Graphic Design

Requirements

Requirements

Every fall parents and students ask the Graphic Design faculty for advice on what type of equipment to purchase for use in our program. Below is our recommendation.

Equipment and software in our program is based entirely on the Apple Macintosh platform, we recommend Apple products for our students. Students will not have the ability to use a PC laptop in any of our graphic design coursework.

What screen size is the best? Do I need more storage space? Do I need an additional hard drive? Depending on your financial ability the answers to these questions will depend. If you have any questions please contact Bill Rees, program director.

Apple Laptops:

The Graphic Design program requires each student to have a MacBook pro. Your computer will have to run the latest operating system for the next 4 years. MacBook Pro models from 2017 and newer can run the latest version of macOS. This cut off year will increase each year.

If you currently have a MacBook Pro newer then 2021 this device should support the newest operation systems over the next 4 years.

To see a list of currently supported MacBook Pros you can visit Apple's support page.

Apple Support

Updated for Fall 2022

The 14" MacBook Pro is the faculty's recommendation for freshmen coming into the Graphic Design program.

Make sure you upgrade the memory (32GB)!

14-inch MacBook Pro

Apple M1 Pro with 8-Core CPU, 14-Core GPU, 32GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage

MacBook Pro 16
  • Apple M1 PRO processor
  • 16-core Neural Engine
  • 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
  • 32GB unified memory
  • 512GB SSD storage
  • Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port
  • Magic Keyboard with Touch ID

    • Suggested retail price: $2,209.00.
    Does not include Apple Care or sales tax.
  • Apple Educational Macbook Pro

  • We highly recommend AppleCare+ for your Mac ( this is critically important protection )

    AppleCare+

Mice and Keyboards

A Bluetooth mouse and keyboard are required. Our design labs have monitors for you to connect your laptop to, and it's much easier to use a keyboard and mouse when doing design work.

Faculty picks:

While Apple products are a premium price, we have found that the durability and longevity of these devices far out last their cheaper competitors.

We recommend the following:

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iPads

Due to the ever changing demands of our course work and the graphic design field, an iPad is becoming more and more useful. The iPad is not a replacement to a desktop or laptop in our field but another tool to further develop and showcase your work and ideas. iPad recommendations can be provided when asked.

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Monitors

An external monitor is not requited but will greatly enhance your design experience in the Graphic Design program.

Below is a list of monitors that we recommend:

Software:

Adobe logo

Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe CC subscription is required.

Students save 60% on your first year of Creative Cloud.

You can sign up for the student discount below.

Creative Cloud Student

( You will need to validate your Drexel enrollment. )

Microsoft 360

Fully-featured Office 365 software package, which includes Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access, for free until graduation.

MS Office 365
Download Office 365

Microsoft OneDrive

Each student are provided with a 5TB clould base storage for transporting files. Further information can be found at the following websites:

One Drive

Other software

You will need to purchase other types of software for specific classes. Please wait to purchase any additional software until that time.