MFA in Color & Materials Design

The Color & Materials Design MFA Program prepares students for a career in Color, Materials, and Finish (CMF) Design.

The curriculum invites students to discover new and innovative color and material research to create meaning between products and experiences and their user or audience. Graduates of the College’s MFA program in Color & Materials Design program work in both physical and digital spaces to advance ideas through color and materials innovation, technology, and storytelling.

In the CCS Color & Materials Design program, students explore the latest advances in materials, and their color and finish applications, through hands-on experimentation and use of state-of-the-art prototyping facilities. Using this knowledge to solve design problems, students collaborate within the design team structure to develop narratives that offer creative concepts and design executions. As they learn how to look for patterns—in markets, cultures, and geographic regions—they gain insight into consumer behaviors.

This technical and aesthetic understanding of color is applied in the studio to develop creative solutions for a range of applications. Ultimately, it enables students to advance in their careers according to their own interests and objectives.

We have welcomed students from a broad range of disciplines including:

The Fine Arts, Interior Design, Furniture Design, Communication or Graphic Design, Product or Industrial Design, Transportation Design, Architecture, Textile Design, or Fiber

Portfolios that reflect an understanding of the research and design process, and attention to detail and quality, and a well-developed design aesthetic

Computer proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, including:

• Photoshop
• Illustrator
• InDesign

The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is a nonprofit, private college authorized by the Michigan Education Department to grant Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. CCS, located in midtown Detroit, strives to provide students with the tools needed for successful careers in the dynamic and growing creative industries. CCS fosters students’ resolve to pursue excellence, act ethically, engage their responsibilities as citizens, and learn throughout their lives. With world-class faculty and unsurpassed facilities, students learn to be visual communicators who actively use art and design toward the betterment of society. The College is a major supplier of talent to numerous industries, such as transportation, film and animation, advertising and communications, consumer electronics, athletic apparel, and many more. Its graduates are exhibiting artists and teachers, design problem solvers and innovators, as well as creative leaders in business.

Founded in 1906 as the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts, CCS plays a key role in Detroit’s cultural and educational communities. A private fully accredited college, CCS enrolls more than 1,400 students, pursuing Master of Fine Arts degrees in Color and Materials Design, Interaction Design, Systems Design Thinking and Transportation Design and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Advertising Design, Art Education, Art Practice (Fine Arts), Communication Design, Craft & Material Studies, Entertainment Arts, Fashion Accessories Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Photography, Product Design, and Transportation Design. The College also offers free art education for more than 4,000 Detroit youth annually through its Community Arts Partnerships program. In addition, the College’s University Prep: Art & Design is a public charter middle and high school enrolling more than 800 students in a high-performance academic curriculum with a special focus on art and design.