Interactive Design
UX, interfaces and design thinking.
What this major can become
Real roles our students grow into, the industries that hire them — and why this path is a good bet.
Jobs you can do
- UX / UI Designer
- Product Designer
- Interaction Researcher
- Design Systems Designer
Industries that hire
Tech companies, startups, banks, health care, any company with an app or website
Why it’s a good bet
- Among the highest starting salaries of any design field
- Every industry needs it — you are not tied to one sector
- Ships fast: see your work used by real people within months
Recommended schools
Programs our Interactive Design students most often apply to — and get into.
What you'll learn
A staged path — fundamentals first, then specialization, then the portfolio itself.
Foundation training
Even digital portfolios are judged on visual fundamentals.
- Observational drawing and sketching to think
- Composition, hierarchy and visual balance
- Typography fundamentals
- Colour theory and systems
- Value, contrast and legibility
- Image-making and mark-making
- Sketchbook and visual research habit
Interactive specialization
Designing things people actually use.
- Design thinking and user research
- Wireframing, user flows and prototyping
- Visual systems: type, colour, grid, components
- Interaction and motion basics
- Usability testing and iteration
- A full product or app project
Portfolio & application
Case studies that show thinking, not just screens.
- Structuring a case study: problem, process, outcome
- Balancing hands-on art with digital work
- School-specific requirements and formats
- Artist statement and personal narrative
- Portfolio site and PDF presentation
- Mock interviews and portfolio reviews
Why students choose NPC
Portfolio prep is crowded. What is rare is a twenty-year record of actual offers, and mentors who have done the job.
20+ years and 3000+ graduates
Offers from Harvard, Cornell, RISD, Carnegie Mellon, Parsons, ArtCenter and USC — 590 offers and $19.6M in scholarships in the last six years alone, published school by school.
Mentors from the industry
Art directors and artists whose work spans Disney and Nickelodeon films, LEGO films, Tencent and AAA games — people who know what a portfolio has to survive.
Fundamentals first, always
Admissions committees reject weak drawing before they ever reach your concept. We build observation, perspective, value and colour before specializing.
Built to each school’s requirements
CSM, Parsons, RISD and Sheridan all ask for different things. We build to the schools you are actually applying to — not a generic portfolio.
Interactive Design — made by our students
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Start with a portfolio assessment
Portfolio and AP tracks are by enquiry only. We look at your goals and current work first, then plan the course and hours around you.