[3][4] It was incorporated in 1930 as a degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both the visual arts and design.

During and after World War II, ArtCenter ran a technical illustration program in conjunction with the California Institute of Technology.

In 2019, ArtCenter revealed they exceeded their $100 million goal when their fundraising campaign for additional scholarships and expanding their south campus started in 2011.

ArtCenter built its reputation as a vocational school, preparing returning G.I.s for work in the commercial arts fields[5] and began awarding degrees in 1949.

The college logo is an orange circle, also known as the ArtCenter "Dot," which has been a part of the school's identity since its inception by founder Tink Adams[1] and a small number of colleagues.

[9] While art and design schools are not regularly included in typical undergraduate rankings such as U.S. News & World Report, ArtCenter has been recognized by a number of national and industry publications.

The Hillside Campus houses classrooms and studio space, multiple computer labs, the James Lemont Fogg Memorial Library, a model shop with traditional tools as well as rapid prototyping technologies (multi-axis CNC, laser-cutting, and multiple types of 3D printing), painting facilities, the Color, Material, and Trends Exploration Lab (CMTEL), an (Auto) Interior Simulation Lab, the Sinclaire Pavilion, photo and film stages with printing and editing facilities, and both a curated student gallery and an external exhibit gallery, both open to the public.

The Wind Tunnel has hosted events including the biannual ArtCenter Design Conference like 2006's "Radical Craft" and 2008's "Serious Play"; an annual Summit on Sustainable Mobility, large exhibitions such as "Supersonic: 1 Wind Tunnel, 8 Schools, 120 Artists"; "Gardenlab", and "Open House: Architecture and Technology for Intelligent Living" (with Vitra Design Museum), and various community meetings and events.

At that time, the college appointed Michael Maltzan Architecture as its partner in planning academic spaces and expansion of its educational resources.

In 2014, ArtCenter announced a $2 million gift to establish the Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography "to advance the research, teaching and understanding of letterform design."