Transportation needs civil engineers, operators, urban planners—and graphic designers.
This spring, students in San José State University’s Graphic Design BFA program tried their hands at real-world transportation communication through a unique collaboration with the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI). With MTI’s $1,000 sponsorship of the program’s BFA Senior Show, a team of design students worked on a real-world client project: rebranding the Mineta Summer Transportation Academy (MiSTA), MTI’s flagship high school program that introduces teens to careers in transit, tech, and mobility.
These student designers created a fresh, vibrant visual identity for MiSTA. Their deliverables included a new logo, t-shirt, flyer, and social media graphics—all designed with accessibility, user experience, and visual clarity in mind.
Graphic design may not be one of the most obvious roles in the transportation industry, but it shapes how people navigate the world.
“The best graphic design goes unnoticed,” said the lead for this collaboration, MTI student assistant and soon-to-be graphic design program graduate Kat Earnest. “Graphic design, including for transportation, is everywhere. Road and bus signs, navigation apps, vehicle interface designs—it’s all there, but the best graphic design seamlessly integrates into the background, letting the user focus on the content or message.”
This invisibility of graphic design reflects a broader truth about transportation: many essential roles—often “behind the scenes”—support the complex systems of roads, buses, trains, sidewalks, airports, and more that keep our country moving. Transportation is how we move, and mobility is for everyone. There is a need in the industry for accountants, communication specialists, data analysts, educators, IT experts, mechanics, dispatchers, and so many more. The education and workforce development efforts led by MTI like MiSTA help expose young people to these opportunities and provide them with experience and skills they need to pursue them and succeed.
“As a design student, having real experience working with real clients, solving problems is very valuable. My time collaborating with MTI proved how valuable design can be for society. It also showed me that design has its place in many industries outside of design agencies and marketing,” said Michael Virtudazo, one of the students who participated in the collaboration. “I want to thank MTI for the opportunity to work and collaborate with them in this project. I found the work to be very valuable and I gained a lot of insight and experience through this project.”
The next time you look at a road, a sign, a map, an app, think of the graphic designers and all the other folks who play a critical role in getting you where you need to be.
About the Mineta Transportation Institute
At the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State University (SJSU) our mission is to increase mobility for all by improving the safety, efficiency, accessibility, and convenience of our nations’ transportation system. Through research, education, workforce development and technology transfer, we help create a connected world. Founded in 1991, MTI is a university transportation center funded by the US Department of Transportation, the California Department of Transportation, and public and private grants, including those made available by the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB1). MTI is affiliated with SJSU’s Lucas College and Graduate School of Business.
About the Lucas College of Business
Lucas College and Graduate School of Business faculty, staff, students and alumni consistently make a significant impact in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Many graduates have gone on to excel in various industries, with a notable presence in Silicon Valley. These organizations recognize and value the exceptional education and skills our alumni bring to their roles, making San José State University a key contributor to the region’s thriving economy. With competitive tuition and outstanding career outcomes, our college is among the top institutions for return on investment (ROI), delivering unparalleled value for money in higher education. We offer MBA, PMBA, MSFA, MSAA and MSTM degrees at the graduate level and 14 different BSBA concentrations at the undergraduate level, the largest set of offerings among the CSUs. These include accounting, accounting information systems, business analytics, corporate accounting & finance, entrepreneurship, finance, general business, hospitality, tourism, & event management, human resources management, international business, management, management information systems, marketing, and operations & supply chain management.
This story was originally published on the MTI LinkedIn page, and was written by Lisa V. Rose.