Communication Design

For decades, typography has been everywhere. As the art of visual language, typography is inherently communicative. Spoken language is ephemeral and intangible. When written, language is captured in a visual and spatial form, permanent and concrete. Students discover the domain of typography, gain familiarity with typographical language and terms, and learn to work with typefaces for printed matters and digital use. The course will recall the history of typography, from the tradition to contemporary uses and students are introduced to digital typesetting and page layout software.

This course will introduce graphic design as the foundation of visual communication. Through case studies and applied exercises, students are introduced to the fundamentals of visual research, composition, and information organization. Throughout the semester, the students will develop projects working with shape, color, pattern, and grids; approaching the language and skills of typography; understanding and applying the principles of composition and visual contrast.

This interdisciplinary course explores the rise of visual media, communication and information, within the context of a broad cultural shift away from the verbal and textual toward the visual, which has taken place since the advent of photography and cinema in the late 19th century, through the birth of television, to the present proliferation of digital media worldwide. We will consider the critical practices of looking, historicizing and interpreting that have accompanied this ‘visual turn’. Our readings will primarily address the theoretical foundations of the study of visual culture, which is understood to incorporate a variety of visual media and visual technologies: painting and sculpture, scientific imagery, material culture, the internet. If everything can be visual culture, what remains of traditional notions of medium specificity? What critical tools must be invented to analyze visual events from a visual cultural perspective? The relationship between the visual arts and visual media, especially with respect to the ‘global’ contemporary visual landscape, will be a focus of this course.

You may select an elective from the many course offerings in your department or in other departments with the approval of your department chair.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.

The second part of this yearlong course builds on the fundamental typographical forms and functions acquired during Typography 1. The course extends the vocabulary and approaches more complex problems related to typographic hierarchy, context, sequence and scale. A deeper exploration of typography behaves across media will be the opportunity for students to experiment on complex typographical systems, implementing applications in private or public space, environment, or digital time-based projects.

This year-long course provides the fundamental skills of graphic design. Students will become familiar with the visual vocabulary that builds graphic design practice through practical projects. Exploring the basic elements (form, colour, type, image and their interconnections) and experimenting on different media and at different scales, the students will become familiar to the graphic design process and visual problem solving.

Design pervades every aspect of the world around us, from how we communicate information and identity, to the tools and systems that help us navigate through physical and digital environments. As design has such a broad reach, it is important that we learn to think about its implications, and the way it is influenced by—and influences—our society. Design Studies is the academic discipline that examines design’s role in our culture, and in our experience of life. By looking at the processes and products of, as well as the discourse on design, we can better understand how the objects and systems we create can solve problems—or, in some cases, create them. The approach for this course will be multidisciplinary and thematic: each week, we will investigate a new topic, considering how design relates to broader issues such as the ethics of consumption, gender, identity, and sustainability, to name just a few. By looking at theoretical essays, historical and contemporary case studies and key texts about design, students will learn to be more critical about how design gets assimilated into our society, our visual culture and our daily experiences, ultimately bringing that understanding into their presentations of their studio practice and their own creativity.

You may select an elective from the many course offerings in your department or in other departments with the approval of your department chair.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.

Junior Studio 1 introduces Design Thinking and reinforces the Human Centred Design focus introduced in the Interactive Media Design course. A five week introduction to Design Thinking theories and methodology is then applied to preparatory exercises. In the second part of the course (10 weeks) students apply the acquired methodology to different fields of the Communication Design practice (from the design of interfaces and web design, to publications and editorial productions) approaching more complex and global projects. The aim of the course is to stress the importance of creating connections between fields that are traditionally considered separate or in opposition (i.e. interfaces versus publications), and train the ability of adapting a narrative, remaining faithful to the message conveyed, in spite of the medium change.

Prerequisites: Sophomore Core studios. Semester 1 or equivalent are prerequisite for semester 2.

This year-long course provides the fundamental skills of graphic design. Students will become familiar with the visual vocabulary that builds graphic design practice through practical projects. Exploring the basic elements (form, colour, type, image and their interconnections) and experimenting on different media and at different scales, the students will become familiar to the graphic design process and visual problem solving.

You may select an elective from the many course offerings in your department or in other departments with the approval of your department chair.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.

The second part of the year long Junior Studio class (Junior Studio 2) focuses on scale and scale change. The students have acquired a new autonomy in handling complexity in Fall semester. During Spring semester they expand their abilities working on projects related to space: from private, through semi-public to public. They work from the very small to the very big (from business cards to wayfinding systems), studying global identities for museums, galleries or shops, integrating installations in the public space.

Prerequisites: Sophomore Core studios. Semester 1 or equivalent are prerequisite for semester 2.

The course provides a better understanding of typography anatomy through the design of typefaces. Students will work, during the first half of the course on preparatory exercises aimed to understand how a type-designer approaches the design of type families. During the second part of the course they will develop in autonomy a personal project and design a typeface that could be applied to magazine titles, graphics for exhibitions or visual identity.

You may select an elective from the many course offerings in your department or in other departments with the approval of your department chair.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.

This year long senior studio is aimed to develop strong professional skills and prepare students to enter the work market. The class is divided in two or three components per semester, taught by highly qualified professionals who teach shorter workshops on their areas of specialisation. The course focuses particularly on the portfolio development (digital and printed) and the self-identity project, in order to prepare students to present themselves to future potential employers.

Prerequisites: Collab 1 + 2. Semester 1 or equivalent are prerequisite for semester 2.

This course is aimed at developing strong professional skills and preparing students to enter the work market. This course focuses on portfolio development (website and digital portfolio) and the self-identity project (business cards, communication materials, presence on social media…) to prepare students to present themselves as communication design professionals to future potential employers.

Communication Design Seniors are expected to work on a self‐defined research paper in their particular area of interest. When choosing a topic, students should consider this project to be a stepping-stone toward their future endeavours. The course is divided in two main components: 3 weeks of introduction to research and methodology, followed by a 12 week seminar which comprises weekly presentations, discussions, and in-class activities.

Prerequisites: Advanced Studio – Semester 1 or equivalent are prerequisite for semester 2

You may select an elective from the many course offerings in your department or in other departments with the approval of your department chair.

During Spring semester, Communication Design Seniors are expected to work on a self-defined research project in their particular area of interest. When choosing a topic, students should consider this project to be a steppingstone towards their future endeavors.

This year long senior studio is aimed to develop strong professional skills and prepare students to enter the work market. The class is divided in two or three components per semester, taught by highly qualified professionals who teach shorter workshops on their areas of specialisation. The course focuses particularly on the portfolio development (digital and printed) and the self-identity project, in order to prepare students to present themselves to future potential employers.

Prerequisites: Collab 1 + 2 (FCMD 0300, FCMD 0301). Semester 1 or equivalent are prerequisite for semester 2.

You may select an elective from the many course offerings in your department or in other departments with the approval of your department chair.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.