Careers in the Creative Arts
Graphic Design
AAS-T Degree or Certificate
Program Curriculum
| 1'st Quarter | Cr | |
| DES 101 | DRAWING I | 3 |
| This foundation course provides the fundamentals and principals of drawing, especially as applied to graphic design. With an emphasis on composition, spatial perception, and accurate rendering, this course will enhance the ability to develop an idea with drawings and strengthen hands-on visual representation. Classwork focuses mainly on studio practice and demonstrations while the homework assignments address research and longer-term projects. The exercises explore the potential of illustration work as well as how to use drawing skills to enrich computer-generated imagery and to complement typography. There is an importance placed on design and drawing vocabulary and developing a sense of critical and analytical articulation. | ||
| DES 109 | GRAPHIC DESIGN BUSINESS PRACTICES | 2 |
| Explore the business fundamentals of graphic design and illustration. Intro to professional issues, ethical standards, pricing, salaries, business management and contractual arrangements.. Explore opportunities in the industry, both staff and freelance, using exercises, informational interviews and guest speakers. | ||
| DES 110 | HISTORY OF GRAPHIC DESIGN | 3 |
| We look at graphic design from the earliest forms of writing to the digital present. Prominent individuals and epochs are discussed including the development of the Roman alphabet, illuminated manuscripts and the advent of printing in the 15th century. Emphasis is given to the adaptability of graphic designers to the needs and technologies of their times. Projects include informational posters about people and developments in history. | ||
| DES 131 | GRAPHIC DESIGN I | 3 |
| This foundation course lays the groundwork for all other design classes. In-class projects and homework assignments introduce students to the terminology, process and social context of graphic design. Each project offers student ways to experiment with building visual ideas using both traditional image making techniques and digital technology. Thought, idea and the communication of that idea, in visual form and presentation style, is paramount. | ||
| DES 145 | GRAPHIC PRODUCTION I | 3 |
| The purpose of this course is to introduce the basic foundation and building blocks necessary in successfully using the vector based graphic program, Adobe Illustrator. This course focuses on basic skills, concepts, & techniques. Students are given the concepts and skills necessary to use and understand the software tools and pallets. Emphasis is placed on the mastery of the pen tool as an illustration vehicle. Students will learn how to build and save solid color and gradient swatches and apply these swatches to objects and illustrations. Students will learn how to transform shapes, blend shapes and colors, create and use patterns and brushes and experiment with effects. Assignments, classroom critiques and in-class exercises help to solidify techniques and concepts taught. | ||
| IMC 197 | ||
| 2'nd Quarter | Cr | |
| DES 102 | DRAWING II | 3 |
| Draw the human figure from live models. Use various media and techniques to create form with line and tone. Emphasis on drawing accurate, dynamic and expressive representations of the human figure using elements of design in good composition. | ||
| DES 121 | TYPOGRAPHY I | 3 |
| Students will learn the basic principles of micro typography in this course including the anatomy of letters, adapting letter forms, letter and word spacing, line spacing, and simple hierarchy of text. By focusing on the details of letters, sentences and page layout, students will create expressive typography, experiment with readability, legibility and meaning, understand the classifications of type, and apply text as an hierarchical arrangement on a page. Lectures, presentations and demonstrations in class will cover the history of type, how to identify type classifications, tips and tricks, and how to use type to communicate effectively. | ||
| DES 132 | GRAPHIC DESIGN II | 3 |
| The purpose of this course is to introduce color and its application to design. We examine the mechanics of light, the physiology of vision and the psychology of color. We look at ways color is used in culture and methods that designers employ in making their work effective. Projects include designing a color notebook, book covers and expressing attitude with color. | ||
| DES 146 | GRAPHIC PRODUCTION II | 3 |
| The purpose of this course is to introduce the basic foundation and building blocks necessary in successfully using the page layout program, Adobe InDesign. This course focuses on basic skills, concepts, & techniques. Students are given the concepts and skills necessary to use and understand the software tools and pallets. Emphasis is placed on importing, placing and manipulating graphic images from Illustrator and Photoshop. Students learn how to automate their work with master page elements, color swatches and paragraph and object styles. Students learn typographic formatting tools, text flow, tables and tabs as well as libraries, effects, package and preflight. Assignments, classroom critiques and in-class exercises help to solidify techniques and concepts taught. | ||
| IMC 298 | INTEGRATED MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS II | 7 |
| Project-based three-quarter course. Includes the design and production of a magazine, and provides beginning students with design and business principles, writing, computational and teamwork skills. For students in the disciplines of Apparel Design & Services, Graphic Design & Illustration, Commercial Photography, and Publishing Arts. | ||
| 3'rd Quarter | Cr | |
| DES 103 | DRAWING III | 3 |
| Conceptualize and illustrate using fundamental drawing skills and principles, including spatial perception, composition and figure drawing. Plan illustrations to fit within the context of a typographic design and layout. | ||
| DES 122 | TYPOGRAPHY II | 3 |
| What is the grid? How is it used to organize information? Those are the basic questions that will be explored in this typography class. Using the grid for page layouts in combination with critical thinking will be the focus of this class. Practice exercises will explore page structure and hierarchy while homework assignments will reinforce the use of grid systems, problem solving and visual communication solutions. If Typography 1 was all about micro typography than this class is all about macro typography: construction of the page. | ||
| DES 133 | GRAPHIC DESIGN III | 3 |
| This course covers the design of packaging: three-dimensionality, marketing insights, innovations in technology. We look at consumption and how packaging communicates to consumers. Projects include soda bottles, folding box packages and a line of products, mocked up to a high standard of polish. | ||
| DES 147 | GRAPHIC PRODUCTION III | 3 |
| The purpose of this course is to introduce the basic foundation and building blocks necessary in successfully using the pixel based program, Adobe Photoshop. This course focuses on basic skills, concepts, & techniques. Students learn how to successfully color correct a photo using curves and levels. Emphasis is placed on creating a non-destructive work flow and on using the correct selection tool for the job. Necessary skills such as scanning, clipping paths, masking, alpha channels, retouching, layer organization, actions, effects, smart objects and layer manipulation are taught. Students learn how to create an illustration using brushes and blending modes. Assignments, classroom critiques and in-class exercises help to solidify techniques and concepts taught. | ||
| IMC 299 | INTEGRATED MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS III | 6 |
| Project-based three-quarter course. Includes the design and production of a magazine, and provides beginning students with design and business principles, writing, computational and teamwork skills. For students in the disciplines of Apparel Design & Services, Graphic Design & Illustration, Commercial Photography, and Publishing Arts. | ||
| 4'th Quarter | Cr | |
| DES 123 | TYPOGRAPHY III | 3 |
| Practice typographic design and art direction. Emphasis on creating and meeting typographic design criteria based on client and context, as well as mastery of all necessary typographic elements in page layout software. | ||
| DES 197 * | WORK EXPERIENCE/ADV. ART | 5 |
| Earn work experience credit in Graphic Design. | ||
| DES 231 | GRAPHIC DESIGN IV | 4 |
| The purpose of this course is to explore advertising, art direction and photo direction, emphasizing expressive, creative and collaborative problem solving, and to continue developing research skills. We learn techniques for creating engaging ads for a variety of media, and how to target the right market with the right message.? | ||
| DES 232 | GRAPHIC DESIGN V | 4 |
| During this course we will be exploring multi-page editorial design, taking into account the audience and existing advertising base. While our focus will be on magazines, the skills developed are also applicable to other common design tasks?annual reports, business documents, newspapers, brochures, newsletters and other multi-page documents. Emphasis will be placed on the hierarchy of text, photos, illustrations and graphical elements creating the page. The primary focus of the course will be on the entity of the publication, which could include cover logotype, covers, mastheads, contents and editorial pages as well as the placement of existing ads. | ||
| DES 241 | ILLUSTRATION I | 3 |
| Intro to illustration media and techniques of various media through examinations of the work and process of contemporary illustrators. | ||
| DES 251 | MULTIMEDIA I | 4 |
| This course provides an introduction to the web design process so that students will be comfortable working as part of a web design team. It will cover principles of interactive design including Information Architecture, Usability, Accessibility, Web Standards and Search Engine Optimization. Students will learn best practices in how to save graphics for the web, create refined typography by embedding fonts in web pages, build web sites with HTML and CSS, upload files to a remote server, add interactivity with jQuery, design for a variety of screen sizes, and test sites in a variety of browsers. | ||
| 5'th Quarter | Cr | |
| DES 197 * | WORK EXPERIENCE/ADV. ART | 5 |
| Earn work experience credit in Graphic Design. | ||
| DES 233 | GRAPHIC DESIGN VI | 4 |
| This course will concentrate on poster design as a form of visual communication. Emphasis will be on conceptual visual problem solving using a variety of different audiences and outcomes. Assignments will be supported by lectures and critiques of student work. Students will have the chance to solve various poster design problems with a variety of visual approaches to include typography, graphics, illustration and/or photography. As part of this class students will be responsible for generating the visual elements used in the promotions of all the Creative Academy Year End Portfolio Shows. All work will be printed in the production lab on our large-format inkjet printers. | ||
| DES 242 | ILLUSTRATION II | 3 |
| Intro to the design and production of screen-printed posters and garments. Use drawing and computer-generated imagery for making transparent film. Learn to register multiple layers in the printing process. Understand the importance of good design and pre-press setup for working with commercial printers. | ||
| DES 243 | ILLUSTRATION III | 3 |
| Intro to the history, design and process of letterpress printing. Compose hand-set type, lock-up jobs and print using a Vandercook flat-bed cylinder press. Learn to prepare film and photopolymer plates for use on the Vandercook press. | ||
| DES 252 | MULTIMEDIA II | 4 |
| As more people access the web on smart phones and tablets, interactive designers need to be familiar with building both applications (Apps) and websites for Mobile Devices. This course includes additional User Experience (UX) design, rapid prototyping, usability testing, and Interface design challenges for smaller screens. Students will create animated mock-ups of mobile applications as well as building functional web sites with html5 and CSS3 media queries which work on a variety of devices screen sizes. | ||
| DES 260 | PORTFOLIO PREP | 4 |
| To develop, design and prepare a portfolio that represents your individual creativity and demonstrates your skill for seeking employment in the Graphic Design field. A personal business card and stationery will be developed in this class. | ||
| 6'th Quarter | Cr | |
| DES 197 * | WORK EXPERIENCE/ADV. ART | 5 |
| Earn work experience credit in Graphic Design. | ||
| DES 234 | GRAPHIC DESIGN VII | 4 |
| The design and production of a corporate identity system, including a trademark or logotype and applied graphics, to a mix of visual applications for a business. We?ll learn about research, mind-mapping, creative development, contemporary design approaches, and creating a complete system. Additionally, we?ll cover client-designer communication while negotiating a creative solution that serves business aspirations and high standards of design. | ||
| DES 235 | GRAPHIC DESIGN VIII | 4 |
| During this course students will create a self-promotional piece or series and participate in a review of portfolio work conducted by professionals from outside the program. They will study the basic concepts of exhibit design, design and install the Creative Academy Year End Portfolio Show. Students will work in teams and explore creative options to the layout and navigation of the show. Including but not limited to, the installation of two and three dimensional display options, print and web portfolios displays, motion graphics and internal and external signage. | ||
| DES 244 | ILLUSTRATION IV | 3 |
| Explore illustration through digital media including vectors and bitmap programs. | ||
| DES 245 | ILLUSTRATION V | 3 |
| Explore scientific illustration through various media. | ||
| DES 253 | MULTIMEDIA III | 4 |
| As more client want the ability to update their own websites, web designers now need to be familiar with Content Management Systems (CMS). This course will look at a variety of content management systems, but will focus on the WordPress blogging platform. WordPress is free, Open Source, and one the most widely used blogging tools on the planet. Students will spend the entire quarter building an entire WordPress website for a community non-profit client. | ||
| Total Credits = 120 | ||
* (Credits are accumulated during the 2-year program)