This course provides an introduction to the fundamental principles of design, typography, color, composition, rendering and production techniques. This course will also provide an introduction to the history of art/design. Through project based assignments that promote creative thinking, students will develop an understanding of the design process including, problem solving, target audience and the development of concepts and visuals for effective communication.

This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamental concepts of visual communication. Through production and discussion, students will learn creative and practical techniques to create visuals, which can be used in a variety of media formats and genres. Visual literacy, color theory, lighting and photography are all used to achieve course goals. By the end of the course, students will be proficient in creating and organizing ideas and visuals to present information in an appealing and effective way.

This is an introductory course in which the use of multimedia as a communication, entertainment and informational tool is analyzed and deconstructed. Students learn about file formats for graphics, video and sound and how and when to utilize each of them for optimum results. The students demonstrate an understanding of the multimedia development process by producing ideas, storyboards and scripts for media content for a project of either web-based content or a multimedia product as they relate to audience needs.

In this course the students apply creative/ problem-solving techniques and group/team principles to media production projects. The assignments provide the opportunity for students to apply knowledge and skills related to Narrative/Genre/Style, Project Management, and Advertising/Promotion/Public Relations. Students identify production opportunities, take technical and conceptual workshops, research and plan projects using tangible criteria, prepare oral (pitch) and written proposals and seek approval to proceed with production. Students participate in the production of group and individual evaluations of the production process using personal and professional perspectives.

This course instructs students in the preparation and presentation of a personal professional portfolio. Presentation techniques and continued portfolio review are emphasized in the course, and it also provides a forum for critiquing Web site projects. Students are introduced to interactive electronic portfolios and their characteristics, and utilize their technical skills in the preparation of a digital multimedia portfolio. This course also introduces the basic skills in assembling a portfolio, which will be refined in subsequent portfolio courses.

This course enables students to work on projects in any media genre or format in the areas of journalism, graphic design, media production (video, television, radio and/or audio production), multimedia, advertising, public relations and/or corporate communications. The Students develop the basic skills required to generate original concepts and ideas, do research, and write proposals related to their projects (synopses, treatments, scripts). They explore techniques to manage, plan and schedule their projects efficiently. In addition, the students take specialized technical workshops related to the media projects undertaken.

The aim of this course is to continue to build students’ confidence and ability in visual problem solving. Students continue to apply the fundamental principles required to produce effective design solutions while learning more sophisticated design solutions such as the grid and how to critique work based on the principles; they also learn more about color management in print and electronic mediums. Students gain an understanding of the appropriate software required for both for print and digital media design.