Janae Harrison’s Profile Student Toggle navigation

The­ory and prac­tice of de­sign­ing with in­for­ma­tion. Top­ics in­clude graphs, charts, pie-charts and di­a­grams. Through ad­vanced as­sign­ments re­lated to in­for­ma­tion graph­ics, ex­hi­bi­tion de­sign and wayfind­ing sys­tems, stu­dents will syn­the­size and de­sign com­plex data sets. Prepa­ra­tion of final work using cur­rent de­sign soft­ware ap­pli­ca­tions.

Theory and practice of designing with information. Topics include graphs, charts, pie-charts and diagrams. Through advanced assignments related to information graphics, exhibition design and wayfinding systems, students will synthesize and design complex data sets. Preparation of final work using current design software applications.

Stu­dent is as­signed to find field­work/study sit­u­a­tions of ap­prox­i­mately eight hours per week at an in­tern­ship site ap­proved by the De­part­ment In­tern­ship in­struc­tor. Ap­proved Sites in­clude ad­ver­tis­ing agen­cies, graphic de­sign firms cor­po­rate de­sign of­fices, pub­li­ca­tions art de­part­ments, pho­tog­ra­phy or il­lus­tra­tion stu­dios, TV or mul­ti­me­dia pro­duc­tion com­pa­nies. Stu­dents will be re­quired to keep a learn­ing jour­nal of their in­tern­ship in the form of a blog using Open­lab. A por­tion of the class will be de­voted to pre­sent­ing and shar­ing ex­pe­ri­ences with class­mates. Stu­dents will learn how to as­sess their tal­ents, up­date their re­sume, and pro­mote them­selves and their work through so­cial net­works dur­ing class meet­ings. Stu­dents will be re­quired to setup and main­tain at least two so­cial media net­works such as: Face­book, LinkedIn, Twit­ter, In­sta­gram, and Pin­ter­est.

Student is assigned to find fieldwork/study situations of approximately eight hours per week at an internship site approved by the Department Internship instructor. Approved Sites include advertising agencies, graphic design firms corporate design offices, publications art departments, photography or illustration studios, TV or multimedia production companies. Students will be required to keep a learning journal of their internship in the form of a blog using Openlab. A portion of the class will be devoted to presenting and sharing experiences with classmates. Students will learn how to assess their talents, update their resume, and promote themselves and their work through social networks during class meetings. Students will be required to setup and maintain at least two social media networks such as: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

This course in­tro­duces stu­dents to core con­cepts in the media field in­clud­ing 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, com­plete a print de­sign pro­ject and one video pro­ject. Lec­tures will pro­vide stu­dents with a his­tor­i­cal per­spec­tive of the media field as well as dis­cussing cur­rent prac­tices and fu­ture trends.

This course introduces students to core concepts in the media field including 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, complete a print design project and one video project. Lectures will provide students with a historical perspective of the media field as well as discussing current practices and future trends.

In this stu­dio pho­tog­ra­phy course, the em­pha­sis is on pro­fes­sional pho­tog­ra­phy as a com­mer­cial medium. Stu­dents learn stu­dio light­ing and how to de­velop vi­sual co­her­ence within a group of im­ages. Stu­dents de­velop a port­fo­lio pro­ject that demon­strates con­cep­tual think­ing and a mas­tery of the craft of pho­tog­ra­phy. Avatar Photo by Angel Diaz.

In this studio photography course, the emphasis is on professional photography as a commercial medium. Students learn studio lighting and how to develop visual coherence within a group of images. Students develop a portfolio project that demonstrates conceptual thinking and a mastery of the craft of photography. Avatar Photo by Angel Diaz.

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.