This course introduces the student to the structure of visual languages and how these structures are used consciously and unconsciously in design. The course begins by exploring modes of signification and the ideological roles of media in contemporary culture. Key strands in critical theory such as mythology and ideology will be introduced. Students will examine the transmission of meaning in our visual culture. In particular, students will be asked to judge for themselves the truth of old certainties relating to the techniques and the very purposes of graphic design. Computer skills and compositional skills will be stressed and enhanced.
This course focuses on the roles that human perception and cognition play in the world of design. As such this studio course examines the notion of locating the individual in the sphere of cultural production and consumption. The aim of the course is to discover how notions of the unconscious affect the decision-making patterns of consumers in our visual culture. Students are introduced to various psychological principles that facilitate our understanding of how humans are motivated to action or behavior in design and advertising. Technically, the course will rely heavily on page layout, color response, and typography.
Typographic skills and concepts are applied to situations involving the use of type in layout, illustration, and time-based applications. The emphasis is not only on style and composition, but also on formal and semantic issues as these are influenced by project function and technological criteria. Students will be able to understand the history and evolution of typography, and to discuss and analyze the physical aspects and nuances of type and typographic measurements. Some key concepts in type design will be explored as well. Projects will explore a variety of solutions to design problems that require both expressiveness as well as an understanding of the practical uses of type in communication design.
Typography 2 is a continuation of systems and ideas explored initially in Typography I. This course includes historical and contemporary lectures mixed with studio time for experimentation, research, and personal application of concepts. This course is intended to give you a further understanding and appreciation of type as a tool for the designer. During this course, typographic skills and concepts are applied to situations involving the use of type in digital and manual applications.
This course provides an understanding of the scope and correlation of design, pre-press preparation and the production process. Fundamentals of computer hardware/software management and the importance of time management and project planning will be stressed.
Fundamentals of Interactive Design is first in the series of two interactive design courses, is offered in the Spring semester, and is required for CD students. This course serves as an introduction to interactive design with user experience and user interface methodologies. Basic principles of design for digital platforms are discussed, as well as interaction design concepts such as app/web, augmented and virtual reality, ocular/voice recognition, environmental/experience design, etc. Students will develop the background needed to understand how audio, video, animation and motion graphics affect user interaction and experience within digital media.
Special topics courses are approved to take advantage of timely subjects, the expertise of a faculty member, or to test student interest in a topic which may later be added to the curriculum.
This course begins to prepare the student for understanding the audience that design always addresses. As a means to understand audience, we investigate where that is found a cultural context. Borrowing ideas from anthropology and political economy, students explore graphic design from the perspective of total communication from the larger issues confronting a society to the discreet objects and messages contained therein. Projects include identity and collateral, product and brand development, as well as publication design.
The use of communication design in shaping history, scholarly discourse, the media and even genres such as film and literature, seems transparent. This class will link to the traditional aims of rhetoric (developing a good argument), with becoming a perceptive interpreter. We will investigate the integral role of building solid visual arguments and developing the rhetorical skills to defend a position. Students will be asked to develop an argument on a complex issue and advance that argument through the use of design media such as posters, websites, billboards, etc.
This class is an overview of basic marketing principles and their relevance to the advertising art director and graphic designer. Students will be exposed to product development, pricing, distribution and promotion, merchandising and public relations in consumer and industrial markets and comparing various media, their selection and use.
This course serves as an introduction to front-end design and development. Students will cultivate their developmental abilities for the web by focusing on the core technical languages of HTML and CSS. Exploration of current web trends, techniques, and best practices will be emphasized with special attention paid to the role of the modern day professional as a hinge position between aesthetic sensitivity and programmatic rigor.
This class works as an introduction to motion graphics. Our goal is to develop a working methodology based on an understanding of communication over time. Students will learn to create QuickTime videos using Adobe After Effects, Premiere, and more, including many hands-on analog techniques. We'll consider integrated and conceptual approaches to typography on screen, develop a personal working methodology in approaching motion graphics, and we'll dissect existing projects to recognize what technical steps helped to achieve the desired end results. We'll also learn how to manage, organize, and archive motion files professionally. At the end of this course, students should demonstrate knowledge about screen time, motion timing, and how to effectively create moving graphics using frame-by-frame techniques in a variety of motion-based software programs.
Special topics courses are approved to take advantage of timely subjects, the expertise of a faculty member, or to test student interest in a topic which may later be added to the curriculum.
Graphic Design students with junior or senior standing are placed with cooperating employers for approximately 9 hours per week. Employers include designers, design firms, advertising agencies and other creative firms. Within the actual creative environment, students are able to sharpen their skills, gain confidence and have practical work experiences that are invaluable.Before registering, students must apply directly to an internship site and receive confirmation of acceptance.
This class is a continuation of studio work in graphic design throughout previous years in the curriculum, with an emphasis on research, creating, critique and refining students' design work. The course will be made up of two main projects: portfolio and collateral development for the student, and the creation of separate advanced studio projects. Class time will largely be used for critique and discussion, but please bring all working files to class to support studio time and collaborative work. Our discussions will explore topics such as: concept, methodology, process, execution, audience awareness, research, craft, presentation, and documentation. It is imperative that the student continually develop work for the class outside of class meeting times.
This class is a continuation of studio work in graphic design throughout previous years in the curriculum, with an emphasis on research, creating, critique and refining students' design work. The course will be made up of two main projects: portfolio and collateral development for the student, and the creation of separate advanced studio projects. Class time will largely be used for critique and discussion, but please bring all working files to class to support studio time and collaborative work. Our discussions will explore topics such as: concept, methodology, process, execution, audience awareness, research, craft, presentation, and documentation. It is imperative that the student continually develop work for the class outside of class meeting times.
The PNCA Center for Design is a working design studio with real clients and projects, operating with the safety net of our learning environment. Center for Design students from illustration and design majors are exposed to all aspects of a professional creative practice-from initial client meetings, strategy development, and creative briefs; to scheduling, concept development, presentation, and final execution. We'll turn the superpowers we learn working in a design studio setting towards a range of viable work, from commercial projects to values-driven initiatives and Design for Good. Members of the studio will collaborate in student-led and student-driven teams, working in project management, art direction, and production in addition to design and illustration as fits each project.We'll supplement collaborative client work with studio visits from different industry perspectives, brand building work for the studio, and we'll develop tools for you to take into your future practice. We'll work collaboratively, but with space for each team member's unique voice and individual contributions to shine. This studio gives the hands-on experience of an internship and the opportunity to add work that lives in the real world to your portfolios.
This course introduces the student to the structure of visual languages and how these structures are used consciously and unconsciously in design. The course begins by exploring modes of signification and the ideological roles of media in contemporary culture. Key strands in critical theory such as mythology and ideology will be introduced. Students will examine the transmission of meaning in our visual culture. In particular, students will be asked to judge for themselves the truth of old certainties relating to the techniques and the very purposes of graphic design. Computer skills and compositional skills will be stressed and enhanced.
This course focuses on the roles that human perception and cognition play in the world of design. As such this studio course examines the notion of locating the individual in the sphere of cultural production and consumption. The aim of the course is to discover how notions of the unconscious affect the decision-making patterns of consumers in our visual culture. Students are introduced to various psychological principles that facilitate our understanding of how humans are motivated to action or behavior in design and advertising. Technically, the course will rely heavily on page layout, color response, and typography.
Typographic skills and concepts are applied to situations involving the use of type in layout, illustration, and time-based applications. The emphasis is not only on style and composition, but also on formal and semantic issues as these are influenced by project function and technological criteria. Students will be able to understand the history and evolution of typography, and to discuss and analyze the physical aspects and nuances of type and typographic measurements. Some key concepts in type design will be explored as well. Projects will explore a variety of solutions to design problems that require both expressiveness as well as an understanding of the practical uses of type in communication design.
Typography 2 is a continuation of systems and ideas explored initially in Typography I. This course includes historical and contemporary lectures mixed with studio time for experimentation, research, and personal application of concepts. This course is intended to give you a further understanding and appreciation of type as a tool for the designer. During this course, typographic skills and concepts are applied to situations involving the use of type in digital and manual applications.
This course provides an understanding of the scope and correlation of design, pre-press preparation and the production process. Fundamentals of computer hardware/software management and the importance of time management and project planning will be stressed.
Fundamentals of Interactive Design is first in the series of two interactive design courses, is offered in the Spring semester, and is required for CD students. This course serves as an introduction to interactive design with user experience and user interface methodologies. Basic principles of design for digital platforms are discussed, as well as interaction design concepts such as app/web, augmented and virtual reality, ocular/voice recognition, environmental/experience design, etc. Students will develop the background needed to understand how audio, video, animation and motion graphics affect user interaction and experience within digital media.
Special topics courses are approved to take advantage of timely subjects, the expertise of a faculty member, or to test student interest in a topic which may later be added to the curriculum.
This course begins to prepare the student for understanding the audience that design always addresses. As a means to understand audience, we investigate where that is found a cultural context. Borrowing ideas from anthropology and political economy, students explore graphic design from the perspective of total communication from the larger issues confronting a society to the discreet objects and messages contained therein. Projects include identity and collateral, product and brand development, as well as publication design.
The use of communication design in shaping history, scholarly discourse, the media and even genres such as film and literature, seems transparent. This class will link to the traditional aims of rhetoric (developing a good argument), with becoming a perceptive interpreter. We will investigate the integral role of building solid visual arguments and developing the rhetorical skills to defend a position. Students will be asked to develop an argument on a complex issue and advance that argument through the use of design media such as posters, websites, billboards, etc.
This class is an overview of basic marketing principles and their relevance to the advertising art director and graphic designer. Students will be exposed to product development, pricing, distribution and promotion, merchandising and public relations in consumer and industrial markets and comparing various media, their selection and use.
This course serves as an introduction to front-end design and development. Students will cultivate their developmental abilities for the web by focusing on the core technical languages of HTML and CSS. Exploration of current web trends, techniques, and best practices will be emphasized with special attention paid to the role of the modern day professional as a hinge position between aesthetic sensitivity and programmatic rigor.
This class works as an introduction to motion graphics. Our goal is to develop a working methodology based on an understanding of communication over time. Students will learn to create QuickTime videos using Adobe After Effects, Premiere, and more, including many hands-on analog techniques. We'll consider integrated and conceptual approaches to typography on screen, develop a personal working methodology in approaching motion graphics, and we'll dissect existing projects to recognize what technical steps helped to achieve the desired end results. We'll also learn how to manage, organize, and archive motion files professionally. At the end of this course, students should demonstrate knowledge about screen time, motion timing, and how to effectively create moving graphics using frame-by-frame techniques in a variety of motion-based software programs.
Special topics courses are approved to take advantage of timely subjects, the expertise of a faculty member, or to test student interest in a topic which may later be added to the curriculum.
Graphic Design students with junior or senior standing are placed with cooperating employers for approximately 9 hours per week. Employers include designers, design firms, advertising agencies and other creative firms. Within the actual creative environment, students are able to sharpen their skills, gain confidence and have practical work experiences that are invaluable.Before registering, students must apply directly to an internship site and receive confirmation of acceptance.
This class is a continuation of studio work in graphic design throughout previous years in the curriculum, with an emphasis on research, creating, critique and refining students' design work. The course will be made up of two main projects: portfolio and collateral development for the student, and the creation of separate advanced studio projects. Class time will largely be used for critique and discussion, but please bring all working files to class to support studio time and collaborative work. Our discussions will explore topics such as: concept, methodology, process, execution, audience awareness, research, craft, presentation, and documentation. It is imperative that the student continually develop work for the class outside of class meeting times.
This class is a continuation of studio work in graphic design throughout previous years in the curriculum, with an emphasis on research, creating, critique and refining students' design work. The course will be made up of two main projects: portfolio and collateral development for the student, and the creation of separate advanced studio projects. Class time will largely be used for critique and discussion, but please bring all working files to class to support studio time and collaborative work. Our discussions will explore topics such as: concept, methodology, process, execution, audience awareness, research, craft, presentation, and documentation. It is imperative that the student continually develop work for the class outside of class meeting times.
The PNCA Center for Design is a working design studio with real clients and projects, operating with the safety net of our learning environment. Center for Design students from illustration and design majors are exposed to all aspects of a professional creative practice-from initial client meetings, strategy development, and creative briefs; to scheduling, concept development, presentation, and final execution. We'll turn the superpowers we learn working in a design studio setting towards a range of viable work, from commercial projects to values-driven initiatives and Design for Good. Members of the studio will collaborate in student-led and student-driven teams, working in project management, art direction, and production in addition to design and illustration as fits each project.We'll supplement collaborative client work with studio visits from different industry perspectives, brand building work for the studio, and we'll develop tools for you to take into your future practice. We'll work collaboratively, but with space for each team member's unique voice and individual contributions to shine. This studio gives the hands-on experience of an internship and the opportunity to add work that lives in the real world to your portfolios.
The Graphic Design curriculum gets you thinking from the micro to the macro levels, about craft and concept, and combines physical making with digital skills to help you grow your unique voice as a designer. You'll find you have plenty of options to tailor your experience.
Willamette University