Graphic Design

Graphic Design students utilize a software which is highly complex and requires a significant amount of computer resources to run optimized. And while the software is built to be compatible with both Windows and MacOS operating systems, the industry standard for graphic designers tends to be Apple MacOS focused. Because of this, our graphic design program utilizes the following hardware and software* for its program:

Software

Adobe Creative Cloud https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud.html

*Provided to Graphic Design students under an added course fee by default

Adobe CC is an annual subscription that allows access to the entire suite of Adobe software. This includes (but is not limited to) the following products.

Hardware

Minimal:

Apple MacBook Air https://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop/buy-mac/macbook-air/space-gray-apple-m1-chip-with-8-core-cpu-and-7-core-gpu-256gb#

8GB RAM
256GB SSD Storage

Price: $899

^{As of 5/11/2021}

The entry-level MacBook air would provide enough power to utilize any of these tools if operated one-at-a-time but does not include enough resources to allow simultaneous processing of multiples of these programs.

The storage is also limited and would require Adobe files to be stored on a cloud-storage solution such as OneDrive, DropBox, or Adobe’s built-in solution

16GB RAM
256GB SSD Storage

Price: $1079

^{As of 5/11/2021}

The same entry-level MacBook Air as listed above but simply doubling the amount of RAM. This should add enough resources to allow simultaneous multitasking for several Adobe tools.

Alternate Options:

MacBook Pro - any option for the new Macbook Pro will provide all the necessary hardware and software requirements. While not a requirement if budget is an issue, however, if your student knows they will want to enter the GD workforce, this model is often the choice of mobile Graphic Design professionals. Education price range is $1199-$2799 and up.

iMac - While even more powerful than the MacBook options, an iMac is not portable and will not allow students the flexibility of bringing their equipment to class for assignments.

Mac Mini - Similar to the iMac, the MacMini is a desktop computer, requires a monitor, and is not intended for portable purposes.

Non-Options:

Windows Laptop - While the Adobe software is compatible with a windows computer, and some graphic design students may prefer to utilize Windows, the controls for Mac vs Windows are significantly different and can be confusing for students.

iPhone, iPad or iPad Pro - While Apple has made great strides to upgrade the iPad hardware, because they still operate on iOS operating system, they will not be able to run the necessary Adobe Software

Chromebooks - Not capable of running the necessary Adobe software