Course Content & Topics
ART602 Elements of Visual Design
This course is available for Design for User Experience (UX) students who are admitted conditionally to the Design for UX graduate program and need to meet the program requirement of previously completed studio art courses. ART602 will acclimate new Design for UX students with no previous studio art experience to visual design concepts and methods. Through a series of exercises and projects the ART602 student will learn and utilize various creative processes, conduct visual research, employ the elements and principles of visual design and methodology of design thinking, and apply color theory while utilizing a variety of visual digital processes. ART602 is an online course.
Course Objectives
- Students will design and execute applied, investigative and creative works that draw on the perspectives and methods of visual design.
- Students will provide evidence, through research paper, exercises, projects, and digital blogging, of utilizing, analyzing and refining the concepts of visual design.
- Students will create explanations summarizing his/her work and providing analytical and constructive feedback to fellow students in critiques.
- Through the execution of student projects, exercises and group critique the student will reformulate and adapt concepts, visual digital techniques and methods of visual design.
- Students will articulate and defend the significance and implications of visual design in the context of digital design in terms of challenges and trends in a social or global context.
Weekly topics (subject to change)
|
WEEK |
TOPIC |
|---|---|
|
Weeks 1-2 |
Getting started: Familiarize yourself with the ART602 online environment; Learn the basics of HTML; Introduction to Visual Design Skills and Visual Design Thinking |
|
Weeks 3-4 |
Elements of Design: Line; Contour Line and Cross Contour Line composition; Design Thinking Process: Ideate |
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Weeks 5-6 |
Elements of Design: Shape; Visual tension in two-dimensions; Positive and Negative Shape |
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Weeks 7-8 |
Elements of Design: Focus and Value |
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Weeks 9-10 |
Elements of Design: Texture |
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Weeks 11-12 |
Elements of Design: Direction, and Movement |
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Week 13-14 |
Elements of Design: Color and Type |
ART610 Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design
This course explores the digital aesthetics and methods of user experience (UX), user interface (UI), and web design. Through digital exercises and projects, students will learn key design principles and techniques for the web. Students are expected to develop their design aesthetic, research, and discuss various topics in UX, UI, and web design, including the impact on industry, culture, education, and the visual dissemination of information. This course is conducted online.
Course Objectives
- Students will utilize aesthetics, concepts, terminology and techniques used to create digital images for the WWW.
- Students will design and produce digital images
- Students will create a series of digital exercises and projects, which will raise their awareness of basic design principles, visual language (semiotics), international symbols, and layout techniques used in UX, UI and WWW design.
- Students will utilize digital color control and explore its impact on web usability.
- Students will create navigational symbols and research their potential effectiveness.
- Students will create page layouts distributable via the Internet, and publish their projects on the Internet.
- Students will utilize current industry software including: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe XD.
- Students will utilize web technologies and social networking in course activities.
- Students will utilize a flatbed scanner or digital camera to create source digital imagery for class projects.
Weekly topics (subject to change)
|
Week |
Topic |
|---|---|
|
Week 1 |
Getting started: Familiarize yourself with the ART610 online environment; Learn the basics of HTML |
|
Week 2 |
The power of images; Digital collage techniques; Uploading files to the tigerweb.towson.edu web server |
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Week 3 |
Semiotics and visual language; More digital imaging techniques; Creating type elements in raster graphics |
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Week 4 |
Symbols; Creating and editing vector graphics |
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Week 5 |
Identity and branding; Creating logotypes using the Pathfinder |
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Week 6 |
The contextual meaning of color; Controlling color |
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Week 7 |
Typographical concerns; Controlling typographical settings |
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Week 8 |
Geometry in design; Creating vector based layouts structured with geographical forms |
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Week 9 |
Navigational standards; Creating custom navigation icons |
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Week 10 |
The grid in layout design; Using a traditional grid to design layouts |
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Week 11 |
Structuring a layout; Layout design techniques and methods |
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Week 12 |
WWW layout techniques |
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Week 13 |
Digital images: optimization for the web |
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Week 14 |
Preparing documents for electronic distribution |
ART620 User Experience (UX) Typography
User Experience (UX) Typography is a studio art course in which the student explores advanced formal and technical concepts and the aesthetics of type. The course presents the ideas and concepts typography through lecture; slide presentations, demonstrations, and student research. Through execution and completion of Typography Projects and Exercises the student investigates the history, methods and aesthetics of typography while developing their own typographical aesthetic. This is an graduate level course so the emphasis is on research, technique, process, and the quality of the finished product. Students are expected to develop their typographical aesthetic as it relates to User Experience (UX) and WWW design, and participate in researching and discussing various topics of WWW typography including its impact on industry, culture, education, and the visual dissemination of electronic information. ART620 is an online course.
Course Objectives
- Students will utilize typography aesthetics, concepts, terminology and techniques used to create typography for print and electronic design.
- Students will design and produce an electronic typography journal (blog) and create a series of digital typographical exercises and projects, which will raise their awareness of the following: typographical history, principles of excellent typographic practice, typographical entrepreneurial ventures, typographical concept and expression, digital typography and WWW typography.
- Students will create typography in motion.
- Students will utilize Web 3.0 technologies, and social networking in course activities.
- Students will utilize current industry software including: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
Weekly topics (subject to change)
|
Week |
Topic |
|---|---|
|
Week 1 |
Getting started -familiarize yourself with the ART620 online environment |
|
Week 2 |
Introduction to typography - creating a typography blog journal |
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Week 3 |
The history of type - the foundation of graphic design and the WWW |
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Week 4 |
Letterform basics - vocabulary and fundamental concepts of type |
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Week 5 |
Expressive typography - understanding the communicative power of type |
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Week 6 |
Typography in motion - type as actor |
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Week 7 |
Logo-typography - creating logotypes |
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Week 8 |
Text type - the finer points of setting text type |
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Week 9 |
Type hierarchy - typographic visual organization techniques |
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Week 10 |
The grid -typographical elements as the construct of a layout grid for WWW design |
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Week 11 |
The form and function of typography - readability, and legibility in UX typography |
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Week 12 |
UX typography -managing type in the digital realm |
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Week 13 |
UX typography- basic typographical considerations when designing for the WWW |
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Week 14 |
More UX typography - controlling the uncontrollable |
ART641 User Experience (UX) Design, Theory and Methods
This course will explore the concepts, theories and applied principles of user experience design. Through a series of user experience exercises and projects the student will become aware of the design issues and techniques faced by today’s UX designers. Students are expected to develop their design aesthetic as it relates to the WWW, and participate in research and discussion of various topics of user experience (UX) design including its impact on business, industry, culture, education, and the dissemination of electronic information. Content management systems (CMS), cloud services and social media are utilized in this course. ART641 is an online course.
Course Objectives
- Students will investigate aesthetics, concepts, terminology and techniques used in user experience design.
- Students will design and produce interactive media for distribution via the WWW.
- Students will complete a series of interactive media exercises and projects that will raise their awareness of user experience (UX) design principles, Web technologies and social media technologies.
- Students will consider usability issues impacting interactive media created for the WWW.
- Students will utilize current industry software including: Adobe Photoshop, and Dreamweaver.
- Students will utilize HTML and Dreamweaver for website authoring in order to publish interactive projects and exercises.
Weekly topics (subject to change)
|
Week |
Topic |
|---|---|
|
Week 1 |
Getting started: Familiarize yourself with the ART641 online environment. Learn the basics of HTML. |
|
Week 2 |
User Experience Foundations: overview |
|
Week 3 |
User Experience Foundations: research |
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Week 4 |
Interaction design paradigms |
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Week 5 |
Interface design |
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Week 6 |
User Experience - Usability and industry standards |
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Week 7 |
Social Media Strategies |
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Week 8 |
Social Media Options |
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Week 9 |
Responsive Web Design |
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Week 10 |
Wordpress Options |
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Week 11 |
Email Service Providers |
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Week 12 |
Online Video Sharing |
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Week 13 |
e-learning |
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Week 14 |
Future interactive media |
ART671 Graduate Programming for Designers
This course will include the research and investigation of the concepts, theories and applied principles of script programming in the creation of applied art. Through a series of introductory to advanced programming exercises and projects the student will become aware of the logic of object-oriented programming languages. Students are expected to research current applications of the object-oriented languages in Art and Design. Students will write and read code for event-driven, object-oriented, and graphical user interfaces. ART671 is an online course.
Course Objectives
- Apply fundamentals of computer programming to applied art and design projects.
- Utilize concepts of object-oriented programming.
- Research strategies for creating and troubleshooting computer programs.
- Construct various programs using the JavaScript programming language.
- Identify, explain and discuss aspects of the programming language and algorithm design.
- Investigate the role of algorithm efficiency in the design process.
Weekly topics (subject to change)
|
Week |
Topic |
|---|---|
|
Week 1 |
Course Introduction: Introduction to Programming |
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Week 2 |
Basic Syntax, Structure, Types and Operations |
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Week 3 |
Conditional Statements |
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Week 4 |
Loops |
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Week 5 |
Functions |
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Week 6 |
Arrays |
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Week 7 |
Objects |
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Week 8 |
Advanced Objects |
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Week 9 |
Events |
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Week 10 |
Introduction to DOM |
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Week 11 |
Working with Images, Sound and Text |
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Week 12 |
Working with Animations |
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Week 13 |
jQuery |
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Week 14 |
Projects |
ART765 User Interface (UI) Design
This course delves into the aesthetics and techniques of UX, UI, and web design. Students
will engage in a series of exercises and projects to understand design considerations
essential to creating comprehensive websites. They will employ digital imaging for
image creation and web authoring skills such as HTML and CSS coding, as well as integrating
animated graphics and multimedia elements. The course includes hands-on training with
industry-standard software like Adobe Dreamweaver and Photoshop. Students will design,
produce, and publish websites, and explore the influence of web design on various
sectors including industry, culture, education, and the visual communication of information
online.
ART765 is an online course.
Course Objectives
-
Students will utilize concepts, terminology and techniques used in UX, UI and WWW authoring.
-
Students will produce a series of exercises and projects, which will raise their awareness of the design issues related to UX, UI and WWW authoring.
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Students will utilize design principles of information architecture and interactivity to enhance the effectiveness of their web designs.
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Students will utilize digital imaging techniques specifically related to WWW authoring.
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Students will utilize Web 3.0 technologies and social networking in course activities.
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Students will conduct research on various aspects of user interface design (UI) and its impact on industry, culture, education, and the dissemination of electronic information.
Weekly topics (subject to change)
|
Week |
Topic |
|---|---|
|
Week 1 |
Getting started: Familiarize yourself with the ART365/765 |
|
Week 2 |
More HTML: Effective file management and naming conventions; |
|
Week 3 |
Dreamweaver basics; Optimize images for display on the WWW |
|
Week 4 |
Basic WWW design conventions; Use Dreamweaver to insert images, create linked images and linked text in a website |
|
Week 5 |
Utilize design techniques unique to the WWW; Investigate WWW ; Typography methods; Use the grid to structure WWW layout design |
|
Week 6 |
More quality tools for the e-designer: Analysis of information heavy WWW design; Designing for a defined WWW audience; Controlling color |
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Week 7 |
Information architecture; Construct website concept/narrative; Use information design methods and tools |
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Week 8 |
Web usability; Create Cascading Style Sheets (CSS); Web design |
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Week 9 |
Web visibility: Investigate search engines, and how get your website listed; Investigate domain name registration; Utilize Metadata keywords |
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Week 10 |
From web to print and back: Examine the pros and cons of the PDF format; Predict and control color from print to web |
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Week 11 |
Navigational standards and symbols; Investigate browsing habits; |
|
Week 12 |
Including media files in your webpages; More CSS layout techniques |
|
Week 13 |
Career opportunities and presenting your work |
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Week 14 |
Designing for alternative displays |