Entertainment Design
Translating stories into experiences.
Learn to delight, amuse, enchant, immerse, and enthrall in our Entertainment Design degree. Create themed spaces and environments that bring stories to life across countless industries.
“Onigami”
Eric Wang ’20
Bring spaces to life in this exciting new BFA program.
Entertainment Design is the art of creating compelling and engaging experiences that translate a narrative, concept, or theme into a real-world experience that resonates with guests.
Our Entertainment Design major teaches you to collaborate with artists, designers, and other creatives to bring your vision to life, and develop the visual communication skills of an artist and the problem solving skills of a designer. With a focus on the built environment, your artistic and technical skills are applied to project designs for theme parks, museums and exhibitions, concerts, sporting events, expos, hotels and restaurants, retail spaces, and more for an industry expanding worldwide. In this program, students learn how to be effective designers and collaborators within teams that work on creative projects across all kinds of entertainment experiences. We’re translating stories into real world experiences.
Spotlight
Design the Experience from Start to Finish
Images above created by Wrenhouse Design, Scott Wren alumnus ’97, and provided courtesy of ©Universal Creative, ©Loews Hotels, ©Wrenhouse Design.
Student Work
We Create Themed Environments
Projects focus on developing a strong foundation of concept development, and building a knowledge of three‐dimensional spatial relationships, material properties, and fabrication techniques.
You will develop advanced technical skills using a variety of digital design techniques in drawing, CAD, 3D modeling, traditional model making, and 3D prototyping. Ringling College is a member of the industry’s major organization, the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), which shares news and events in the industry and connects students across the country.
What Types of Spaces Do We Design?
Themed Entertainment:
Universal’s Epic Universe
The Jungle Cruise
Nintendo World
The Revenge of the Mummy
Mickey and Minnie’s runaway Railway
Harry Potter World
The Simpsons ride
Cultural Destinations:
Museums
Meow Wolf
Museum of Ice Cream
Fairgrounds
Zoos
National Geographic Grand Canyon Visitors Center
Themed Retail:
Tesla
Apple Store
Microsoft Store
Niketown
Madrid Xanadu
Joy City, Shanghai
Themed Restaurants:
Hard Rock
Tommy Bahama
Toothsome Chocolate Emporium
Medieval Times Dinner Tournament
Pirates Dinner Adventure
Capone’s Dinner & Show
The Cirque Magique
Opportunities for students
INDEX
INDEX – Industry Experience at Ringling College – is our promise to provide every student the opportunity to have hands-on industry experience before graduation by offering real-world projects with real-world clients. This experiential education initiative allows students to learn how to turn passion into profession. INDEX opportunities are abundant and available through experiential learning in the classroom, the Design Center, Studio Labs, ART Network, the Makerspace, as client competitions and immersive experiences, volunteerism, internships, and elective courses.
Internships
Work with our Career Services Center to prepare and guide you to finding an internship focused on your area of interest – we are here to help! With networks around the region and the country, we help you gain exposure to professional best practices and practical application of your technical skills. We are constantly connecting with industry professionals to find new, exciting opportunities to put your skills to work and get a taste of real-world work demands.
Industry Critiques
To further inform the work of our fourth year students, we bring in renowned, successful visiting artists to participate in milestone critiques. Coming from the top studios, brands, and businesses in the industry, our artists offer a relevant, real-world perspective to bring student thinking out of the classroom into the professional arena. This process provides our students with invaluable feedback from the best of the best in the field, which they can immediately apply to their current works in process.
Visiting Artists
Wayne Clark
Senior Manager
Universal Creative
Deborah and Scott Wren
Co-owners & Creative Partners
WrenHouse Design
Todd King
COO and Owner
Bungalow Scenic
Dave Minichiello
Retired Executive Creative Director
Creative Walt Disney Imagineering
Cynthia Brown and John Shaw
Principals
Museum EXP
