Select Page

MIAD named Top Design School for sixth year; two students receive top honors

For the sixth consecutive year, Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) magazine has named MIAD a Top Graphic Design School. This distinction recognizes colleges across the country that excel in preparing students to work in graphic design careers after graduation.

Erin Gray ’22 (Communication Design)

GDUSA also recognized MIAD Communication Design students Erin Gray ’22 and Carli Jordan ’21 as 2021 Students to Watch.

“Communication Design is something that I consume daily and that I have a connection with, consciously and subconsciously. For me, it’s about expression and the transmission of important messages,” Erin said. 

GDUSA’s Students to Watch list recognizes top students rising in the design field and growing within their programs.

Carli Jordan ’21 (Communication Design)

“During my time at MIAD, I have learned the importance of process, presentation and failure. All of which have rounded my skills and readied me for real-world design jobs, as well as the work experiences and industry knowledge I have gained from my professors,” Carli said.

News

Meet Mac Bronnson and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project MENd

Mac Bronnson ’26 (Communication Design) is a President’s (Honor) List student from Milwaukee and a recipient of a 2026 Alumni Thesis Award. MENd – No Bro Left Behind is a men’s mental health app that is not designed as a mental health app.

Meet Cyrill Reyes and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project NECROZOIC

Cyrill Reyes ’26 (Illustration) is a President’s (Honor) List student from the Greater Chicago area. My thesis is game concept art and visual development of the world of NECROZOIC, a prehistoric fantasy that retells the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Meet Bailey Staerkel and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Stitched Together

Bailey Staerkel ’26 (Fashion and Apparel Design) is a Dean’s List student from Vancouver, Wash., and a recipient of a 2026 Alumni Thesis Award. My thesis, Stitched Together, is an exploration of Gothic horror through fashion, taking classic horror archetypes and reinterpreting them into a collection of fully realized couture looks.

MIAD faculty Yi receives Wisconsin Academy Fellows Award

Multidisciplinary artist, curator, mentor and Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) professor Jason S. Yi has been named a 2026 Fellow of the prestigious Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters. Yi is one of “16 extraordinary Wisconsinites who have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to intellectual discourse and public service,” the Academy said in its awards announcement.