Graphic design education should embrace liberal arts approach, argues designer Kathy Pham

Graphic design education faces systemic issues as programs increasingly focus on technical skills at the expense of broader liberal arts integration, according to artist and cultural critic Kathy Pham. Unemployment rates for graphic design graduates reached 5.7% in 2024, higher than liberal arts majors at 3.8%. Historical precedents for treating design as a liberal art date back to John Dewey's 1920s writings and Walter Gropius's Bauhaus School, founded in 1919. Design educator Gunnar Swanson made similar arguments in a 1994 essay, while Richard Buchanan's 1992 work "Wicked Problems in Design Thinking" advocated for design as a new liberal art of technological culture. Current educational models often prioritize professionalization over holistic learning, with many programs cutting liberal arts requirements entirely. Financial barriers exacerbate these problems, with rising tuition costs alienating first-generation and low-income students. Portfolio schools and online bootcamps offer more accessible alternatives but risk reducing design education to technical training alone. Pham suggests combining theory and practice through various educational paths, including community colleges, public universities, and alternative schools like the School for Poetic Computation.