Courses (Design 085)

21:085:102 Design Fundamentals (3) Basic studio course to develop visual literacy and skill; basic vocabulary of art and experience in manipulating this vocabulary through actual projects; principles of composition, color theory, and concepts of space; training in use of pencil, pen, paint, and collage techniques. Open to nonmajors. No previous art experience needed.

21:085:103 3-D Design Fundamentals (3) Basic course to develop an awareness of three-dimensional space through plane, volume, form, light, and rhythm; variety of tools and procedures used to manipulate space; analysis of a problem through materials, processes, and concepts; basic skills involved in structuring space. Open to nonmajors. No previous art experience required.

21:085:109 Introduction to 3-D Modeling and Printing (3) This course introduces the student to some of the basic tools and working methodologies used in three-dimesional digital design. Students will problem solve by employing additive and subtractive processes in the execution of works that range from functional to nonfunctional.  Open to nonmajors. No previous art experience required.

21:085:200 Core Topics in Graphic Design: Letterpress Printing at Express Newark (3) This course introduces students to a variety of traditional and contemporary letterpress printing methods, as well as their aesthetic applications. Students are introduced to the history of typography, letterpress printmaking, and the exploration of combined printing methods. Emphasis is placed on non/less-toxic printmaking procedures and addressing good studio practice and cooperation. Projects are critiqued on content, composition, value, craft, and color in a printmaking context. Students develop the ability to create and further develop visual narratives through the use of type and typographic expression. General computer, internet, and Adobe Photoshop knowledge will help significantly, but is not required.   Open to nonmajors. No previous art experience required.

21:085:231 Graphic Design I (3) An introduction to the history, art, and architecture of typography. Fundamental design problems emphasizing the use of typography while exploring problem solving in a variety of visual forms, conceptual and analytical approaches, semantics, and technical processes. The practice of image-making, symbol design, composition, craft, visual sequencing, and transformation in developing a visual language. Open to nonmajors. Prerequisites: 21:085:102, and sophomore standing or permission of instructor. Corequisite: 21:085:370.

21:085:232 Graphic Design II (3) With a fundamental understanding of typography from Graphic Design I, this course focuses on image-making, visual thinking, and the design process informed by an introduction to semiotics and gestalt theories. Further practice and exploration of type-and-image juxtaposition, grid systems, visual hierarchy, and expressive composition. Emphasis on various historical and contemporary models of design practice to develop an understanding of how to define concept, media, format, and style based on a given communication problem and the audience it is intended to address. Open to nonmajors. Prerequisite: 21:085:231 or permission of instructor. Corequisite 21:085:333.    

21:085:236 Illustration I (3) Basic media and techniques with emphasis placed on conceptual and analytical thinking; projects include using the concept of transformation to develop solutions derived from real-life information; the purpose and history of illustration. One research paper; field trips. Open to nonmajors. Prerequisites: 21:085:102, 21:080:121, or permission of instructor.

21:085:305,306 Problems in Graphic Design I,II: Advanced Letterpress (3,3) The objective of this workshop is to undergo and gain a thorough understanding of grid, structure, contrast, scale, and asymmetrical balance through the letterpress design and printing process. Letterpress printing is an immersive process involving many points of inflection and decision-making along the way that require constant assessment and problem solving. Every choice will have an impact moving forward, which is why success greatly depends on collaboration and communication among teams throughout the process. Time and technical constraints are addressed through an alternative approach to traditional measurements of points and picas, involving a modular furniture system that provides students with a series of helpful parameters, variables, and design opportunities. Open to nonmajors.

21:085:331 Graphic Design III (3) Advanced design problems centered on text-and-image integration and visual synthesis, as the basis of communication design expression and the creation of meaning. Students conceive of and manage the evolution of an idea by formulating a communication strategy and visual language that conveys a message to impact a target audience. Various design methodologies and processes are introduced to organize complex information, including advanced typography and grid systems, branding and its applications across print, environmental, and screen-based media. Open to nonmajors. Prerequisite: 21:085:232 or permission of instructor. Corequisite: 21:085:334.      

21:085:332 Graphic Design IV (3) Through a rigorous research-driven process, complex information is synthesized, structured, and visualized through an advanced exploration of denotative and connotative typography, grid systems, and image-making. Introduction to infographics and data visualization, as well as the book form and its craftsmanship. Continued study of grid systems in long-form multipage formats. Emphasis on narrative structures, and an investigation of the storytelling potential of information using student-generated content. Prerequisite: 21:085:331 or permission of instructor. Corequisite: 21:085:336.

21:085:333 Motion Design (3) This course will introduce students to the core concepts, technologies, and processes of work­ing in motion and time-based media. A visual vocabulary of motion graphics as well as relevant principles of animation and film-based terminology will be established. The traditional design attributes of color, composition, shape, depth, tension, and contrast will be used and combined with time-based attributes such as pace, rhythm, sequence, and repetition. Students will gain fluency with Adobe AfterEffects. Open to nonmajors. Prerequisite: 21:085:231 or permission of instructor. Corequisite: 21:085:232.

21:085:334 Interactive Design (3) This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of design, development, production, and deployment of web-based digital media. Core theory, technologies, and processes that are essential to current practice will be discussed and explored. Students will develop an understanding of interface design principles (UI), visual/communication design, user experience (UX), web workflows, and the unique affordances of designing interactive experiences. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the web as a dynamic and flexible medium, learning the fundamentals of coding using HTML/CSS, and development of the skills to support self-initiated research and ongoing learning. Critical thinking, research-based design methodologies, and the quality of the design process will also be essential components of the class. Open to nonmajors. Prerequisites: 21:085:232 and 21:085:333 or permission of instructor. Corequisite: 21:085:331.

21:085:335 Motion Design II (3) Building on the foundation established by Motion Design, this course provides students with the opportunity to further explore design for time-based media through both narrative and nonnarrative assignments. Emphasis will be placed on a breadth of approaches for how the language of motion and sequence can create meaning. Students will create a small body of motion work, including a self-directed final project, and will gain further experience working with Adobe AfterEffects. Open to nonmajors. Prerequisite: 21:085:333 or permission of instructor.

21:085:336 Interactive Design II (3) Building on the foundation established by Interactive Design, this course will continue to explore core theory, technologies, and processes that are essential to current practice in interactive digital media. Students will further develop their understanding of interface design principles (UI), visual/communication design, user experience (UX), web workflows, and the unique affordances of designing interactive experiences through prototyping tools. Emphasis will be placed on critical thinking, research-based design methodologies, self-initiated research, and the quality of the design process. The class will be conducted as an intensive studio lab where class critiques, working sessions, lectures, and discussion of professional work examples will be essential components of the learning process. Open to nonmajors. Prerequisites: 21:085:333 and 21:085:334 or permission of instructor. Corequisite: 21:085:332.

21:085:370 Computers in Graphic Design (3) Students develop a competency in digital production tools (hardware and software) to skillfully handle image manipulation and page composition. "Problem solving" is addressed by an exploration of form, function, content, and meaning with an emphasis on Adobe Creative Cloud software as tools for execution. The fundamentals of typographic design and visual hierarchy are also explored through practical and experimental projects designed to establish an understanding of the formal and conceptual relationship between words and images. Open to nonmajors. Prerequisite: 21:085:102 or permission of instructor. Corequisite: 21:085:231.

21:085:391,392 Individual Study in Design (3,3) Special problems in original creative work. Independent studio work in any of the disciplines offered. Prerequisites: Permission of department chair and instructor.

21:085:393,394 Internship in Design (3,3) Opportunity to explore career experience in art and design; limited to students with highly developed skills. Placements, designed to ensure maximum benefit to the student, may be in graphic design studios, as apprentices to artists, or in arts management positions. Under departmental supervision. Prerequisite: Permission of department chair or adviser.

21:085:395,396 Visual Means (3,3) Visual Means is an advanced course in which faculty and students work within a design-studio model/structure to collaborate with local and global researchers with a focus on publicly engaged work in which research is analyzed and visualized through communication design. The premise: once research is visualized it has a greater potential to impact a wider audience, and therefore, greater transformative power. This course exposes students to professional working processes and experiences toward applying their design thinking and creative skills to make complex information accessible through data representation and visualization. This class offers a different interdisciplinary data-intensive research experience every semester, since content and themes are built upon the research partner's field. Students may take the course two consecutive semesters as the class will present new content and will not function as a sequence. Prerequisites: 21:085:370 and 21:085:231 and permission of instructor.

21:085:397,398 The Design Consortium (3,3) The Design Consortium is an advanced course that models design-studio working experience in which design faculty and students work along community organizations, educational institutions, and local activists to understand use partners' needs, develop appropriate strategies, and to deliver and implement real design solutions. The course identifies potential partners through community outreach and/or a call for proposals. The goal is to provide arts, culture, and media students with a professional experience in which they can apply their skills, and to learn how design can serve and empower the Newark community. The class offers a different interdisciplinary design experience every semester, since content and themes are built upon the partner's field. Students may take the course two consecutive semesters as the class will present new content and will not function as a sequence. Prerequisites: 21:085:370 and 21:085:231 and permission of instructor.  

21:085:399 Seminar in Contemporary Design (3) This course will focus on contemporary topics and issues in design theory, history, criticism, and practice to help students develop a theoretical approach toward understanding and delineating design principles, design knowledge, and design praxis. Students will examine and discuss current theoretical and philosophical issues impacting their understanding of visual communication and explore the relationship between designers and theories, as well as the effects that design has on society. This course will also work to strengthen students' visual literacy and how one reads, interprets, and understands communication. Emphasis will be placed on class discourse about the reading assignments, developing questions, formulating theory, and critical writing. Prerequisite: 21:082:202 or permission of instructor.  

21:085:496 Cross-Media Design Studio (3) This advanced senior-level course focuses on an investigation of the role of medium in communication design. Graphic designers are required to understand the nuances of a broad range of media, the nature and inherent affordances of those media, and how to identify the most appropriate venue for an intended message to be communicated to a particular audience. Through a series of investigations and projects, students will explore how the choice of medium itself is an integral part of a design solution, and how to utilize each medium's intrinsic strengths through the creation of multiple experiences across diverse design modalities. Prerequisites: 21:085:332, 21:085:336, or permission of instructor. Corequisite: 21:085:497.

21:085:497 Senior Studio Seminar I (3) This course addresses all facets of creating a graphic design portfolio by organizing, refining, and presenting a cohesive body of work, while acquiring the skills to navigate and prosper in the profession. Coursework underlines a development and understanding of personal brand identity, aesthetics, design sensibility, and creative process driven by one's influences and personal expression. Classes balance lectures, discussions, critiques, and student presentations, emphasizing problem analysis; the relation between form, content, and media; as well as design craft and execution. Open only to majors. Prerequisites: 21:085:332, 21:085:336, or permission of instructor. Corequisite: 21:085:496.

21:085:498 Senior Studio Seminar II (3) Students develop a body of advanced-level work through the Senior Capstone project that is exhibited in a professional gallery. The capstone project is formulated by a conceptual framework in which a "transmedia narrative" is developed, designed, and deployed as a comprehensive and coordinated experience of a complex story. Students mediate the relationship between formal design elements, communication, and media through narratives that examine the personal, social, and/or political effects of a given topic. The exhibition provides students with public exposure and helps build their portfolio for job placement and/or admission to graduate school. This experience will teach students to apply their expertise to communicate their point of view and create impact through design. Open only to majors. Prerequisite: 21:085:497 or permission of instructor.