Digital Multimedia Design

Our curriculum features courses that dive deep into six key areas, including: 

• Principles of design
• Interface layout for print and electronic media
• Image generation and editing
• Web and multimedia design
• Internship experience
• Portfolio preparation

Throughout each area of focus and every course, you’ll also learn how to work with AI tools, and more importantly, how to do the things AI can’t — how to tell a story, understand a client, design with emotion, and think critically about what makes communication effective.

Meet the Design Faculty

Design standards and trends never stop moving, but our professors keep students grounded with a combination of industry knowledge, experience, and creative vision. Our faculty members have spent decades designing brands, teaching typography, and producing gallery-ready art. Here are some of the professors you’ll learn from while at Touro LAS: 

Professor Li Gardiner is the assistant deputy chair of the Digital Multimedia Design major. A working designer since the 1980s, she offers students honest, practical insight into what it takes to thrive in creative careers. She also helped shape the curriculum to reflect today’s realities — from designing with AI to understanding user experience.

Professor Rhonda Levy teaches the program’s most talked-about course, Exploring Typography. An adjunct at SVA with decades of experience, she’s known for challenging students to move beyond trends and create work with meaning. Her typography class is considered a rite of passage in the program.

Professor Kevin Sartain is an award-winning graphic designer with over 20 years of experience in branding, typography, and UI design. He brings real-world expertise into the classroom, mentoring students in design principles, creative problem-solving, and portfolio development.

Professor Catherine Hnatov is a visual artist, book designer, and longtime educator. Known for her gentle but pointed feedback, she encourages students to find their creative voice and take risks — especially in print and publication design.

Professor Antony O’Hara transitioned from fine art printmaking into the digital design world and now brings that hybrid sensibility into courses on layout, illustration, and editorial design. 

Professor Carol Steen is a multidisciplinary artist with work in the Library of Congress and the Detroit Institute of Arts. With decades of gallery and academic experience, she brings creative depth and historical context to the classroom.

Our faculty are more than instructors. They’re partners, mentors, and advocates who offer personalized feedback and practical advice at every stage of the journey.

Course Spotlight: Exploring Typography

Typography is about more than fonts; it’s about shaping meaning through form. In Exploring Typography (MCDN 201) with Professor Rhonda Levy, you’ll go on a journey from the origins of human “markings” to the latest lettering trends. 

Along the way, you’ll dive deep into how letterforms evolved, how to structure type for visual communication, and how to create expressive, type-forward designs that work across print and screen. Field trips and hands-on assignments will teach you to engage typography not just as a visual tool, but as a language in its own right.

Students often describe the class as intense but unforgettable. One student called it “the class that made me a designer,” while others credit Professor Rhonda Levy’s mentorship with helping them break through creative blocks and develop confidence. 

It’s challenging and technical, but by the end, you’ll never look at letters the same way again.

More About the Digital Multimedia Design Major

As a DMD major, you’ll take courses in design tools, publication layout, image processing, and prepress — along with three levels of web design that build toward advanced interface work. Electives in drawing, painting, photography, video, animation, and digital illustration round out the experience, encouraging experimentation and creative range. 

Outside the classroom, you’ll find opportunities to apply your skills, share your work, and connect with a creative community that extends well beyond the studio:

• Real Collaboration: Contribute layout and design elements to the Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences and gain hands-on experience in publication design and working under the mentorship of Professor Tony O’Hara.
• Instagram Showcase: Share your work on our student-run Instagram account, where design projects, process shots, and class highlights are shared and celebrated.
• The Design Society: Connect with other students in the Design Society, which hosts guest speakers, interdisciplinary exhibits, portfolio showcases, student-led exhibitions, and campus-wide meetups. 
• Internship Experience: Complete an internship in their final semester, documenting their work and receiving feedback from faculty. 
• Lifelong Connection: The DMD Alumni Association helps graduates stay in touch, share job opportunities, and explore continuing education — often in collaboration with Touro’s Graduate School of Technology.

Build Your Portfolio With an Internship

In your final year, you’ll complete a credit-bearing internship that helps bridge the gap between classroom learning and professional practice. Once you get approval for your internship location, you’ll document your work throughout the semester and receive structured feedback from faculty — all while building a portfolio and on-the-job confidence. 

Touro LAS students have interned at design studios, branding agencies, nonprofit organizations, and media companies across New York and beyond, including AdLib Unlimited, Strivright/AOSNY, Sheva Design, Google, and Fox.

Design Pathways at Touro

For women who want to take their design education even further, Touro LAS offers a streamlined pathway to complete your BS in digital multimedia Design and your MS in UX/UI & interaction design through the Integrated Technology Merit Fast Track. 

This fast track means you can take up to nine graduate-level credits in your senior year that count toward both degrees, saving time and tuition while accelerating your progress. You’ll also gain guaranteed acceptance to the Graduate School of Technology if you stay on track with program requirements. 

In Integrated Technology Merit Fast Track, you’ll gain early exposure to advanced topics in user research, interface systems, and digital interaction and ultimately graduate with two degrees, a stronger portfolio, and a competitive edge. Whether you’re interested in pursuing design leadership roles, working at the intersection of design and technology, or specializing in user experience, this pathway gives you a powerful head start.