Digital Multimedia Design Curriculum

This course presents an historical overview of the development of graphic design as a discipline, using industry publications, reference materials, audio visual media, as well as field trips to museums, design studios, professional organizations and other places pertinent to the course content. Using a lecture/discussion format, the course provides a thorough visual and conceptual background for understanding how designers communicate. Research projects are also assigned.

Discover the building blocks of visual communication.
This course introduces you to the building blocks of two-dimensional visual communication. Through hands-on projects and guided exercises, you’ll learn how to use line, shape, color, and space to create dynamic, eye-catching designs. Exploring how balance, contrast, and alignment will make your design projects stronger and communicate clearly. In reviews and group critiques you’ll also learn the language of visual design. You’ll also get a taste of what it’s like to work in the real world—meeting deadlines, solving creative problems, and sharing your ideas with others. Along the way, you’ll start using Adobe Illustrator, a powerful design tool used by professionals everywhere.

Design communications with clarity and impact.
In this course, you’ll build on what you learned in Foundations 1 and dive deeper into how design connects people with messages. You’ll explore how to plan layouts, choose the right fonts, and arrange words and images so they’re clear, engaging, and easy to understand. You’ll work on creative projects that start with real-world challenges—like helping a brand or organization communicate with a specific audience. You’ll sketch, design, and get feedback from your classmates as you bring your ideas to life across different formats, from posters to websites. You’ll also learn how to design text and use type creatively and effectively—how to pick fonts, design headlines, and make sure your message stands out.

Design that connects brands to audiences
In this course, students are introduced to user-centered design thinking by building client profile and developing visual concepts to support the company and engage their target audiences. From that starting point, students design a logo and supporting identity elements and apply the brand across a coordinated set of communications such as stationery. Incorporating images to support the narrative, students design a variety of single-page promotions, including posters, ads, billboards, digital displays and social media posts. Projects will be built in Illustrator and InDesign, using AI tools to enhance the design workflow. Emphasis is placed on creating engaging communications that meet professional standards. Through role-playing, collaboration and reviews, students learn about the expectations of professional design practice, including articulating their ideas, meeting deadlines and deliverables, and presenting their work for critique. 

Design publications with architecture and style
In this course, you'll learn how to plan and design multi-page publications like booklets, newsletters, and zines. Using Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, you’ll build layouts that stay visually consistent from cover to cover. You’ll work with grids, master pages, and styles to create a polished, professional look. You’ll also explore how to choose the right images and type to support a message—and keep your audience engaged.

Craft compelling visuals that tell powerful stories
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of digital imaging as a core design skill. Students learn how to source and modify images—both vector and raster—and to create original visual content to communicate ideas clearly and creatively. Using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, they explore how to crop, color, combine, and layer images while incorporating text and layout techniques. Projects include event posters, web banners, and social media content such as Instagram posts—formats that demand strong visual impact and clear messaging. AI tools are introduced to support tasks like image cleanup, enhancement, and layout experimentation. The course emphasizes both visual storytelling and professional production standards used across digital platforms. Students gain fluency in creative workflows and image preparation for multi-platform design projects.

Level up your skills with advanced tools and AI support.
This course takes your image editing to the next level. You'll combine and modify vector and raster images for maximum impact in branding, social media, packaging, and more. Learn how to manage complex projects and create eye-catching visuals that work across platforms.  AI tools will help you work faster and experiment with creative effects. This course ends with a campaign using your custom visual assets.

Design complex, professional layouts from cover to cover.
In this advanced course, you’ll create large multi-page publications like catalogs or newspapers. You’ll learn how to manage large numbers of images and pages while keeping your layout organized and consistent. Topics include creating templates, linking and embedding images and fonts, preparing files for print, setting up bleeds and crop marks, and making sure everything looks great on press. You’ll also sharpen your skills in image selection, typography, and critique as you explain your design ideas and solve real-world challenges.

Translate design principles into working websites
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of front-end web development—starting with layout planning and moving into live coding. Students learn how to structure and style websites using HTML and CSS, while applying the visual design principles of hierarchy, alignment, and balance. Emphasis is placed on user-centered design: identifying user needs, sketching wireframes, and planning intuitive navigation. Students use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to prepare visual assets and AI writing tools such as ChatGPT are introduced to help students generate clear, engaging text for their pages—an essential part of successful web design. Projects are shaped by feedback, early user testing, and real-world constraints like timelines and accessibility. Prior experience with Adobe tools is assumed, and lab time outside of class is essential to complete assignments.

Design flexible, accessible websites that look great everywhere.
In this course, you’ll learn how to make websites that adapt to different screen sizes—from phones to desktops. You’ll use HTML, CSS, WordPress, and web builders to create modern, user-friendly sites. Tools with AI features like Figma and Framer help you plan and test your designs. You’ll also explore accessibility and content structure to make your sites usable by everyone. Group projects and real-world feedback help you design with confidence.

Master high-level image editing and creative control.
Take your Photoshop skills to a professional level with advanced compositing, masking, and retouching. You’ll explore advanced techniques like compositing, masking, retouching, and image generation using professional tools. You’ll learn about color theory and detailed workflows for photo editing. The course emphasizes planning, precision, and creative expression. Expect to spend time in the lab working on complex assignments that push your skills further.

Bring websites to life with motion, sound, and user interaction.
This advanced course focuses on building rich, engaging websites that respond to users. You’ll add animation, media, and interactive features using tools like Figma, After Effects, and Adobe Animate. You’ll also explore team collaboration, user feedback, and professional project workflows. Prior coding knowledge is required. AI tools help streamline your process and analyze how people use your designs.

Take your creative ideas from concept to campaign.
This hands-on studio course challenges you to design like a pro—from brainstorming and research to final presentation. You’ll create a full brand package, design a product, design packaging, write headlines, and plan how it all comes together across print and web. You’ll explore 3-D modeling and wrap your designs around the product or package in Adobe Creative Suite with AI assistance. We’ll help you sharpen your creative voice and expand your visual toolkit as you get feedback and grow your design skills. 

Students design professional pieces that will enhance their chances of attaining a position in fields related to digital multimedia design. Magazine and catalogs, book cover design, package design, web design, and corporate identity are among the projects required for this course. Discussions on effective resumes and how to prepare for job interviews, as well as the job search, are also explored. Students will present portfolios to faculty members of the Digital Multimedia Design Program for critique and evaluation throughout the semester. Presentation skills, such as mounting and matting work, will be covered. Lab time will be required for class assignments.

This course requires students to complete an internship in a digital multimedia design or web-related field. Weekly logs and design work are required for internships and are reviewed by members of the Digital Multimedia Design Department faculty at the completion of the internship. The purpose of the internship is to provide students with practical experience to complement their coursework.

This course introduces students to problem solving techniques used in programming. In order to reinforce these concepts in a concrete manner, students will develop numerous programs using a popular programming language. They will implement programs using objects, input, output and variables and utilize programming control structures such as loops, selection structures, methods, and classes. Corequisite: MCON 104.

Survey of the visual arts including painting, sculpture, architecture, photography and film, from the Ancient World through the present. The interconnection between American and world culture is explored.

Historical overview of graphic design using publications, reference material, audio and visual media, as well as field trips to museums and places pertinent to course content. Through historic example, this lecture-format course provides a thorough visual and conceptual background for understanding communication in graphic design. Research projects are assigned.

Explore digital photography for creative expression and design.
This course introduces students to digital photography as a medium for artistic, editorial, and design applications. Students learn camera operations, image composition, and digital workflow techniques using DSLR or mirrorless cameras and smartphone photography when appropriate. Assignments explore both traditional and experimental approaches to image-making, with a focus on visual storytelling and creative intent. Students enhance and manipulate their images using Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, incorporating AI-assisted tools to streamline editing, retouching, and compositing. Students are expected to supply their own cameras and basic equipment.

Course exploring color through the basic concepts of visual art; line, shape, value, texture, space and composition. Pastel, ink wash and mixed media.

Intermediate course exploring art fundamentals and design principles in depth. Mixed media. Prerequisite: COAN 224 (MCDN 224)

In this course, students study how human "markings" evolved from the earliest times to the present digital era, focusing on how letterforms began and how they\'ve changed over time. Class projects concentrate on analyzing the structure of type form and how to use it effectively for creative visual communication. The course also highlights how to achieve visual effectiveness in the relationship of text to images on a page or screen.

Draw believable movement and expressive performances frame by frame.
This course introduces you to the art and craft of 2D animation. You’ll start with classic techniques like flipbooks and cel animation, then move into digital tools and workflows. You’ll learn to animate realistic motion and expressive characters, using timing, gesture, and storyboards to bring your ideas to life. Projects are created in Adobe Animate and are ready for web, broadcast, or independent release.

In this advanced course, students will create animations and interactive Quick Time movies, mobile applications, CDs and DVDs.

Turn complex information into clear, useful visuals.
Learn how to organize big ideas and complex data into designs people can actually use. You’ll create infographics, step-by-step diagrams, maps and signage, navigation systems, and charts for both print and web. This course blends visual storytelling, graphic design, and problem-solving to help people understand directions, decisions, and data at a glance.

Create expressive, powerful illustrations with digital tools
Students explore digital illustration as a tool for conceptual thinking and creative communication. Working in both vector and raster environments—Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop—students learn the strengths and limitations of each format and how to move fluidly between them. Assignments emphasize developing illustrations for editorial, advertising, packaging, and informational contexts. Students experiment with image-making techniques, layer-based compositing, and AI-assisted tools such as Adobe Firefly for sketch generation, colorization, or layout ideation. The course encourages a personal visual style, thoughtful tool selection, and synthesis of techniques across media. Students build a professional portfolio that reflects both innovation and technical depth.

Plan, shoot, and edit video for multiple platforms.
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of digital video production, including camera techniques, lighting, sound, and editing. Emphasis is placed on visual storytelling, pre-production planning, and effective storyboarding. Students create original short-form video projects for web and social platforms, incorporating graphics, transitions, and layered sound. Projects are edited in industry-standard applications such as Adobe Premiere Pro, with AI tools introduced to assist with transcription, rough cuts, audio cleanup, and visual enhancements. Topics include digital capture, nonlinear editing, motion graphics, and preparing content for streaming and mobile formats.

Introduction to programming languages for interactive digital media. Each semester’s offering is devoted to a specific language. May include Java and other interactive programming languages. Intended only for those who are already fluent in at least one programming language. Prerequisites: MCON 232 and MCDN 264. Corequisite: MCDN 302.

Explore emerging trends and tools in digital design.
This course focuses on current topics in the design world. Depending on the semester, you might explore the business of graphic design, 3D modeling and printing, streaming technology, multimedia presentations, or other new trends in creative tech. Projects will vary, but each one helps you stay current, experiment with new tools, and apply your design skills in fresh ways.

This is an advanced studio course devoted to individual portfolio-quality projects. Students choose one field of design in which to concentrate in developing a portfolio project for the semester. Areas of focus may be multimedia design, website print design (advertising, corporate, information, etc.) or other related design fields, with faculty approval.

This course introduces students to problem solving techniques used in programming. In order to reinforce these concepts in a concrete manner, students will develop numerous programs using a popular programming language. They will implement programs using objects, input, output and variables and utilize programming control structures such as loops, selection structures, methods, and classes. Corequisite: MCON 104.

This course introduces students to more advanced programming concepts using an OO programming language. This course explores the Object-Oriented Design and Programming paradigm including inheritance versus composition, polymorphism, runtime versus compile time binding, shallow versus deep copying, and exception handling. In addition, some basic container and GUI classes will be covered. Students will complete extensive programming assignments to develop their skills in problem analysis and program coding and testing. They will implement programs using arrays, basic searching and sorting techniques, strings, and classes. Prerequisite: MCON 141.

This course introduces students to more advanced programming concepts using an OO programming language. This course explores the Object-Oriented Design and Programming paradigm including inheritance versus composition, polymorphism, runtime versus compile time binding, shallow versus deep copying, and exception handling. In addition, some basic container and GUI classes will be covered. Students will complete extensive programming assignments to develop their skills in problem analysis and program coding and testing. They will implement programs using arrays, basic searching and sorting techniques, strings, and classes. Prerequisite: MCON 141.