Design Skills for Print and Digital Media

Catalog description

This lab-based course introduces students to the fundamentals of creating effective digital and print designs for publishing and media. Students will learn core principles of visual design while developing book and magazine covers, page layouts, social media content, posters, promotional materials, and basic website designs. Through hands-on projects, students will gain practical experience with industry-standard software—including Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Figma—to produce professional designs for print, web, and interactive applications. Basic typography and design principles will be covered as well as introductory computer-based illustration and image processing. Students will learn how to combine photographs, illustrations and type into professional quality files ready for multichannel output. Through hands-on projects, inspired by real-world art department design challenges, students will explore the tools that give creative expression to specific editorial concepts across both digital and printed content. The course will also introduce the ever-growing impact artificial intelligence (AI) is having in the creative field, as well as the evolving tools that designers are using. We will explore the wide range of opportunities that AI presents for designers, on both a practical and a strategic level. AI tools are not only helping designers optimize processes but also opening new doors to creative thinking and problem-solving. When relevant, AI will be incorporated into our class lessons and projects to best position students for success in this new and exciting era. By understanding the fundamentals of publishing design, from layout composition to grids, color theory and typography, students will learn how to communicate clearly with a design team and create inspiring printed and digital work that stands out. This is a beginner-level desktop…