The School of Design and Art at Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication focuses on the demand for art and design professionals in the national news and publishing sectors as well as the cultural and creative industries. In 1989, it pioneered art and design education in China. It is one of the 18 institutions approved by the Ministry of Education to enroll undergraduates in art based on the model of independently established art colleges, and it is a member of the Global Association of Art and Design Education and Research (Cumulus).
The School currently has 75 faculty and staff members, including 10 professors and 28 associate professors. It is authorized to offer master’s degrees in two first-level disciplines: Design and Fine Arts, as well as professional master’s degrees in Design and in Fine Arts and Calligraphy. The School offers four undergraduate programs: Visual Communication Design, Painting, Art and Technology, and Product Design. The Design discipline has been selected as a “High-Level, Precision, and Advanced Discipline” by the Beijing Municipal Government. The Visual Communication Design program has been designated a National First-Class Undergraduate Program, while the Painting and Product Design programs have been recognized as Beijing Municipal First-Class Undergraduate Programs.
Currently, the School is home to a Beijing Municipal Academic Innovation Team, an Outstanding Undergraduate Education Team in Beijing Higher Education Institutions, and a Beijing Municipal Teaching Excellence Team for Ideological and Political Education in Undergraduate and Graduate Courses. Several faculty members have received prestigious honors such as “National Outstanding Teacher,” the State Council Special Allowance, “Leading Talent in China’s News and Publishing Industry,” “Pioneer in New Media Education in China,” “Beijing Teaching Master,” “Beijing Young Teaching Master,” “Most Respected Teacher in My Heart” awarded by the Beijing Students’ Federation, High-Level Young Talent recognized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, and Beijing Outstanding Young Talent. Many faculty members also serve in academic organizations such as the Teaching Steering Committee for Higher Education Institutions under the Ministry of Education, the China Association of Higher Education, the China Artists Association, and the China Photographers Association.
The School is equipped with a variety of teaching and practice platforms, including the National Teaching Demonstration Center for Digital Art and Innovative Design, a Beijing Key Laboratory, a Beijing Municipal On-Campus Innovation and Practice Base, and several off-campus internship and practice bases, including one located in the National New Media Industry Base. In addition, the School hosts a number of academic research and social service innovation institutions, such as the Ex Libris Art Creation and Research Base under the China Artists Association, the Publication Design Research Center, the Humanities and Future Design Innovation Center, the National Center for Visual Identity and Brand Design, the Art and Technology Research Center, the Beijing Thematic Art Creation Research Center, and the Institute of Aesthetics.
The School has been approved to offer one National First-Class Undergraduate Course. In 2018, it received one First Prize and one Second Prize in the Beijing Municipal Teaching Achievement Awards, and in 2022, it received another First Prize in the same awards. In recent years, faculty members have secured 12 projects under the National Social Science Fund of China (in the field of Art Studies) and 12 projects funded by the China National Arts Fund. They have also won numerous prestigious domestic and international awards, including the First Prize in the 11th Beijing Philosophy and Social Science Outstanding Achievement Awards, the Gold Award at the Sun Yat-sen and Overseas Chinese International Art Touring Exhibition, the Five-One Project Award from the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Gold Award at the 11th National Print Exhibition, the iF Design Award (Germany), and the Red Dot: Best of the Best Award (Germany).
Rooted in the concept of “Creative Design and the Integration of Art and Engineering,” the School has undertaken a series of major national design projects. These include the design of the Taiwan Float for the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China; the exterior design of the “Zero Formation” military parade vehicles for the 70th Anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War; the commemorative booklet and digital visual effects for the gala celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China; the visual identity system for volunteer services during the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC); poster design for the CPC and World Political Parties Summit; handbook design for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics; landscape design for five Olympic venues; and the city volunteer signage system. Additionally, the School completed the digital media visual design for the Changchun sub-venue of the 2019 CCTV Spring Festival Gala; the “Most Beautiful Central Axis” exhibition for the Beijing Pavilion at the Shenzhen International Cultural Industries Fair; the emblem for the National Mind Sports Games; the virtual museum for the China Printing Museum; digital designs for the Year of the Rat and Year of the Dragon stamps; the overall design for the 2024 Beijing International Performing Arts Expo; and the visual identity system for the Grand Canal Museum. Through innovative design, the School has contributed to the successful World Heritage nomination of Beijing’s Central Axis.
