Fall 2012 Courses

  • Portfolio & Process
    Students build and refine their portfolios to a professional level and learn the process of preparing for life after school. This class will challenge you to use all your editing, typographic skills to present your design work in an articulate manner both in print and online. During the semester, you will be asked to research, redo, and refine your skills of presentation and clarity.
  • Portfolio & Process (Online)
    This class focuses on each student’s final body of work, with an emphasis on contemporary forms of promotion and communication. Students will learn how to present work appropriately on the Internet and on the screen—whether it’s via email, PDF, the web. In addition to developing students’ ability to present and discuss their work, open-ended studio assignments are given, allowing each student to fill any remaining holes in the portfolio.
  • Process & Skills
    Students will be introduced to principles common to all design fields and will learn to research a subject, conceptualize an idea, produce a design and discuss their project. Through hands-on exercises, researches and discussions, the course will examine various design disciplines–including graphic design, typography, photography, bookbinding and 3D design, and design history through research relating to each assignment.
    2 CR Pre-requisite(s): none, Open to: AGD majors only

  • Process & Skills (Online)
    Using various online platforms to communicate and exchange ideas as a group, students will be introduced to principles common to all design fields and will learn to research a subject, conceptualize an idea and produce a final design. Through online lectures, the course will examine many design disciplines essential to graphic design : collage, photography, typography, bookbinding and 3D design.
  • History of Graphic Design
    This class exposes students to significant and great design from the history of visual communications, focussing on the 20th Century. It is not meant to be exhaustive, but provides a foundation of understanding graphic design as it exists today. Students will look closely at formal relationships within historical designs and respond in original designs of their own. The greater portion of the class is given to slide lectures, and requires additional visual research and reading outside of class. Part of the class will take the form of a traditional studio course in which students work on projects that use historical designs as a window into a unique contemporary visual moment.
  • History of Graphic Design (Online)
    This course will examine how graphic design has evolved from the first writing forms, through the development of printing, to electronic contemporary design. The philosophies, methods, and techniques behind the major periods in graphic design will be introduced as the role of technology, economics, society, and political conditions are considered. Students will have an increased capacity to create meaningful, original designs through examining the conditions that have driven stylistic trends in graphic design—their implications and importance.
  • Graphic Design 1
    In this class we focus on projects that move outside the classroom and into the city. Our partner clients can range from students in a public high school to the specialized vendors and suppliers of New York City’s Garment Center. The project work ranges from a series of mini typographic posters utilizing text from facebook posts, to a topic-based print-on-demand workbook with student profiles, to an online publication and brand identity.

  • Graphic Design 2
    The course builds on top of the basic layout  and foundations learned in Graphic Design 1 with emphasis on concept as applied to problem-solving methodologies through a series of exercises and problems. Projects exercise the student’s ability to employ narrative and storytelling methods, along with design research, analysis, documentation and implementation. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between individual creative and critical thinking skills and the designer’s role within the professional arena. Topics include creation of elements of brand identity programs, such as logos, publications, advertisements, websites and other applications. Upon completion, students should be able to effectively apply design principles and visual elements to a wide variety of business identity and communication problems.
  • Graphic Design 3
    The aim of this course is to generate portfolio quality pieces where different design methodologies as a way of creating work will be examined. Some of the assignments will be strange, fun and intuitive, where others have a stricter set of limitations. Student will learn how to lose direction and discover a new set of lenses through which to design. Each assignment will come from the outside world, but each solution will come from the student’s design voice inside.
  • Typography 1
    Students learn about formal, conceptual and functional aspects of this discipline. The course covers a wide range of topics, from history of typefaces, to their selection and uses, to fine-tuning of typographic layouts. The course addresses the diverse nature of typographical application through hands-on projects, discussion, and presentations. Readings will be assigned throughout the semester. The projects become increasingly challenging as the semester progresses. A basic knowledge of the computer is required by week 3, and a solid understanding of a page layout program (InDesign) is required by week 8.

  • Typography 1 (Online)
    This is an introductory level course which provides student’s with a solid foundation in the art of typography. It addresses the language of typography (measurements and terminologies), the diverse nature of the typographical palette (typeface and supporting elements) as well as typography’s history (technology and type designers) and its traditions (past and present). It addresses typography in both generalities (on the macro level) and specifics (on the micro level). An important focus of this course is on typographical application as it relates to designing with pre existing typefaces. Practical application includes technical composition considerations such as legibility, readability, spacing, paragraph separation and refinements. Experimental application encourages students to push creative boundaries.
  • Advanced Typography
    Students will be introduced to principles common to all design fields and will learn to research a subject, conceptualize an idea, produce a design and discuss their project. Through hands-on exercises, researches and discussions, the course will examine various design disciplines–including graphic design, typography, photography, bookbinding and 3D design, and design history through research relating to each assignment.
  • Advanced Typography – Introduction to Information Design
    This course builds on the experience of working with typography and moves towards a greater understanding of how to deal with structure and organization of typographic content. We focus on presenting the type / information / data in ways that make comprehension easy for a given audience. From simple forms to complex tables, way-finding diagrams to instruction manuals from single-layer charts to multi-layer info-graphics and beyond, learning to organize and use type effectively is the key to good, coherent communication. Students work on advancing the concepts of legibility and readability beyond the traditional functions of book, magazine and newspaper – applying structure and organization of deep, multi-layered typography and visual information in an elegant and intelligent manner
  • Digital Layout
    This course provides a thorough overview of presentation graphics through the use of the Adobe Creative Suite, specifically Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Intensive weekly homework assignments and projects will exercise the student’s skills in mastering the programs. The focus of the class is to acclimate the student to the basic uses of these programs so they can design all that they are asked to create in their other classes, with close attention to proper execution and technique
  • Advanced Digital Layout
    This course provides next level instruction in using the Adobe Creative Suite programs: Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. The course starts with a quick refresher on basic techniques, with a greater focus on shortcuts and efficiency, then graduates to more advanced topics in the programs: masks, channels, blends, and complex compound elements being just a few examples. The ultimate goal is to give the student the knowledge and confidence to execute any creative idea digitally, with exacting detail and precision. Prerequisite: Digital Layout or equivalent.
  • Publication Design
    The content, terminology and production of any publication is a universal language, and the approach to the design and layout is a logical system. In this course students will not only learn the language of Publication Design — grid, page, pacing, typography, color, image, legibility, identity — but also realize that the key to creating and producing an outstanding publication depends on the ability to develop and apply their creativity and vision. This class will also introduce students to printing/production. Passing of Type 1 and Graphic Design 1, and knowledge of Adobe InDesign is required.
  • Publication Design: Book Design
    Books fall into three basic categories: the Meal (books one reads from beginning to end–books that are consumed); the Machine (books that are used for a specific purpose); and the Metaphor (books that represent an interest, but aren’t generally read). This course explores each of the three (fiction/narrative non-fiction, reference books, and art/coffee-table books). Students will learn the rudiments of book typography and grid systems while creating designs for each book category. Additionally, students will explore the interaction between book publishing and web publishing.
  • Interactive Web Design 1
    This course will introduce students to the basic principles of graphic design as they relate to the Internet and multimedia devices as well as specific best practices for interactive design. During the semester students will create design concepts for several interactive projects based on their research of brand identity, functional requirements and intended audience. Through the assignments and class discussion they will learn about the work processes in the industry as well as the different technical environments commonly used, and terms such as interactivity, navigation and usability will be discussed and analyzed. This course is about learning to develop strong design concepts and not to learn a specific software or programming.
  • Interactive Web Design 1 (Online)
    This course will introduce students to the basic principles of web design and other interactive environments with a strong focus on user experience. Concept-driven interaction design will be the focus of this studio, and students will learn to develop websites, information design and mobile apps from concept to finish. Interactivity, interfaces, information architecture, and navigational structures will be explored, as well as usability and web design strategies. Ideal prerequisite: Typography 1, Graphic Design 1 and knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator.
  • Photo Lithography
     An introduction to the principles and the process of Photo Lithography.  Photo Lithography is the reproduction process used in the commercial offset printing industry. This course is concerned with developing a working vocabulary of print making terms, concepts such as color separation, edition, registration, and multiple state proofing, and group problem solving/collaboration. Class discussions consider the use of mechanical and digital reproduction, appropriation, and multiples in contemporary design. Students will explore interdisciplinary uses of the printed image, including book arts, sculptural objects and collaborative images. This course typically includes some type of outreach component, such as attending a print swap, organizing a print exchange or creating posters for an event held within the term. Near the end of the semester, each student defines an area of personal emphasis and develops an individual body of work incorporating one or more of these printmaking concepts.