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Graphic & Interactive Design - Requirements

This track is designed for those who have interest in publication, information and interactive design. The graphic design track consists of thirteen course units and is built on the foundation of the common core of four courses. An internship (elective) during the final semester of the program provides real-world experience.

Core Courses

ART 113. Global Perspectives in Art History to the Renaissance

The basic problems of the development of Western art are considered in terms of the major civilizations and epochs that produced them from ancient civilization to the Renaissance. Also introduces Non-Western art, such as African, Asian, Islamic, Judaic, Aboriginal (Australia and New Zealand), and Art of the Americas. (Fall.)

ART 142. Visual Foundations

Visual Foundations: Composition, Color and Design is a guided investigation of basic concepts and techniques of visual organization. The course will address both the theory and application of two-dimensional design and color using a variety of concepts, media, and techniques. Through a series of weekly projects, students will develop awareness of the formal elements of composition, a working knowledge of fundamental design principles, and an understanding of the interrelationship between form and content. The formal elements of design include line, shape, value, color, and space and principles of organization – harmony, variety, balance, proportion, scale, dominance, movement, and economy. Learning to analyze one's own work and the work of others is as important a skill as making the work. Students will learn and use the appropriate vocabulary necessary to verbalize their creative process and critical thinking.

ART 170. Drawing I

Skills and critical understanding of the fundamentals of drawing: composition, perspective, value, and balance are developed through rendering the observed world. Students engage in the pictorial issues of drawing, in particular the relation of subject and context. These fundamentals should be taught in context with a pictorial language, rather than elements of abstract design. (Fall and Spring)

ART 180. Painting I

Emphasis on investigation as related to historical, individual, and creative problems of space, composition, structure, and image. (Fall)

Additional Required Courses

ART 131. Introduction to Graphic Design

Foundation skills in the formal and conceptual principles of graphic design including concept, composition, legibility, language, and typography. Projects develop visual literacy and skills in text, drawing and image production using the Macintosh computer as the primary design tool. Critical thinking is stressed through the analysis of content and its most effective form of visual presentation.

 

ART 167. Photography

I The fundamentals of photography are explored and particular attention is given to camera operation, film processing, and printing. Through discussion and critiques, students discover how each one of us sees the world outside and from within. Students must have a fully adjustable 35mm or larger-format camera and meter.

 

OR

ART 268. Digital Photography (recommended)

Digital Photography is a critical seminar for the production and study of digital image making. Students will learn the basic technical and operational skills involved in creating photographic work electronically. Discussions and readings will investigate issues pertaining to art and media culture, as well as the similarities and differences between the objective nature of traditional photography and the inherent subjective quality of digital imagery. The class will build a critical, theoretical, and artistic framework in order to help students develop their own unique vision in the context of digital art making.

ART 229. Modern Art (Writing Intensive)

Development of European and American Art from the Post-Impressionists (1890s) to Pop Art (1960s). Prerequisite: ART 113, ART 114 or permission of instructor.

AR 230. Typography and Information Design

What language is to writing, typography is to graphic design. Today’s designers, who work primarily in digital media, create messages that are both “virtual” (time-based and in perpetual motion) and fixed in place by ink on paper. This course explores how typography shapes content. Legibility, emphasis, hierarchy of meaning, personal expression, and appropriateness are developed through designing with letters, words, and texts. Students will learn the principles of clear, strong, and effective design using current design applications and technology. Projects will investigate design as rhetoric, information, and artwork. Prerequisite: ART 131.

ART 231. Publication Design

The design of magazines, books and brochures involves collaborations between writers, designers, and editors. Through the design of several types of publications, students learn how to analyze and organize interrelated levels of written and visual narratives. Design, research, planning, editing, and computer skills are developed and combined with the investigation of a clear and appropriate design vocabulary. Projects will be done in a Macintosh platform utilizing the software programs Adobe InDesign and Photoshop. Prerequisite: ART 131.

ART 331. Graphic Design: History and Practice

Students develop and refine visual and problem-solving skills through design, research, and writing. Skills will be enhanced in text and image-based design programs. Slide lectures and readings on graphic design history and theory focus on grounding the practice of design in its cultural and historical context. Projects may include identity design, resume writing, and newsletter design. Prerequisite: Art 231 or permission of instructor. (Fall)

ART 346. Interactive Design

An introduction to multimedia includes projects focused on the principles of information design -- fundamental strategies for making the complex clear. Instruction in creating and preparing Web graphics and the design and critique of Web sites, maps, and signage systems. Advanced skills are developed in image creation and manipulation. Prerequisite: Art 331 or permission of instructor. (Fall)

 

ART 373. Design Internship (recommended elective, Spring senior year)

Qualified students work 12 hours per week at a graphic design studio, publishing company, or printer. In addition, bi-monthly seminars focus on portfolio development, ethical and professional standards, pre-press specifications, and printing. Prerequisite: Permission of faculty supervisor and portfolio review at mid-term of previous semester.

ART 374. Portfolio Seminar

Development of sequential graphic design projects that result in a cohesive portfolio appropriate for applications to graduate school or internships. Projects will include identity design, an artist statement, and résumé writing. Prerequisite: ART 231, Publication Design. Senior status, Graphic Design track. (Fall)

Recommended Courses: Art

ART 114. Art History Since the Renaissance

Study of the major movements in Western art from the Renaissance to the present. (Spring)

ART 254. Digital Video

Digital Video focuses on the study of moving imagery and its use as an artistic tool for creative expression and social inquiry. Starting with problem solving and idea generation, students will move into the traditional language of film, and the theories, disciplines, and procedures used to plan and produce works in video. Through a combination of classroom lectures, demonstrations, discussion, and hands-on experience, students will learn the basic technical and operational skills involved in video making as well as creative strategies for producing their own individual works. (Spring)

ART 348. Animation for the Web

This class gives students an overview of how interactive and motion visual communications are prepared and implemented. Within this framework, professional practices of motion graphic design are covered, including the fundamentals of programming and web design. Skills will be developed using major design applications, including Macromedia Flash 5, Photoshop, and Fireworks. Prerequisite: ART 131 or permission of the instructor. (Spring)

Any Special Topics in Graphic Design or New Media

Recommended Courses: Other Disciplines

English:

ENGL 202. Expository Writing

ENGL 203. Business Writing

ENGL 131. Public Speaking

ENGL 223. Creative Writing

Math:

MATH 109. Math for Design

Economics and Business Management Courses:

MGMT 220. Consumer Behavior

MGMT 251. Marketing Management

MGMT 311. Marketing Research (MGMT 251 is prerequisite)