Schedule

Week 1 (August 25): Introduction

In-Class Agenda
Course introduction, syllabus review, and a short lecture framing the course: digital tools as both practical instruments and systems that shape what we are able to see, make, and imagine. Students will then choose one image from the Project 1 corpus and discuss the difference between observation and interpretation: what can be described directly from an image, and what is already an inference, judgment, or assumption.

By next week
Complete assigned reading (TBD) and be prepared to discuss in class. Write a short, objective description of your selected image, focusing only on what is visibly present rather than what you think it means. Gather project 01 materials: bring black paper (at least 8.5” x 11”), white paper (at least 12” x 18”), exacto knife, paper cement, and metal ruler to class next week.

Week 2 (September 1): Project 1

In-Class Agenda
Project 1 introduction. Talk: Foundational Principles of Design, including line, shape, space, value, texture, balance, tension, hierarchy, rhythm and repetition, scale and proportion, alignment, contrast, and composition as decision-making. Students will return to their selected images and revise their descriptions using this new vocabulary, then begin translating the image into a limited kit of parts and a written set of rules. In-class work will focus on constructing analog compositions from these systems.

By next week
TBD

Week 3 (September 8): Project 1

In-Class Agenda
Tutorial: Illustrator basics, including shape construction, alignment, Pathfinder, and vector versus raster. Students will translate their analog kit of parts and rule set into Illustrator, test how the same system behaves digitally, and create new compositions and variations using a new prompt.

By next week
TBD

Week 4 (September 15): Project 1

In-Class Agenda
Quick critique of digital variations. Talk: Foundational Principles of Design II, focused on color, including hue, saturation, value, temperature, color relationships, transparency, gradients, and digital color systems. Tutorial: Illustrator II. Students will introduce color as a new variable within their existing systems and apply those systems to a new prompt.

By next week
TBD

Week 5 (September 22): Project 1 Critique / Project 2 Launch

In-Class Agenda
Project 1 final critique and presentations. Project 2 introduction.

By next week
TBD

Week 6 (September 29): Project 2

In-Class Agenda
Transformation processes and production tools. Tutorial: Illustrator techniques including image trace, vectorization, Live Paint, and file formats. Galen Lab demo covering scanning, vinyl cutting, and related production processes.

By next week
TBD

Week 7 (October 6): Project 2

In-Class Agenda
Talk: Systems of Organization, with a focus on taxonomy, classification, relationships, patterns, and visual systems. Students will begin developing the organizational logic for Project 2.

By next week
TBD

Week 8 (October 13): Project 2

In-Class Agenda
Talk: Grid systems, layouts, and composing typography. Tutorial: InDesign or advanced Illustrator (TBD). Students will begin translating their taxonomy into a poster or other visual organizational system.

By next week
TBD

Week 9 (October 20): Project 2

In-Class Agenda
Project 2 development and critique. Students will refine taxonomy systems, layouts, and production files through desk crits and in-class work.

By next week
TBD

Week 10 (October 27): Project 2 Critique / Project 3 Launch

In-Class Agenda
Project 2 final critique and presentations. Project 3 introduction: Digital Assemblage.

By next week
TBD

Week 11 (November 3): Project 3

In-Class Agenda
Talk: Speculation and Generative Systems. Introduction to speculative design, generative image systems, and emerging tools in design. Tutorial: AI image generation and prompt-writing strategies.

By next week
TBD

Week 12 (November 10): Project 3

In-Class Agenda
Talk: Digital Assemblage. Tutorial: Photoshop, including masking, blending modes, adjustment layers, and color management.

By next week
TBD

Week 13 (November 17): Project 3

In-Class Agenda
Project development and refinement through individual desk crits and technical help sessions. Tutorial: Photoshop II. Additional guidance on process documentation and final presentation preparation.

By next week
TBD

Week 14 (November 24): No Class

In-Class Agenda
No class. Independent Project 3 development.

By next week
TBD

Week 15 (December 1): Final Presentations / Project 3 Due

In-Class Agenda
Final presentations with guest critics TBC.

DES 203 FA26 (TUES 6PM) BREANNA BROWNING-WILSON

DES 203 FA26 (TUES 6PM)
BREANNA BROWNING-WILSON