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Course De­scrip­tion This course will offer an in-depth in­tro­duc­tion to com­mu­ni­ca­tion de­sign the­ory, ex­am­in­ing the­o­ret­i­cal per­spec­tives of de­sign prac­tice within the larger dis­course of de­sign and vi­sual cul­ture. Com­mu­ni­ca­tion mod­els, the na­ture of rep­re­sen­ta­tion, the di­men­sions of con­text and semi­otics will be ex­plored through crit­i­cal read­ings from key doc­u­ments writ­ten be­tween the early decades of the twen­ti­eth cen­tury and the pre­sent. In this con­text, “the­ory” doesn’t mean “a hy­poth­e­sis to be tested” (as in the sci­ences), but rather points to a set of work­ing be­liefs about how the world—or in this case, vi­sual com­mu­ni­ca­tion—works. Some as­pects of cer­tain vi­sual com­mu­ni­ca­tion the­o­ries are based on ob­serv­able “facts,” but the way these facts are woven to­gether says more about how we con­struct mean­ing than it does about em­pir­i­cal an­swers to fac­tual ques­tions. So why does a de­sign pro­fes­sional—typ­i­cally an em­i­nently prac­ti­cal, hands-on per­son work­ing to­ward a spe­cific end for the ben­e­fit of a spe­cific client—want or need to en­gage with vi­sual com­mu­ni­ca­tion the­o­ries? First, “doing the­ory” pro­motes a so­phis­ti­cated level of re­flec­tion about de­sign work—far be­yond the touch­stones of “did they like it?” and “did it serve its pur­pose?” Sec­ond, it en­cour­ages de­sign­ers to think holis­ti­cally about the con­texts for their work—be­yond the im­me­di­ate job at hand to the larger con­texts of the so­cial, the cul­tural, and the his­tor­i­cal. And fi­nally, it rec­og­nizes the ob­vi­ous: today, graphic de­sign shapes our vi­sual world and puts each per­son at the nexus of thou­sands of mes­sages each day. In this course, we, as senders and re­ceivers of such mes­sages, will at­tempt to make sense of all this through our ver­bal dis­cus­sions in class, our blog post­ings, and our re­search poster de­sign and pre­sen­ta­tions. We will be look­ing at two types of the­o­ries: gen­er­a­tive the­o­ries, that ex­plain the “how” of vi­sual com­mu­ni­ca­tion; and crit­i­cal/so­cio­cul­tural the­o­ries that ex­plain the “what, where, and when” of de­sign, or the his­tor­i­cal, cul­tural and so­cial con­texts. By de­vel­op­ing the abil­ity to look at de­sign through these dif­fer­ent lenses, pro­fes­sional de­sign­ers can en­hance the qual­ity of their de­ci­sion-mak­ing and have a bet­ter grasp on the mul­ti­ple con­texts and frame­works for clients and au­di­ences. We can bet­ter un­der­stand and eval­u­ate the many is­sues about local us­abil­ity and use­ful­ness within broader con­texts of ethics, aes­thet­ics, pro­fes­sional and so­cial re­spon­si­bil­ity.

Course Description This course will offer an in-depth introduction to communication design theory, examining theoretical perspectives of design practice within the larger discourse of design and visual culture. Communication models, the nature of representation, the dimensions of context and semiotics will be explored through critical readings from key documents written between the early decades of the twentieth century and the present. In this context, “theory” doesn’t mean “a hypothesis to be tested” (as in the sciences), but rather points to a set of working beliefs about how the world—or in this case, visual communication—works. Some aspects of certain visual communication theories are based on observable “facts,” but the way these facts are woven together says more about how we construct meaning than it does about empirical answers to factual questions. So why does a design professional—typically an eminently practical, hands-on person working toward a specific end for the benefit of a specific client—want or need to engage with visual communication theories? First, “doing theory” promotes a sophisticated level of reflection about design work—far beyond the touchstones of “did they like it?” and “did it serve its purpose?” Second, it encourages designers to think holistically about the contexts for their work—beyond the immediate job at hand to the larger contexts of the social, the cultural, and the historical. And finally, it recognizes the obvious: today, graphic design shapes our visual world and puts each person at the nexus of thousands of messages each day. In this course, we, as senders and receivers of such messages, will attempt to make sense of all this through our verbal discussions in class, our blog postings, and our research poster design and presentations. We will be looking at two types of theories: generative theories, that explain the “how” of visual communication; and critical/sociocultural theories that explain the “what, where, and when” of design, or the historical, cultural and social contexts. By developing the ability to look at design through these different lenses, professional designers can enhance the quality of their decision-making and have a better grasp on the multiple contexts and frameworks for clients and audiences. We can better understand and evaluate the many issues about local usability and usefulness within broader contexts of ethics, aesthetics, professional and social responsibility.

This course in­tro­duces stu­dents to core con­cepts in the graphic com­mu­ni­ca­tions field in­clud­ing ty­pog­ra­phy, color the­ory, de­sign and pro­duc­tion ter­mi­nol­ogy, re­pro­duc­tion processes, file for­mats and sub­strates. Dur­ing the se­mes­ter, stu­dents will com­plete three pages of their own ePort­fo­lio web site. Lec­tures will pro­vide stu­dents with a his­tor­i­cal per­spec­tive of the graphic com­mu­ni­ca­tions field as well as dis­cussing cur­rent prac­tices and fu­ture trends.

This course introduces students to core concepts in the graphic communications field including typography, color theory, design and production terminology, reproduction processes, file formats and substrates. During the semester, students will complete three pages of their own ePortfolio web site. Lectures will provide students with a historical perspective of the graphic communications field as well as discussing current practices and future trends.

Course De­scrip­tion This course will offer an in-depth in­tro­duc­tion to com­mu­ni­ca­tion de­sign the­ory, ex­am­in­ing the­o­ret­i­cal per­spec­tives of de­sign prac­tice within the larger dis­course of de­sign and vi­sual cul­ture. Com­mu­ni­ca­tion mod­els, the na­ture of rep­re­sen­ta­tion, the di­men­sions of con­text and semi­otics will be ex­plored through crit­i­cal read­ings from key doc­u­ments writ­ten be­tween the early decades of the twen­ti­eth cen­tury and the pre­sent. In this con­text, “the­ory” doesn’t mean “a hy­poth­e­sis to be tested” (as in the sci­ences), but rather points to a set of work­ing be­liefs about how the world—or in this case, vi­sual com­mu­ni­ca­tion—works. Some as­pects of cer­tain vi­sual com­mu­ni­ca­tion the­o­ries are based on ob­serv­able “facts,” but the way these facts are woven to­gether says more about how we con­struct mean­ing than it does about em­pir­i­cal an­swers to fac­tual ques­tions. So why does a de­sign pro­fes­sional—typ­i­cally an em­i­nently prac­ti­cal, hands-on per­son work­ing to­ward a spe­cific end for the ben­e­fit of a spe­cific client—want or need to en­gage with vi­sual com­mu­ni­ca­tion the­o­ries? First, “doing the­ory” pro­motes a so­phis­ti­cated level of re­flec­tion about de­sign work—far be­yond the touch­stones of “did they like it?” and “did it serve its pur­pose?” Sec­ond, it en­cour­ages de­sign­ers to think holis­ti­cally about the con­texts for their work—be­yond the im­me­di­ate job at hand to the larger con­texts of the so­cial, the cul­tural, and the his­tor­i­cal. And fi­nally, it rec­og­nizes the ob­vi­ous: today, graphic de­sign shapes our vi­sual world and puts each per­son at the nexus of thou­sands of mes­sages each day. In this course, we, as senders and re­ceivers of such mes­sages, will at­tempt to make sense of all this through our ver­bal dis­cus­sions in class, our blog post­ings, and our re­search poster de­sign and pre­sen­ta­tions. We will be look­ing at two types of the­o­ries: gen­er­a­tive the­o­ries, that ex­plain the “how” of vi­sual com­mu­ni­ca­tion; and crit­i­cal/so­cio­cul­tural the­o­ries that ex­plain the “what, where, and when” of de­sign, or the his­tor­i­cal, cul­tural and so­cial con­texts. By de­vel­op­ing the abil­ity to look at de­sign through these dif­fer­ent lenses, pro­fes­sional de­sign­ers can en­hance the qual­ity of their de­ci­sion-mak­ing and have a bet­ter grasp on the mul­ti­ple con­texts and frame­works for clients and au­di­ences. We can bet­ter un­der­stand and eval­u­ate the many is­sues about local us­abil­ity and use­ful­ness within broader con­texts of ethics, aes­thet­ics, pro­fes­sional and so­cial re­spon­si­bil­ity.

Course Description This course will offer an in-depth introduction to communication design theory, examining theoretical perspectives of design practice within the larger discourse of design and visual culture. Communication models, the nature of representation, the dimensions of context and semiotics will be explored through critical readings from key documents written between the early decades of the twentieth century and the present. In this context, “theory” doesn’t mean “a hypothesis to be tested” (as in the sciences), but rather points to a set of working beliefs about how the world—or in this case, visual communication—works. Some aspects of certain visual communication theories are based on observable “facts,” but the way these facts are woven together says more about how we construct meaning than it does about empirical answers to factual questions. So why does a design professional—typically an eminently practical, hands-on person working toward a specific end for the benefit of a specific client—want or need to engage with visual communication theories? First, “doing theory” promotes a sophisticated level of reflection about design work—far beyond the touchstones of “did they like it?” and “did it serve its purpose?” Second, it encourages designers to think holistically about the contexts for their work—beyond the immediate job at hand to the larger contexts of the social, the cultural, and the historical. And finally, it recognizes the obvious: today, graphic design shapes our visual world and puts each person at the nexus of thousands of messages each day. In this course, we, as senders and receivers of such messages, will attempt to make sense of all this through our verbal discussions in class, our blog postings, and our research poster design and presentations. We will be looking at two types of theories: generative theories, that explain the “how” of visual communication; and critical/sociocultural theories that explain the “what, where, and when” of design, or the historical, cultural and social contexts. By developing the ability to look at design through these different lenses, professional designers can enhance the quality of their decision-making and have a better grasp on the multiple contexts and frameworks for clients and audiences. We can better understand and evaluate the many issues about local usability and usefulness within broader contexts of ethics, aesthetics, professional and social responsibility.

User Ex­pe­ri­ence (UX) De­sign is an es­sen­tial com­po­nent in de­vel­op­ing web­sites, ap­pli­ca­tions, and any other type of prod­uct in­tended to be used by peo­ple. This course ex­am­ines the lead­ing con­cepts of user—cen­tered de­sign through read­ings, dis­cus­sions and as­sign­ments. Prac­ti­cal con­cerns in­clude eval­u­a­tion of tech­nol­ogy needed to cre­ate or main­tain web­sites; and ex­plo­ration of a step-by-step process for cre­at­ing prod­ucts using flow charts, wire­frames and pro­to­types. Stu­dents will also gain an un­der­stand­ing of is­sues sur­round­ing us­abil­ity on the Web, knowl­edge man­age­ment and Web strat­egy.

User Experience (UX) Design is an essential component in developing websites, applications, and any other type of product intended to be used by people. This course examines the leading concepts of user—centered design through readings, discussions and assignments. Practical concerns include evaluation of technology needed to create or maintain websites; and exploration of a step-by-step process for creating products using flow charts, wireframes and prototypes. Students will also gain an understanding of issues surrounding usability on the Web, knowledge management and Web strategy.

Ex­plore cre­ative vi­sual com­mu­ni­ca­tion through graphic de­sign. Using type and graph­ics, stu­dents will par­tic­i­pate in the process of com­mu­ni­cat­ing con­cepts by ex­per­i­ment­ing with im­age-mak­ing tech­niques. Ac­quire the pro­fes­sional knowl­edge, lan­guage, and processes needed—from ini­tial thumb­nail to final pre­sen­ta­tion—in mul­ti­ple dis­ci­plines such as graphic de­sign, web de­sign, ad­ver­tis­ing, mo­tion, il­lus­tra­tion, broad­cast de­sign pro­duc­tion, and oth­ers.

Explore creative visual communication through graphic design. Using type and graphics, students will participate in the process of communicating concepts by experimenting with image-making techniques. Acquire the professional knowledge, language, and processes needed—from initial thumbnail to final presentation—in multiple disciplines such as graphic design, web design, advertising, motion, illustration, broadcast design production, and others.