Course Descriptions

Graphic Design

NOTE: A lab fee is required for each course.

Students will be given a practical introduction to the basics of art through creative studio activities involving the elements of art in a variety of media with two and three dimensional projects.

Students will explore a variety of subjects such as landscape, still life and natural and man-made objects through a variety of drawing media.

Students learn the elements and principles of design by creating two and three-dimensional works of art. Students also study the art of professional designers who work in the field. Prerequisites: Art 200 and 201 or consent of instructor.

This studio art course is an introduction to the study of graphic design. Students will be exposed to the history of visual communication, typography and advertising. They learn how to identify the elements and principles of design by creating image and text related projects. Students develop skills using the digital techniques of scanning, typographic adjustments, vector drawing, exporting and printing. Prerequisites: Art 201, 251 or consent of instructor.

Students will develop page layout skills, utilizing composition and typographic principles while learning to use Adobe InDesign. Students will learn to combine images created in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop with text to produce flyers, posters, newsletters, magazines, brochures, calendars, etc.

Students will become proficient using Adobe Photoshop, the industry-standard digital image manipulation program and a foundational communication tool that has applications in graphic design, advertising, web design, animation and multimedia. This course examines the ways in which complex ideas and messages can be interpreted and represented in visual form.

Students will acquire type manipulation and digital illustration skills through exercises, demonstrations and practical assignments using Adobe Illustrator, the industry-standard vector-based digital illustration program. Students will also develop an individualized artistic process to produce digital illustrations that convey specific messages.

This survey course will examine the history of graphic design. Students will gain a broader understanding of how design affects and is affected by the culture we live in, as well as identify individual illustrators, designers, artists, and recognize specific styles and movements.

This course examines the art of the last half of the 20th century and the art of the 21st century. It explores the ideas that became seminal points of interest for contemporary artists during this period. Students in the course will study how art reflects history; how style communicates the concerns of the artist and his/her culture; and how symbols, techniques, materials and subjects are used to convey the issues important to contemporary artists.

Students explore the importance of composition, color and value by painting in oil or other media such as acrylic, watercolor and tempera. An emphasis is placed on studying art history and learning from professional painters who work in the field. The students also explore the techniques of painting in relationship to specific content. Prerequisite: Art 201.

This course provides an introduction to printmaking media. Emphasis is placed on experimentation of the media through techniques such as the monoprint, relief and silkscreen. Prerequisites: Art 200 and 201 or consent of the instructor.

This course is a historical overview of type and typographic technologies. Students will be introduced to the formal qualities of different typefaces and they will learn to use type as an expressive communication tool. This is an essential course for anyone wishing to communicate with the printed word. Prerequisites: ArtG 270 or 272, or consent of the instructor.

Students produce intermediate design projects that emphasize aesthetics, the theory of design, and the relationship between text and image. Students develop digital imaging and layout skills using Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. A portion of this course is devoted to a service learning assignment creating design projects for a nonprofit organization within the community. Prerequisites: ArtG 261.

A practical experience outside the classroom that is directly related to graphic design. It will involve “hands-on” experience that is a beneficial complement to the student’s academic experience.

Continuation of ArtG 60. Typography 2 begins the exploration of personal expression and experimentation typographically. Course assignments concentrate on issues of denotation, connotation, hierarchy, context and theme, image-type relationships and interaction, and typographic history and expression. Prerequisite: ArtG 60.

The goal of this course is to allow students to complete advanced graphic design projects to fill gaps in their portfolios. An emphasis is placed on preparing students to become professional graphic designers in the field through the production of strong portfolios that can be used to gain internships or employment. Prerequisites: ArtG 61.

In this studio course, students create relationships between image and sound by using the time-based medium of video. An emphasis is placed on students developing strong concepts for their projects. They learn how to create a storyboard, film and edit video art pieces together using the program Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects. Prerequisites: ArtG 271 and Art 01 or consent of instructor.

Students will plan, design and produce user interfaces that incorporate interactive elements with Dreamweaver. Instruction begins with planning and designing a Web site, including page content, interactive (intuitive) site navigation, menus, buttons, and graphics. They will gain valuable experience in the research, planning, and design of interactive communication. Prerequisites: ArtG 261, 271, and 272.

Students will go through the various stages of creating a title sequence for a film. They will create several projects including storyboards, animatics, and one full-motion sequence. Emphasis is placed on using the best technique that better serves the idea. A brief introduction to Adobe After Effects or Motion. Prerequisites: ArtG 261, 271, 272 and 60.

This course provides students with an introduction to visual concepts, basic image capture and camera functions with digital cameras. Software basics for photographic imaging and digital printing will be taught.

An exploration of Flash as a web design solution, focusing on the use of vector-based multimedia interactivity. This course explores the use of animation, sound, and video in website development. Prerequisites: ArtG 472.

An intense practical experience outside the classroom that is an integral part of a professional program. This may be either a part-time or full-time experience that contributes significantly to the preparation of a student for entrance into a profession. Approximately 40 contact hours are required for each unit of credit.