VCD Students have access to the 2,535-square-foot Visual Communication Design Resource Center, with a computer lab and a full-service output facility including an 11”×17” color laser printer/copier, a 36” color plotter, color scanners, a black-and-white laser printer and photocopier. The computer lab features current Macintosh computers and Adobe Creative Suite software. The Center also includes a design library with subscriptions to industry periodicals.
Glyphix is an award-winning, student-staffed, design studio. Created in 1973, Glyphix was one of the first such programs in the U.S. and the prototype for many student work-study design groups now existing on university campuses. The studio is located in the heart of downtown Kent. The second floor suite is an open collaborative environment providing a truly professional atmosphere both in philosophy and in physical space. Graduate and undergraduate students form the studio staff with a faculty member serving as Creative Director. Students work in teams to experience real-world assignments while using individual digital workspaces and conference rooms for meeting with clients. Visit the Glyphix web site to view some of the work designed by Glyphix staff.
The School of Visual Communication Design houses a 1000 square-foot letterpress lab with a sizable collection of metal and wood type, four flat-bed presses, two platen presses and a polymer plate maker.
This unique lab is one of only a few in the country available for student experimentation with this traditional form of hands-on printing. It offers an opportunity for creative integration of various media in the printing process. Students in upper-level classes are able to explore materials and production processes that cannot be achieved through digital printing alone.
The nature of design has changed considerably in the last decade. Design thinking, design research and human-centered design all require work environments as collaborative and adaptable as the teams within them. Grad Studio/105 provides each of the VCD graduate students with an individual workspace. The 2,800-square-foot studio also includes ideation and planning areas, white boards, a lounge, and kitchen. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.