Building on concepts and skills introduced in Communications 1 and 2, the focus shifts to knowledge and skills necessary to being a professional and ethical communicator in the digital media industry. Through lectures, group discussion of case studies, role-play, individual projects and a group presentation, skills are further developed in personal branding for career development; improving personal networking and conversational skills; handling difficult and pressure filled meetings and conversations; contributing positively to team projects and clearly and persuasively presenting to live audiences as part of a team.
This course prepares students for their job search after graduation. Students prepare a résumé, cover letter, demo reel, and professional portfolio made up of work that they completed while in the program as well as personal work created outside of school, if appropriate. Students will also be given guidance on starting out as a freelancer. This includes working with clients, preparing contracts, and creative briefs.
This course serves as an introduction to server-side programming (PHP) in the context of template design and development for content management systems (WordPress). Students will also be introduced to server-side technologies such as databases.
Students develop skills with creating content strategy, wireframing and prototyping, as well as a variety of field research methods and UX processes. Students demonstrate their understanding of User Experience with a number of hands-on assignments, including writing personas and designing an interactive product with a user-friendly experience.
This course introduces students to User Interface Design software and techniques, and will focus on the development of skills necessary to allow students to create well-designed interactive documents using current and emerging technologies. While referencing traditional design skills and UX design, the course emphasizes beginner to intermediate level manipulation of XD for wireframe and User Interface design and prototyping software. Students also practice a positive, professional attitude and learn to collaborate, and work within tight deadlines. Students will engage in research, design, prototyping, and focus on content, typography and color, Information Architecture, hierarchy and communication to create original designs in a way that is meaningful and practical.
Students gain a practical, working knowledge of the history of typography and typographic terms used in the digital design industry. Students will also study and become familiar with specific typeface classifications and their various characteristics.
This course is an introduction to content management systems. Students will install and manage WordPress sites. They will design and develop themes for blogs by using WordPress’ API (template hierarchy, the loop, and template tags).
This course focuses on the foundations of client-side scripting (JavaScript). Students will explore the use of JavaScript for web page interactivity such as Document Object Model search and manipulation, event handling, and API interactions. Students will also learn to manage their workflow and debug their code.
This course allows students to develop a project that simulates the demands of real-life work situations within contexts of their own choosing. These projects could include video productions, 2D and/or motion graphic sequences, frame-by-frame animation, or other projects that showcase skills developed within the Digital Media Design — Video and Motion Graphics program. Students will work primarily in an independent fashion, but with guidance of a DMD staff mentor, will present their completed work at the end of the course.
Students apply the principles of UX to UI Design, including guidelines for human-computer interaction, and Human Interface Guideline design principles and standards. The course also focuses on user and task analysis (framing, establishing goals), field research methods (observation, interviewing, testing, documentation of personas), usability testing and the UX process (card sorting, task models user journeys, content requirements, wireframes). This course covers style guides, designing for different screens or environments, user interface design, and best practices in typography, design and navigation.
Building on the skills covered in Web Design 1 and 2, this course delves into web page construction using current web standards. Students will learn to structure their sites for better collaboration and accessibility. Advanced CSS techniques and tooling will be covered.
Students will design meaningful experiences between the user and digital platforms such as social media, websites, wearables and mobile devices. This course builds on intermediate-level design of App and website concepts, planning, branding and User Interface design, prototyping, and interactive design. Through a series of hands-on assignments that encourage exploration of new interaction design and tools, students will be able to apply User Experience and User Interface design theory and produce work at an intermediate level, using current software. Focus on subject matter will be placed on non-profit, sustainability, and design for good. Students will engage in research, design, testing, animation, collaboration and communication to create original designs in a way that is meaningful and practical.
Students design and develop projects using appropriate typography, such as typographic UI kits, icon sets, pattern libraries and learn advanced animation techniques for typography. Students design projects using flexible typesetting methods, and work in teams for collaborating and communicating ideas effectively.
This course focuses on extending WordPress from a blogging platform into a content management system with the use of custom fields and post types. Students will also learn how to create custom plugins and blocks.
In this course students will examine rich internet applications that take advantage of current web and interactive technologies. Students will consider the platforms that are relevant to the development and deployment of modular, responsive applications. Students will combine data, scripts, and interface elements to create applications that may be run in web browsers, and can be extended to run in mobile or other devices. Technologies that will be explored include JavaScript and React.
Students will learn how to use optimize web sites for better performance and faster loading times. Students will deploy cross-browser/platform websites to a live server and will learn how to manage those sites. Emerging technologies in the field of web design will be covered.
Students will complete a full-time, three-week work placement. Students are matched to workplaces according to their strengths, including studios that specialize in graphic design, web and mobile, or video and motion graphics. The placement has proven to be of great benefit both in terms of networking and selecting a specialty.