Color & Materials Design

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mfa

About the Program

The Color and Materials Design program at CCS is the only accredited graduate-level CMF program worldwide, attracting designers globally from the fields of product, transportation, fashion, interior, user experience, textile, and animation design, as well as fine art, crafts, architecture, engineering, and the natural and social sciences.

The program curriculum prepares students to cultivate a mindset where forward-thinking color, material, and finish strategies are framed to connect functional and emotional meaning to products, environments, and experiences — with the understanding of user needs and preferences — across a wide range of industries.

Often working in cross-collaborations through experiential learning with industry partners, students strive to achieve expertise in deciphering patterns within markets, cultures and geographic regions to develop narratives that offer innovative perspectives, mindful of the impact of their design decisions in terms of societal effects, product life-cycle, and sustainability. Graduates of the program operate in both tangible and virtual environments, pushing forward color, material, and finish concepts through in-depth research and trend forecasting, practical experimentation and prototyping, advanced digital technologies, and visual and verbal storytelling. The Color and Materials Design graduate program is STEM-designated — offering extended visa opportunities for international students — and prepares graduates for careers in Color, Material, and Finish (CMF) Design, Color Design, Color Development, Color Marketing, Color Mastering, Material Design, Material Development, Surface Design, and Trend Forecasting.

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Fabritecture – The Thermalized Strategy

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Dreamaterials

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3

Light the Night

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The Color and Materials Design program at CCS is the only accredited graduate-level CMF program worldwide, attracting designers globally from the fields of product, transportation, fashion, interior, user experience, textile, and animation design, as well as fine art, crafts, architecture, engineering, and the natural and social sciences.  The program is STEM-designated — offering extended visa opportunities for international students — and equips graduates with the integral skills to effectively deliver concepts across disciplines and industry sectors.

CMF Designer
Color and Trim Designer
Color Designer
Materials Designer
Trend Strategist
Color and Materials Mastering Designer
Materials Development Specialist

The 30-credit MA (initial degree) is the first year of the 60-credit MFA (terminal degree), with classes focusing on professional and technical skills and knowledge. During the second year, students embark on an independently defined critical enquiry. A Part-Time option is also available for this program.