In 1969 the Faculty of Engineering, Trisakti University opened a new department, namely the Department of Fine Arts, with Drs. Soekarno as Head of Department. The Department of Fine Arts has 3 (three) Specializations of Expertise, namely Interior Architecture, Industrial Design, and Painting with “Registered” status. Then in 1978 he became the Department of Design within the scope of the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Planning, with one of the Graphic Design Study Priority Programs. The first graduate of the Department of Fine Arts was in 1980.

The Graphic Design Study Priority Program then changed its name to the Graphic Design Study Program in 1983. The status that was previously “New” became “Registered”. In 1992 its status was increased to “Equalized”, following developments in the field of science and technology. In 1996, the Faculty of Art and Design was formed which has a Department of Design and a Department of Fine Arts, with the Visual Communication Design Study Program under the auspices of the Department of Design.

In the academic year 1997/1998 in accordance with the decision of the National Accreditation Board (BAN) of Higher Education Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia Number: 001/BPN-PT/AK/I/VIII/1998 dated August 11, 1998 that the Department of Design has been accredited with a score of ” B”, in 2000 a reassessment was held with a rating of “B”. The Visual Communication Design Study Program continues to improve itself and improve its quality in the face of future developments in Science, Technology and Arts. In 2006 the assessment by BAN PT Number 020/BAN-PT/Ak-X/S1/XII/2006 obtained an “A” accreditation rating. Furthermore, in the 2012 accreditation by BAN PT with a decree no. 028/BAN-PT/Ak-SURV-III/S1/VII/2012 dated July 19, 2012, the Visual Communication Design Study Program managed to maintain an “A” accreditation rating. Another predicate is “Indonesia Best School of Visual Communication Design, A Accreditation Category” from Mix Marketing Communication Magazine which was obtained in 2013, 2014, and 2015.

The current accreditation rating is “A” Accreditation based on BAN PT Decree No. 2847/SK/BAN-PT/Akred/S/XII/2016 dated December 1, 2016. The implementation of the 2015 Higher Education Curriculum based on the Indonesian National Qualifications Framework (KKNI) which was ratified by the Chancellor on August 17, 2015 imposed 2 (two) concentration divisions, namely Graphic Design Concentration and Multimedia Concentration.