Courses

D101: DESIGN AESTHETICS

This fundamental course introduces visual language and the creative process of design. Basic elements, such as composition, organization, complexity, structure, approaches, form, line, color theory, mass, and scale will be discussed and practiced.

D102: TYPOGRAPHY 1

An introduction to typography, its history, aesthetics, perception, and creative and practical usage. Study is on foundations and letterforms, display and text type, and the relationships between appearance and readability of letterforms. Correct use of tools, equipment, techniques, and type specification will be discussed and practiced.

IL103: FIGURE DRAWING

A basic course concentrating on creative response studies, using the human form, its action and anatomy. Students will be introduced to the visual vocabulary of structure, form, value, line, scale, rhythm, tension, gesture, weight, and volume. Students learn to articulate visual expression through structural stimulation.

D104: INTEGRATED PRINT & ELECTRONIC PRODUCTION

Introduction to production, including tools and levels of skill standards that represent the art of craft. The basics of mechanical production, including photomechanical, direct non-impact and electronic printing, and offset printing are explored, as well as a range of traditional methods and new computer technologies. Problem-solving, conceptual thinking, and the development of a professional attitude are emphasized.

D105: CREATIVE PROCESSES

This course emphasizes non-traditional and experimental drawing techniques and the relationships between design, process, and effect as a resource for understanding, analyzing, and interpreting visual style.

D106: EXPERIMENTAL LINE

This course emphasizes non-traditional and experimental drawing techniques and the relationships between design, process, and effect for understanding, analyzing, and interpreting visual style. Students are introduced to three-dimensional drawing, perspective, and orthographic projection, gaining an understanding of scale, sectioning, and line/value techniques.

D107: TYPOGRAPHY II

This course emphasizes creative usage and psychology of typography and its reference to solve visual problems found within the study of a letterform, letter spacing, linear structure, and asymmetrical and bilateral structure. The course reflects German-Swiss design philosophy and the classic aesthetics of Greco-Roman structure and modernist theory, including typographical history and concepts, such as concrete poetry and visual sensitivity.

D108: CONCEPT AND VISUAL TRANSLATION

This course covers the methodology of the creative process. Students create a strong understanding and practice of the conceptual process and then apply these methods to a series of deliverables.

D109: MATERIALS AND SOLUTIONS

Visual awareness is expanded further as students explore 3-dimensional and linear perspective systems, advancing a repertoire of production techniques. The comprehensive presentation of concepts heavily stresses craft and emphasizes the interdependence of forms, materials, and processes related to solutions in manufacturing. Priority is placed upon developmental thinking and approaches creativity as a process.

D110: COLOR AND COMMUNICATION

This course covers the history of color theory, introduces the complexity of color, and instructs students in the use of color to enhance their visual communication skills. Using a historical reference, students explore the nuances of color and its effect upon design.

D111: BRANDING AND STRATEGY

An introduction to identifying and employing brand applications across multiple media. Students will be introduced to marketing and design terms, information gathering, research, and data interpretation. Students will work in small groups to learn hands-on the challenges and rewards of creative collaboration. Groups will work together to plan, prioritize, and set goals for a team project that will involve revitalizing/creating an identity and branding system.

D112: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY & WRITING

Students spend half the time covering basic fundamentals of photography, both technical and creative, and exploring the role of photography in visual communication and how to utilize it effectively. During the second half of the class, students practice creative writing, especially the use of metaphor and imagery. Students then combine their writing and photography skills in an end-of-quarter project.

D113: COMMUNICATIONS HISTORY & THEORY

This course focuses on the development of culture. Students are exposed to visual history and philosophy based on the influences of post-structural and deconstruction theories. The critical role of design in mass communication is examined, along with the impact of the vernacular of design culture on society. Students expand their conceptual and interpretive thinking about art and design through terms of language and culture.

D114: INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN

This class is a comprehensive introduction to the study of design. Students will look closely at the semantics of design, and the interpretation of ideas and their representation through visual systems. Color, balance, eye flow, typography, and production will be examined. Students are encouraged to take creative risks as they develop solutions to realistic design problems requiring research, analysis, execution, and evaluation.

DAD202: APPLIED TYPOGRAPHY

This course focuses on messages, communication, grids, typographic applications, information, and expression. Students study typographic components that enable them to creatively articulate objectives through the selection and application of type. Instructor emphasizes the emotive value of typography as it relates to concept, visual and written components of design, form and hierarchy, and the understanding of audience-centered design.

DAD203: BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS

The basic premise of this course is that design, in the simplest of terms, is the creation of something useful and valuable. Using field research, observation, and ethnography, students will observe consumer behavior, develop meaningful representations of customer behavior, and translate their findings into actionable insights that will become the basis of their designs. Students will then create applicable advertising strategies, brand positioning and marketing, in-store signage, store layout, packaging, and display design that reflects the findings of the their research.

DAD204: PACKAGING I

Students are introduced to packaging, product design, and the development of innovative structures. The evolution of package design traced. The focus of this introductory course is on skill development as students are exposed to prototypical conceptual models. Such things as the relationship of symbol, shape, color, and typography will be explained within the context of 3-dimensional solutions.

DAD206: INTERPRETIVE DESIGN

This class investigates the rhetoric of form and function and the inherent beauty of both, allowing the students to interpret that rhetoric on a highly personal level and venture into self-expression.

DAD207: WRITING & DESIGN FOR MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

This class pairs designers with writers to consider the formula communication = design + writing and confirms that neither is independent. The collaborative model introduces projects that analyze market concepts and extreme environments in conjunction with the ways people receive and process information. Students study the ways consumers absorb information and attach meaning to message, and then they apply that information to the creation of products and services. Students acquire a stronger ability to communicate with audiences and gain greater creative control over projects.

DAD208: PHOTOGRAPHY FOR DESIGNERS

This course covers basic photography principles. Students review the traditional processes of electrostatic transfer, Polaroid transfer, and hand tinting. Also covered are traditional and oriental bookbinding structures and techniques.

DAD209: SYMBOLS, ICONS & METAPHORS

The course examines metaphor, message, and context through the study and design of symbols, marks, and logos.

DAD210: PROMOTION DESIGN

This course explores the process of creating a well-positioned and well-voiced brand dialogue. Students will then construct several pieces to promote the brand employing color, typography, and image through a series of 2 and 3-dimensional deliverables.

AD211: CORPORATE PROGRAMS & BRAND IDENTITY

Instruction involves the development and management of solutions for complex corporate and institutional identity systems, including logo, identifiers, and marks. Corporate dress, corporate marks, corporate voice, and branding are investigated, along with the promotional attitudes of corporations.

DAD212: SYSTEMS & INFORMATION DESIGN

Students are introduced to the concept of designing structure for thought, with emphasis on multi-hyphenate layering and the composite of complex data that complicates the systemic reference of contemporary society. Methods diagramming, statistical information, grid systems, isotype language, pictorial symbols, metaphor, and process will be examined.

DAD213: INTERACTIVE MEDIA

Students learn to create effective advertising using Web sites, CD, and other interactive platforms. This course provides an exciting forum for students to understand how to interpret content for the Web rather than traditional page layout schemes

DAD214: PUBLICATION & ART DIRECTION

This course introduces the complexities of multi-page projects. The basics of publication design, including the application of design principles and grid systems, are covered, as well as the relationship between typography and image.

DMA220: MEDIA ARCHITECTURE I

This introductory course explores the central communications medium of the 21st century, the Web. Emphasis is on the implementation of branding, along with color theory, typography, strategy, and other considerations of the Web environment. Students learn to integrate graphic software, including multi-media, audio, and video technologies. Graphics authoring, interface design, and scripting principles are covered. Experimentation with many digital medias offers students the opportunity to understand the essentials of structure found in linear and non-linear systems development.

DMA221: MEDIA ARCHITECTURE II

An extension of the first fundamental class, this course introduces students to principles of computer-based activity. This activity includes content, design for the screen, writing for different media, media authoring, and the integration tools — both analog and digital. Students will prototype designs in three-dimension and experiment with various digital media, and they will review and diagram existing designed sites and interfaces and discover their own direction. The focus is on creating source media, mapping, and seminal and original contributions in the form of a visual project.

DMA222: INTRODUCTION TO MULTIMEDIA

This course introduces multimedia techniques, examining applications and experimentation. Students focus on the relationship of design and technology and the accelerating role of multimedia in the marketplace. Macro-Media Director is also introduced, as a medium for conceptual development and the design of professional assignments. High-quality execution will be stressed; individual expression and initiative will be encouraged.

DMA223: INTERACTIVE CONTENT

This course provides an exciting forum for students to understand how to interpret content for the Web by studying existing printed materials published from traditional page layout schemes. The class poses the question of what is appropriate for the Internet and asks how we interpret traditional printed material, such as publication, editorial, and advertising, into a structure that best exemplifies the Web as medium. How do designers deal with fundamental principles and usage when focusing complex data into information? What should we do to make it exciting, engaging, and content-laden? This instruction provides a basis for turning conceptual thinking into pragmatic information.

DMA224: INTRODUCTION TO SCREEN-BASED DESIGN

This course is offered at varying degrees of skill levels. Students are introduced to electronic/digital system, with emphasis on understanding the Macintosh platform as an integrated network.

DAD301: EXPERIMENTAL ADVERTISING & BRANDING

This class concentrates on the creation and utilization of branding components for advertising solutions. Students study ways the specific merging of a company’s overall product lines frames continuity and establishes a brand equity; then they apply that knowledge in order to create advertising that motivates consumers.

DAD302: TYPOGRAPHY III

Students will explore the relationship between type and image and how that relationship expresses meaning as a basic unit of graphic communication. The technical aspects of type, as well as symbolic communication and the hierarchies found in multiple type applications will be examined.

DAD303: EMOTIVE DESIGN

This course studies the process of human emotion and how this influences communication. Students will examine the relationship between emotion and logic and explore the use of both in the design process.

DAD304: MODERNISM, HISTORY & CRITICISM

This course is a survey of graphic design and illustration from the Victorian era to the present. Emphasis is on the reference of time, culture, and economic and political events that influenced graphic styles in art and design.

DAD305: CORPORATE VISIBILITY

This course explains the cultural values and behavior that facilitate change. Students investigate the ways design practice might bring about innovative and significant change and solutions in response to existing social and communication problems.

DAD306: ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN

Students are introduced to three-dimensional design applications and spatial qualities necessary for creating functional and well-designed environments. Fundamentals of model making are also investigated as the students organize a comprehensive assemblage of their restaurant designs by presentation and representational techniques. This course acknowledges the students’ quest for an understanding of human factors that encompass architecture, such as scale, wayfaring systems, costs, materials, and methods of production.

DAD307: MESSAGE & CONTENT

In this class, students consider the composition of a message and the relevance of its meaning. The emphasis of instruction is on perception, visual organization, visual metaphor, and aesthetics.

DAD308: PACKAGING / MASS MERCHANDISE

This class concentrates on a 3-D approach to product display and package design. The students will learn to consider materials, production methods, shapes and containers, point-of-purchase, and experimental structures in creating their visual solutions. Aesthetic issues and trends in multiple packaging for industry and retail will also be discussed.

DAD309: PRODUCT DESIGN

Designers explore the methods and processes of product design, including conceptual thinking, form, ergonomics, human factors, materials and production. This class focuses on the development process, the nature and use of materials, and the understanding of market considerations. Students work through conceptual strategies, rough design sketches, and geometrical drafting techniques to comprehensive prototype design.

DAD310: RETAIL BRANDING

This class offers an introduction to the competitive world of retail merchandising. Students will explore a range of media from direct mail catalogs to Web site development to product package and shopping/gift bag design. Students will review case studies that focus on memorable design that increases brand visibility and sales. Project work will emphasize the ability of a designer to create a loyal brand/product consumer community through the use of compelling graphics applied to variety of retail media applications.

DAD311: OLYMPIC BRANDING

This class exposes the students to a real-life scenario of branding the Olympic Games. Students will create a mark, a system of colors, graphics, and typography that will translate into signage, promotional materials, vehicles, uniforms, and other elements to establish an appropriate, consistent, and effective brand.

DMA320: MEDIA ARCHITECTURE III

This course introduces students to specific areas of applied concentration, such as advertising, packaging, annual reports, and retail communications, allowing them to investigate new forms. This class will focus on organizing visual data that surrounds us in everyday life into useful and accessible media, making it information. Additionally, students will examine the integration of form and function in order to determine what corporate culture might become as a result of new technologies. Students are encouraged to develop innovative means for expression.

DMA321: MEDIA ARCHITECTURE IV

This course introduces visual design for the Internet and results in a greater mastery of authoring, tools and techniques, mixed media, and current trends and fads in interactive media today. The class covers analysis; iconography relationships; object artifact; social, cultural, and commercial contexts; advertising; and audience-centered design. The idea of extending the brand as a strategic integrated aspect of these areas will be emphasized.

DMA322: WRITING FOR NEW MEDIA

This advanced course allows students to explore new paradigms that blur traditional boundaries of communication. Both verbal and visual aspects of web concepting and how they relate to audience-centered design are investigated. Students learn the fundamentals of writing, editing, and designing clear, compelling, and interactive communications. The role of the interactive writer and “content strategist” within a new media team will also be examined.

DMA323: INFORMATION GRAPHICS I

This class demonstrates the conceptual techniques and methodologies that give form to abstract precepts, concepts, and ideas. The student is introduced to hierarchy and theoretical positions and will study about abstraction and spatial relationships and how they are a consequence of the linear alpahabet. Aspects of acoustical and visual space and deconstruction theory are illustrated as elements that punctuate contemporary culture, ranging from politics, to business, to entertainment, to education. Maps, graphs, diagrams, metaphor, symbolic relationships, and intuitive relationships will be explored.

DMA325: INTERACTIVE EDITING I

This course is hands-on and introduces the student to digital video editing. Students engage an array of media in assembling and working with both video and audio material. Such topics included might be masks, filters, motion, and transparencies. Students will create animated titling, using multiple video clips, graphics, and audio to take them from idea to reality. Coursework will involve practical exercises and work projects outside class.

DMA326: INTERACTIVE EDITING II

Expanding on DMA325, students continue to work with a variety of media in assembling and working with both video and audio material. Such topics included might be masks, filters, motion, and transparencies. Students will create animated titling, using multiple video clips, graphics, and audio to take them from idea to reality. Coursework will involve practical exercises and work projects outside class.

DAD401: PHOTO DESIGN SOLUTIONS

Designers are exposed to a variety of approaches and mixed media found in photographic techniques. This hands-on class allows the designer to sharpen conceptual abilities while experimenting with techical processes, including working with B&W, shooting, processing, Polaroid transfer, developing, and photo-finishing techniques.

DAD402: ANNUAL REPORTS

Students develop an understanding of the annual report and its purpose as a function of the corporation. Documents are produced in multiple formats.

DAD403 EPHEMERAL DESIGN

This class investigates the rhetoric of form and function and the inherent beauty of both, allowing students to interpret that rhetoric on a highly personal level and venture into self-expression.

DAD404: PACKAGING E-MARKETING

Students learn the process by which to rework the message of current brands by updating an existing brand’s current visual message. After repositioning this new brand, students must consider how to market the product to a modern audience using interactive media.

DAD405: TYPE & IMAGE

Students discuss and explore the relationship between type and imagery as a vital role in the design process. Students learn how type can change an image or an image can change type.

DAD406: CORPORATE CAPABILITIES

This class provides a solid understanding of all aspects of corporate branding from a mark, to marcom, to promotions in creating a consistent brand dialogue.

DMA422: MEDIA ARCHITECTURE INFORMATION & SYSTEM DESIGN

This course explores the tenets for information and new media design, which are built on the premise of reducing the noise of communication by eliminating excessive content and complexity. Students consider the most effective responses to community-level problems.

DMA423: ADVANCED WEB DEVELOPMENT

This is an advanced course expanding on the former aspects of Web development. Class emphasizes the development of skill sets necessary to make tactical decisions about design planning employed in the process of Web development. Precepts, concepts, ideas, and prototypical solutions will be investigated. Through hands-on lessons, the students will focus on hypertext markup language and other aspects of functionality employed in good Internet design.

DMA424: ADVANCED INFORMATION DESIGN

This class emphasizes the use of digital media, introducing such techniques as the writing and creation of hyper-text markup language. Additionally, students will study programming and scripting, creating projects that showcase proficiency in a fast-paced and rapidly expanding field of interactivity and computer-based media.

DMA425: INTERACTIVE EDITING III

This hands-on course furthers the student’s exposure to digital video editing using the softward AfterEffects. Students engage an array of media in assembling and working with both audio and visual material. Such topics included might be masks, filters, motion, and transparencies. Students will create animated titling, using multiple video clips, graphics, and audio to take them from idea to reality. Coursework will involve practical exercises and work projects outside of class.

DMA426: INTERACTIVE EDITING IV

This course introduces the student to the use of the complex authoring softward Lightwave, which creates elaborate special effects used in digital animation and video production. Students are introduced to time-based special effects of 3D and learn to composite multi-layered effects. Animation and editing will be covered. Students create animation and use to integrate digital video. This program has a multiplicity of uses and the course is extensive. Prerequisite is a demonstrated familiarity with electronic/digital vocabularies.

833: GRAD PERT

Graduate elects receive academic advisement on the preparation of projects for their final portfolio presentation and engage in an ongoing dialogue about their long-term personal, professional, and creative goals.

834: PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES

This class teaches students to develop a strategy for marketing themselves as creative resources. Students learn how to speak powerfully during an interview.

835: GRADUATE WORKSHOP

Eighth quarter’s concentration is on perfecting the book: all work is scrutinized thoroughly and evaluated for content, variety, and execution. Students present their work to a panel of instructors and other industry members and receive feedback on their portfolios and presentations. The remainder of the quarter is devoted to refining their portfolios before receiving a final review for graduation.

836: GRADUATE ADVISEMENT

With one-on-one guidance of the writing counsel, students determine what is perfect, what needs revision, and what is missing in their books in order to create a highly polished portfolio that showcases how the graduate handles a variety of media and clients.