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MIAD ranked #1 Graphic Design School in Wisconsin by Animation Career Review

In its 2023 rankings, Animation Career Review named MIAD the #1 Graphic Design School in Wisconsin and in the top 7% of design schools in the Midwest. The college’s Animation and Illustration programs also received top rankings.

Animation Career Review evaluates the academic reputation, employment data, depth and breadth of program faculty, tuition value, and graduation and retention rates both of independent colleges like MIAD and of public universities.

Catherine Currie, Communication Design ’23, illuminates the program’s and MIAD’s student excellence. She will join Nike for a summer internship, winning over 1,500 graphic design candidates from across the country to be the only graphic design intern at the company. She was previously awarded the prestigious Type Directors Club National Scholarship and has gained national recognition for her typography.

“[MIAD] does a really nice job of prioritizing their students and creating a relationship with their students,” says Currie. “Being here I really built a foundation of trust and a network of professionals that I can rely on for the rest of my life.” Click here to hear about Currie’s internship and projects.

MIAD’s Communication Design program prepares students for print and digital work that informs and educates in new ways, always through the lens of the end user, and through partnerships and internships in Milwaukee and beyond. In today’s global economy, alumni fill important positions at established advertising agencies, design firms and major corporations, with many leading their own creative businesses.

In addition to the rankings in Animation Career Review, MIAD has been named a previous Top Design School by Graphic Design USA.

Learn more about MIAD’s Communication Design program and alumni success.

News

MIAD Task Award: Alum pays it forward with generous mentoring

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) alum Amy Cannestra ’06 (Communication Design) believes in giving back, in mentoring and in the supportive nature of the Milwaukee art and design community. By founding Task Creative and the MIAD Task Graduate Award, the incredibly busy creative exemplifies all three beliefs. The Task awardee, Ashley Osorio ’26 (Fine Art + New Studio Practice), will receive five consecutive days to use the Task Creative space for a project of their choosing this summer.

Meet Michaela Prischman and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Cloth

Michaela Prischman ’26 (Communication Design) is a President’s (Honor) List student from Tinley Park, Ill. She created “Cloth,” a tool to help guide young professional women to find and organize alternative work attire through a personalized style subscription box.

Flagship Madison museum features exhibition by FYE faculty

The First-Year Experience (FYE) at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) blends contemporary and traditional techniques, an approach embraced by FYE faculty David R. Harper in Good Morning Sweetheart, a solo exhibition on view at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) through August 30, 2026.

Illustration seniors land NASA and Disney internships

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design seniors Grace Weisner ’26 and Allison Stras ’26 have landed the internship of their dreams: Weisner at NASA and Stras at Disney. Both are Illustration majors with minors in Communication Design.