Online Graphic Design Courses
Curriculum Details
120 total credits required
The online art degree requires 120 total credit hours, including 48 from foundation graphic design courses and 12 from elective courses. In addition to learning through online graphic design courses, you will also gain experience through an internship.
Core Requirements (48 hours)
This is a lab-based course designed to familiarize students with advanced methods of information retrieval via the Internet; combined with hands-on design, development, and publication experience through the use of HTML and CSS. Lab fee may be required.
This course teaches the formal elements and principles of design, color theory, perception and problem solving as applied to a two-dimensional surface.
This course offers an exploration of three-dimensional space and design. Problems in the additive and subtractive processes will be presented including: open and closed space, mass, and volume. Basic fabrication skills will be covered. Sketchbooks required. Studio fee required.
This is an introduction to digital photography and Photoshop. Basic camera and composition skills are covered, along with an historical overview, software options and techniques. Students are encouraged to have a digital SLR camera. Studio fee applies.
Arts/Human Diversity This course is a historical survey of Western art and architecture from Prehistoric times to the end of the Middle Ages in 1300 with an emphasis on the relationship between art, society, culture, religion, and politics. Major works of art and architecture will be discussed from the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece-Rome, and finally the Middle Ages. This course is open to all students and required for all majors within the department of Art and Design.
Arts/Human Diversity This course is a historical survey of Western art and architecture from the Renaissance to the present with an emphasis on the relationship between art, society, culture, religion, and politics. Major works of art and architecture will be discussed as a survey of major artistic movements from the fourteenth to the late twentieth century across Europe and America. This course is open to all students and is required for all majors within the department of Art and Design.
Choose 1 of the following courses
Choose 1 of the following courses
Art and Design Electives (12 hours)
This course introduces students to programming logic in a structured web centric environment. Topics include language syntax, semantics, data types, program organization, pseudo code, flow-charting, algorithm design, and basic programming constructs. Lab fee may be required.
This course covers the basics of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. You will cover word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation concepts and techniques with an emphasis on effective communication and adherence to sound design principles applied through the usage of the Microsoft Office Suite. This class will culminate in taking the Associate Microsoft Office Specialist examinations for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. In the event that all three Associate certification exams are passed, participants will be awarded the Microsoft Office Specialist: Associate certification. Passing of the course does not guarantee passing of the industry level certification tests. Lab fee required.
This course provides students with real-world experience in the art and design fields working with entities both internal and external to the institution. Students will have opportunities to work directly with clients and collaborate with other artists and designers. Lab fee may be required.
Through lectures, demonstrations, and studio projects, this course explores all aspects of typography (the visualization of spoken language). Student exercises include type as image and the relationship between visual and verbal language, the expressive characteristics of letterforms, and type design classifications. This course also explores type terminology, typographic grids, hierarchy, typographic design, and history. Lab fee required.
This course provides students with a structured environment to showcase both personal design style and technical skills as it pertains to the field of Art and Design. Students will refine self-selected pieces, and develop an interactive platform in which to display the best of their work. Interviewing, résumé building, and job hunting are closely tied to the distribution of a portfolio and thus are a pivotal part of the course content. Students will conclude the course with a professional résumé, digital portfolio, and set of skills that will assist them in securing both a valuable internship and future career. Lab fee may be required.
This course covers the production and manipulation of digital imagery. Projects will address visual problem-solving for commercial or fine art purposes. Topics such as scanning, masking, compositing, color correction, resolution requirements, and production practices will be covered. File formats, techniques, and tools used in the graphic design field are emphasized. Imagery will be created for printed and screen use. This class will utilize lecture, demonstration, discussion, and hands-on experiences. This course addresses the concepts and techniques necessary to create illustrations for print, web, and multimedia applications. Students learn a graphic and conceptual approach to illustration through demonstrations and projects, which build on the existing knowledge of design and drawing. Projects range from business and information graphics to editorial, advertising, and technical illustration. Creativity, content, communication, and technical proficiency are emphasized. Lab fee required.
This course is an advanced study of the printmaking discipline, including its history, processes, and innovations. Students are expected to participate in the day to day operations of the printmaking studio. Studio fee required.
This course provides students with real-world experience in the art and design fields working with entities both internal and external to the institution. Students will lead teams and have opportunities to work directly with clients and collaborate with other artists and designers. Lab fee may be required.
This course introduces time as a design element and surveys the potential applications for motion in visual communication. Students will be exposed to the basic principles of animation and motion graphics, and develop the technical skills to apply these principles using industry standard software. Projects will integrate graphic form, typography, and message with movement, time, sequence, and sound. Lab fee required.
This course gives the student an understanding of the production cycle of printed materials. The student will develop a working knowledge of pre-press to press proof with a variety of printing demands. The student will learn how to use printing software and develop an understanding of professionally designed and produced materials. Lab fee may be required.
This course is a study of drawing techniques and fundamentals of anatomical structure as related to the human form. Most work is completed from direct observation of the nude human figure. Studio fee required.
This hands-on course provides students with the skills needed to design 3D models, materials, lighting, and animation using a popular 3D software application. Rendering techniques, camera usage, and surface-mapping will be covered in an effort to have students capable of producing photo-realistic images. Lab fee may be required.
This class is designed to familiarize students with painting in a digital medium. The students will learn to utilize painting programs to simulate the natural tools of the artist, such as watercolor, oils, charcoal and others. Students will use the various tools available in these programs such as brushes, paper textures, media palettes and mixers to create art work that can only be generated in a digital medium. Lab fee may be required.
Juried review of work completed in fundamentals coursework. Proficiency/BFA eligibility will be pass/fail assessed. This course can be repeated up to a maximum of 12 credit hours.
This course is an advanced study of digital photographic techniques and principles. Students are required to have a digital camera of minimum 6 mp and a flash drive. Lab fee required.
This course is a survey of branding and identity design as it relates to organizations, individuals, or other systems. It introduces the concepts associated with the visualization of corporate or organizational character, reputation, and strategy. Topics associated with the simplification and abstraction of symbols, icons, logos, and style guides are given focus.
Students will build on the fundamentals of Typography I, and understand typographic nuance, experimental typography, and the development of custom typefaces in type development software. Lab fee may be required.
Prerequisite: AAD 25000
This course furthers an exploration in 3D space and design. Students can expect to be presented with problems they can solve through both digital and traditional processes. Lab fee required.
Continuing to build upon the skills and techniques covered in Intro to Web Design, this course focuses on the User Experience through the development of web environments and components. Continued use of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Frameworks, and other technologies should be expected along with the introduction of other techniques and technologies currently trending in the industry. A registered domain name and web hosting plan capable of supporting FTP, PHP, MySQL are mandatory. Lab fee required.
Continuing to build upon the skills and techniques covered in Web Design – User Experience I, this course focuses on the User Experience through the development of web environments and components. Continued use of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Frameworks, and other technologies should be expected along with the introduction of other techniques and technologies currently trending in the industry. A registered domain name and web hosting plan capable of supporting FTP, PHP, MySQL are mandatory. Lab fee required.
May be repeated as topics vary. Prerequisites will vary by topic. Course fee may be required.
This course will introduce students to the basic steps of drawing fashion figures. Other facets of this course include rendering fabrics, flat sketches, and fashion accessories. Students will be required to build a mini-portfolio.
This course is a study of social and cultural history and the resulting costumes worn by men, women, and children from primitive times to 1900. Emphasis is given to the ways in which politics, economics, and technology affected the changing silhouettes of each period.
This course is a study of social history and the resulting costumes worn by men, women, and children in the 20th and 21st centuries, focusing on the impact of cultural, political, and social changes. Emphasis is given to the ways in which politics, economics, and technology affected the changing silhouettes of each period, while exploring fashion and the psychology of dress in culturally diverse settings.
This course is a study of the commercial and professional elements of fashion, including analysis of merchandising and marketing practices within fashion and its related industries.
Capstone
In this capstone experience course, students will research and complete a comprehensive project and present it in the format appropriate for the field.
Choose 1 of the following courses
Supervised work experience for the advanced student which requires the application of principles, skills, and strategies within the discipline. Requires signed internship agreement by student, faculty of record, and supervisor representing host organization. This course may be repeated up to a maximum of 12 credit hours and is graded on a Pass/Fail basis.
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