Top Schools in Industrial Design: California College of the Arts

California College of the Arts

Started in 1907 by German cabinetmaker Frederick Meyer, a key figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, the school has a storied legacy.

Discipline: Industrial Design
Location: San Francisco, USA
Undergraduate: Bachelor of Fine Art in Industrial Design
Graduate: Master of Design

Number of students: 200
Number of faculty: 70

Strengths

A solid grounding in craft history, proximity to the world’s most powerful hotbed of tech and digital minds and companies

Overview

Started in 1907 by German cabinetmaker Frederick Meyer, a key figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, the school has a storied legacy. Today the ID curriculum, which is still anchored by a two-pronged focus on the “craft of making” and the “craft of thinking,” benefits from the innovations, opportunities and entrepreneurship coming out of nearby Silicon Valley (partnerships are common). Despite that connection, the program is most proud of its involvement in addressing local communities’ needs (some studio classes are devoted to social impact design and sustainability).

Notable alumni

Tony Cross and Noah Murphy-Reinhertz of Nike, Leslie Greene of Google, Anh and Hoang Nguyen of Playground, Nick Cronan of Branch Creative, Gabriel Lamb of Apple, Cubby Golden of New Balance