applying his studies in a real-world setting that bridges design education and corporate innovation.

Graphic Design students completed summer internships with Hallmark and Tencent.

International Exhibition

Assistant Professor Jialun (Jaylen) Wang co-curated Tone in Tongue, a multi-venue international exhibition exploring language and visual culture in contemporary design. Presented in collaboration with researchers and designers from Radical Characters, Boston University, and the Pratt Institute, the exhibition traveled from Otis College to the Maryland Institute College of Art and, finally, to the Shanghai Research Institute of Printing Technology.

The exhibition reflects the diversity and global awareness of the Otis community and the broader L.A. design landscape, inviting visitors to explore how shared histories and distinct aesthetics shape contemporary visual communication. It features 50 international designers and 100 publications. Learn more about the exhibition at Radical Characters.

Alumni Achievements 

Otis alumni continue to make significant contributions to contemporary design and culture. Ramon Tejada (’12 MFA Graphic Design) received the prestigious Vilcek Prize, which recognized his “pedagogical approach that centers collaboration, inclusion, and radical innovation.”

Poppy Pu (’25 MFA Graphic Design) won a Young Ones Student Award from The One Club for Creativity. Young Ones is an acclaimed competition that began in 1986.

Eulmin Park (’25 BFA Graphic Design) was named a Ones to Watch for 2025 from It’s Nice That, a curated list of next generation creative talent from across the globe.

Fostering Dialogue

The MFA program has reintroduced in-person annual reviews for students that now double as open studio events during Otis College’s O-Launch Exhibition Weekend. The event invites external critics and industry guests to provide feedback and foster cross-disciplinary dialogue.

The program will also debut its first off-campus thesis exhibition in several years at Inglewood’s Guest House Gallery in April 2026. The show will offer MFA candidates an expanded platform to present their culminating projects to the public.

Looking Ahead  

This November, David Reinfurt, acclaimed graphic designer and educator, will visit Otis to discuss his new book, A *New* Program for Graphic Design, and meet with our MFA students. His talk will be free and open to the public. Visit the Otis events calendar.

Read more about our BFA and MFA programs.

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