Mark Skillicorn

This course examines the fundamentals of two-dimensional design in the digital age. Students will explore principle elements of design including composition, color, and typography through a series of projects that introduce Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop as primary graphic design tools. The importance of effective visual communication in both commercial and experimental design is stressed as students gain an understanding of the professional design process from the client brief to the finished digital project. Students will leave this course with a solid foundation in strategies for solving design problems, a basic design vocabulary, and an understanding of the specific role that Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop play in creating professional work. Before starting this course, students should be comfortable creating, deleting, renaming, and moving files and directories without assistance.

This course examines the fundamentals of two-dimensional design in the digital age. Students will explore principle elements of design including composition, color, and typography through a series of projects that introduce Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop as primary graphic design tools. The importance of effective visual communication in both commercial and experimental design is stressed as students gain an understanding of the professional design process from the client brief to the finished digital project. Students will leave this course with a solid foundation in strategies for solving design problems, a basic design vocabulary, and an understanding of the specific role that Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop play in creating professional work. Before starting this course, students should be comfortable creating, deleting, renaming, and moving files and directories without assistance.

This course examines the fundamentals of two-dimensional design in the digital age. Students will explore principle elements of design including composition, color, and typography through a series of projects that introduce Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop as primary graphic design tools. The importance of effective visual communication in both commercial and experimental design is stressed as students gain an understanding of the professional design process from the client brief to the finished digital project. Students will leave this course with a solid foundation in strategies for solving design problems, a basic design vocabulary, and an understanding of the specific role that Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop play in creating professional work. Before starting this course, students should be comfortable creating, deleting, renaming, and moving files and directories without assistance.

Want to use Adobe Illustrator to create sophisticated and complex designs and illustrations while you hone your skills? Learn the basics of the program before moving on to master transparency, feathering, masking, compound paths, gradients, layering techniques, and the specifics of the pen tool. This course will feature dynamic class demonstrations, and group critiques, as well as personalized feedback from your instructor on each assignment and throughout the creative process. Students should have basic computer skills before signing up for this course.

This introduction to typography is recommended for those pursuing a career in art and design fields, and those interested in the history and development of analog and digital type. The course functions as a working lab with multiple projects guaranteed to build confidence and knowledge in typographic usage. Students learn about typographic history, type dos and don?ts, type terminology, setting copy and display text, using style sheets, type styles, and handwriting and illustrative calligraphy. Prerequisite(s): Introduction to Graphic Design or equivalent experience.