A project by California College of the Arts student Carolyn-Xu
Editor’s note: This listing was updated on November 1, 2022.
OVERVIEW
One of the top art schools in the country, the California College of the Arts is located in a city that’s home to so many industry giants – a major benefit for its industrial design students. In the BA, M.Des and MFA programs, they investigate diverse, innovative materials as well as the needs of local communities; some studio classes are devoted to social impact design and sustainability. Students at both levels have access to the school’s Hybrid Lab, which provides digital fabrication tools, including 3D printers and electronic knitting machines as well as soldering stations.
Third-year undergrads can use their newly acquired skills in an internship program with a Bay Area company or design firm. Alumni, meanwhile, have gone on to work for companies like Heath Ceramics, IDEO, Lunar, The North Face, Pixar, Timbuk2, and Williams-Sonoma; this diverse range exemplifies the variety of opportunities available to students to explore their individual interests.
Notable alumni
Tony Cross and Noah Murphy-Reinhertz (Nike), Leslie Greene (Google), Anh and Hoang Nguyen (Playground), Nick Cronan (Branch Creative), Gabriel Lamb (Apple), Cubby Golden (New Balance)
Notable faculty
Mardis & Phnam Bagley, David E. Gonzalez, Sandrine N. Lebas, Sang Jin Lee, Ian MacColl, Raffi Minasian, Alex Nah, Colin Owen, Timothy Seward
