Fall 2025
Applications for Fall 2025 opened on October 1, 2024.
Have questions? Contact the Future Students' Office at 604-599-3030 or study@kpu.ca.
Graphic Design for Marketing Info Session + Portfolio Review
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
KPU Richmond, Room 2920
Faculty will be on hand to answer your questions and review your work! Register here.
Graphic Design for Marketing
You have an affinity for visual communication and a desire to connect and inspire through design. We have a uniquely foundational and applied curriculum for you.
In this program you’ll learn how to meet the needs of a creative brief, create branding, ad and marketing campaigns, as well as understand and convey the business strategies behind every project. Build your unique voice as a creative and learn how to effectively use design to make positive change in the world. You can expect to be mentored by professionals, build a solid portfolio, and exhibit your hard work in a final showcase frequented by industry professionals.
By the end of four years, with our Bachelor of Design in Graphic Design for Marketing, you will have the conceptual and technical skills to tackle real-world design challenges, the people skills and negotiation savvy to work with clients and team members alike, and the confidence to continue exploring your creative future.
Did you know?
Didn't get in this year? Or maybe you missed the application deadline? Don't worry. Continue to develop your skills. Build your portfolio. And reapply next year.
Want to get a head start? Take courses from the Graphic Design for Marketing program that are open to all KPU students such as GDMA 1140/1240 Design History and Society. You could also take English 1100 or Marketing 1199, in addition to taking six credits of liberal education courses.
Another option to consider is the Foundations in Design program. This one-year certificate program will introduce you to design basics while helping you create a great portfolio.
Connect with our Academic Advisor to create an educational plan to get you on the right track.
Why Study Graphic Design for Marketing @ KPU?
We are the only Graphic Design for Marketing program in Canada.
Our students are consistently recognized with design awards and scholarships, locally, nationally, and internationally.
Our small class sizes ensure that our faculty can mentor each and every student and help them realize their own unique potential.
The purpose-built building for the KPU Wilson School of Design allows for collaboration and community-building with designers in all of our disciplines.
Our graduates are not only job-ready but are also original thinkers who can problem-solve and create novel solutions — necessary skills for the designers of the future
Grads from this program have a solid marketing edge that sets them apart from other design school graduates. Through our Program Advisory Committee, we're able to respond quickly to changes in the marketplace and continually adapt our curriculum to reflect current industry needs and standards, ensuring you're getting the most up-to-date education possible and positioned for success.
Many of our faculty have worked in industry and maintain strong relationships with the local and national design community. These connections offer you an incredible network of resources and opportunities to secure meaningful employment in the industry.
By the end of your four years, you’ll have the conceptual and technical skills to tackle real-world design challenges, the confidence and negotiation skills to work with clients and team members, the inspiration to continue exploring your creative future, and the portfolio and practicum experience to get you hired.
Who Studies Graphic Design for Marketing?
One of the best parts of our program is the diversity of our students. They're driven, curious, critical thinkers connected by their pursuit of graphic design excellence. Many of our students have taken high school art or design courses, while others may have some experience with Adobe software, communications, marketing, or public relations.
Successful GDMA graduates have solid English language communication skills, basic math, computer and word processing skills, and an understanding of how graphic design and marketing fit together. Don’t worry if your experience is limited – our program will teach you what you need to know.
Interested in what GDMA students do? Check out the portfolios of our recent graduates.
Student Success
Our alumni are successful leaders in the design industry and make us proud on a regular basis! They are creative directors, strategists, software designers, entrepreneurs and so much more.
These are just a few of the agencies, in-house environments and alumni-run businesses where our graduates shine:
- Cause + Affect (graphic design and events firm)
- Canuck Place Children’s Hospice
- DDB Canada
- Electronic Arts (digital games)
- WiderFunnel (digital marketing agency)
- UNBC (senior graphic designer and videographer, communications/marketing department)
- Lululemon Athletica
- O2E brands
- Ocean Networks Canada
- Interactive Health International
- Ion Brand Design
- City of Surrey
- Saje Natural Wellness
- Skunkworks Creative Group
- St. Bernadine Mission Communications
- Visual Capitalist (information design for financial data)
- Wealthbar (software start-up)
- ZAK (graphic design studio founded by three alumni)
Program Overview
The Bachelor of Design in Graphic Design for Marketing is a challenging four-year (eight semester), 120-credit program. Our innovative curriculum includes a broad range of project work, including:
- Web and integrated media design
- Information and publication design
- Packaging and display design
- Corporate communications, branding and advertising design
- UX/UI research, prototyping and design
Project work challenges you to conceptualize, experiment, and innovate to create designs that solve problems. You’ll also fine-tune your research and writing skills to create design briefs, write reports, and produce research studies. The end result will be a market-ready portfolio.
Our cohorts of 22 students per year ensure that you’ll receive one-on-one attention from your instructors in a supportive and collaborative environment. In our studios, you'll use the same tools as graphic design professionals, including large-scale colour plotters, laser cutters, 3D printers, and a maker's workshop.
Applicants with experience in the graphic design field may gain credits through Prior Learning Assessments (PLA). For more information, please contact the Program Coordinator.
Depending on seat availability, we allow working professionals looking to upgrade their skills to take single courses or enroll on a part-time basis. Please contact the Program Coordinator for more information.
Students may obtain transfer credit for course work taken in other programs at KPU, or at other institutions. All applications for transfer credits are assessed on an individual basis. For information about transfer credit applications, please visit the Office of the Registrar.
Visit our Program Model page for more information or download a printable version. Still have questions? Check out our FAQ.
Tuition and Fees
For information on tuition, please visit our Tuition Estimator. There are also mandatory student fees and other fees that you are subject to. You should also be prepared to spend approximately $600-$1000 per year on books and materials.
You may be eligible for scholarships, student loans or other financial aid. Visit Student Awards and Financial Assistance for more information.
Laptop Requirements
The Graphic Design for Marketing program is delivered in an e-mobile environment that uses laptop computers and specific software. To find out minimum specifications and recommended software, please visit Equipment & Software.
Admission Requirements
Once you have completed your application, you will receive instructions on how to submit your Portfolio and other required documents through an online submission platform.
Your portfolio is your chance to show us your creative skills and interests. Our Admission Requirements section will help you submit the strongest portfolio possible.
Please visit How to Apply for more details about applying to KPU.
Career Information
Graduates of the GDMA program are prepared for a wide range of entry-level graphic design positions:
- Generalist graphic designers for corporations, small businesses, non-profit organizations and agencies in general marketing or communications roles that draw on their graphic design skills
- In-house graphic designers for large corporations or institutions with their own marketing communications department
- Specialist graphic designers with expertise in UX and UI design, packaging design, advertising design and display design
- Freelance or entrepreneur designers with the business and marketing savvy needed to launch their own businesses
Today, the visual communication design field is broader than ever, and graphic designers have a wide range of career opportunities. Our graduates create brand identities for corporations, launch marketing campaigns for non-profits, and create everything from product packaging to websites to retail displays.
To see what our graduates are up to, check out our alumni page.