Graphic & Interactive Design Certificate

Prepare for a career in graphic and interactive design with the Graphic and Interactive Design Certificate. You'll learn to design for print, the web and motion graphics with hands-on coursework that uses the latest design software tools. With practical training in publication design, color management, multimedia, interactivity and more, you'll develop the skills you need to create collateral, web sites and digital video and audio. Special presentations will introduce you to the real-world business challenges faced by graphic and interactive designers, ensuring you'll be ready for your new career.

Program Descriptions

GID101-Introduction to Graphic Design
GID102-Typography, Layout and Color
GID103-Vector Graphics with Illustrator
GID104-Digital Imaging with Photoshop
GID105-Publication Design with QuarkXpress
GID106-Publication Design with Adobe InDesign
GID107-Prepress/Color Management
GID108-Working with Adobe Acrobat and PDF
GID109-Portfolio Presentation
GID110-Special Topic Presentations
GID201-Introduction to Interactive Design
GID202-Building Websites with Dreamweaver
GID203-Cascading Style Sheets
GID204-Working with Digital Images for the Web
GID205-Animation and Interactivity with Flash
GID206-Design Project
GID207-JavaScript and PHP for Non-Programmers
GID208-Digital Video and Audio for the Web
GID209-Portfolio Presentation
GID210-Special Topic Presentations
GID999-Production Practicum

Module Descriptions

GID101-Introduction to Graphic Design

This module provides an overview of the graphic design field. The lectures and exercises help students develop basic design skills for the print medium. Topics include history of graphic design, composition, color, type, form, the difference between vector and bitmap graphics and the digital workflow. Upon completion, students will have a foundation to build on in subsequent classes and a visual vocabulary, enabling them to describe, analyze and discuss their work and the work of others throughout their studies in the certificate program.
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GID102-Typography, Layout and Color

This module builds on "Introduction to Graphic Design," helping students further refine their design skills and sensibilities. Students explore the dual role of typography as a visualization of language and a design element. Through lecture and hand-on exercises, students learn about type, readability, structuring typographic layouts with and without grids and explore typeface combinations, visual continuity, information organization, color and perception, color effects and color meaning. Exercises challenge students to experiment with various solutions to common design problems.
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GID103-Vector Graphics with Illustrator

This module introduces students to vector graphics for the print medium. The exercises are based around Illustrator, the most widely-used application for creating vector graphics. The module provides students practical production skills for creating logos, charts, illustrations and diagrams. Students master the pen tool and work with anchor points, segments and compound paths. Exercises encourage exploration and discovery.
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GID104-Digital Imaging with Photoshop

This module provides an in-depth exploration of Adobe Photoshop, the industry standard for digital imaging. Students work on the basics of image editing, color correction, color management, preparing files for print and exporting images. Topics include working with layers, alpha channels, paths, selections and filters. Exercises prepare students for a real-world production environment. (2 Weeks)
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GID105-Publication Design with QuarkXpress

This module focuses on professional page design using the desktop publishing program QuarkXpress. Students explore properties of page layout, including typography, image placement and using drawing tools. Color management and printing are also discussed.
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GID106-Publication Design with Adobe InDesign

This module focuses on professional page design using the desktop publishing program Adobe InDesign. Students explore properties of page layout, including typography, image placement and using drawing tools. Topics include using master pages, working with native Photoshop and Illustrator files, using paragraph and character styles, creating a Table of Contents and exporting to PDF. Students will have the opportunity to compare InDesign to the desktop publishing program QuarkXpress. (2 Weeks)
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GID107-Prepress/Color Management

This module focuses on prepress, the language of printing. Topics include a history of presses, the cost and use of ink and paper, printing negatives and plates, working with die cuts and paper folds. Students learn how printing can affect design, including working with transparency, spot colors and understanding trapping. Issues of color calibration, color management, and working with printers are also discussed.
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GID108-Working with Adobe Acrobat and PDF

This module focuses on Acrobat with an emphasis on its prepress capabilities. Topics include understanding the PDF workflow, using Preflight to identify potential problems and using Acrobat Distiller. Students also learn how to create PDFs from various sources, use Acrobat's commenting tools and explore other advanced features of the program.
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GID109-Portfolio Presentation

This course offers instruction in final preparation and presentation of the individual student portfolio. Students are encouraged to incorporate elements from the entire program in their portfolios. (2 Weeks)
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GID110-Special Topic Presentations

Students take a short break about once a week from their intensive, hands-on classes to learn about aesthetics, business issues and career planning in special topic presentations by local academics, professionals and entrepreneurs. These presentations help students place their new skills in context and provide perspective on how they can apply their skills after the program.
· Discussion of font design with an industry expert
· Package design with Adobe Illustrator
· InDesign and XML
· Managing long documents with QuarkXpress
· Your portfolio and marketing yourself
· Practical tips on project budgeting, scheduling and time management
· Discussion of pre-press issues with an industry expert
· Presentation software: comparing Powerpoint and PDF
· Experimentation with Photoshop filters and brushes
· How to work in a collaborative environment with other designers
· InDesign from an editor's perspective
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GID201-Introduction to Interactive Design

The class provides an overview of the developing field of the web and motion graphics. The lectures and exercises help students develop basic design skills for the interactive web medium. Topics include history of web design and motion graphics, composition, color, type, and form. A quick tour of the applications to be used over the course of the program will be followed by students learning the basics of HTML to build web pages.
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GID202-Building Websites with Dreamweaver

This module builds on "Introduction to Interactive Design," helping students further refine their understanding of HTML and maintaining websites. Students learn how to create usable and accessible web pages and templates as well as how to incorporate images, forms, and multi-media into HTML pages. Learning how to update and maintain large websites in a real-world setting is an important part of the course.
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GID203-Cascading Style Sheets

This module introduces students to Cascading Style Sheets through hand coding as well as using Dreamweaver. A developing web standard, CSS allows a designer greater control over the look and feel of a web page. Topics include working with type, color, and page layout. Students also learn how to create basic navigation and rollovers using CSS. Learning when to employ CSS and to what degree is an important part of the course.
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GID204-Working with Digital Images for the Web

This module provides an introduction to Adobe Photoshop and ImageReady for editing images and optimizing them for the web. Topics include color correcting images, creating rollovers, making animated gifs, batch processing, creating buttons, and integration with HTML. Exercises prepare students for a real-world production environment.
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GID205-Animation and Interactivity with Flash

This module focuses on creating animation and interactive web pages with Macromedia Flash. Students explore the Flash drawing tools, work with text, animate objects, use symbols and instances, learn motion tweening, incorporate sound and video, and create preloaders. The second week of class focuses on interactivity and using ActionScript and components to creative dynamic and media-rich web pages. (2 Weeks)
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GID206-Design Project

This module allows students to apply what they have learned in the first half of the program and create an integrated web site from scratch. Students will be expected to demonstrate how to work with digital images, basic navigation elements, and incorporating Flash.
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GID207-JavaScript and PHP for Non-Programmers

Web designers in today's marketplace should have a basic understanding of how to make their web pages interactive. This module explores the basics of adding JavaScript to web pages to create dynamic features such as validating forms, switching CSS stylesheets, and displaying the date. PHP is a scripting language similar to HTML and provides a gentle introduction to server-side scripting. Topics include creating automatic headers and footers, automatically updating navigation across a web site, and randomly displaying images on a web page.
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GID208-Digital Video and Audio for the Web

As broadband adoption increases, video becomes a more viable medium on the web. This module introduces students to basic digital video and audio production techniques using a non-linear editor. Students learn a production workflow composed of planning, production, editing, mastering, compression, and delivery. Topics include video and audio production fundamentals, bandwidth issues, video standards and formats, codecs, compression considerations, and hosting issues. (2 Weeks)
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GID209-Portfolio Presentation

GID210-Special Topic Presentations

Students take a short break about once a week from their intensive, hands-on classes to learn about aesthetics, business issues, and career planning in special topic presentations by local academics, professionals, and entrepreneurs. These presentations help students place their new skills in context and provide perspective on how they can apply their skills after the program.
· Introduction of XML
· Using After Effects and Photoshop together
· The Bleeding Edge of the Web: Ajax
· Introduction to DHTML
· Your portfolio and marketing yourself
· Practical tips on project budgeting, scheduling and time management
· Understanding information architecture
· XML and Rss
· Collaboration via the Web
· Usability testing
· Case Study: Building an e-Commerce site
· Working in a startup
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GID999-Production Practicum

This optional four-week module provides students who have completed the Certificate Program with practical experience by working on a real-world project under the direction of a faculty member for a variety of organizations under the constraints of a fixed timeframe and well-defined client deliverables. Students will gain confidence and better understand the professional expectations of the specific position they hold on the project. Students with a desire to earn a genuine production credit while refining their new skills in a real production environment are encouraged to participate in this unique and valuable module.
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