Welcome to Computers in Design!

This site will be an extension of our studio community where you can find assignments, project resources, readings, related tutorials, inspiration, etc

Course Description
This course introduces you to the principles of communications design by exploring the relationship between form, function, content, and meaning. The emphasis of this course is to learn how to develop “problem-solving” skills within a digital environment. You will learn the tools available in multiple Adobe software to execute design problems.

For most of you, this class will be your first opportunity to make use of the computer to solve a design problem. It is essential to develop an educated sense of the appropriate ways to use software in your design process. We will discuss what are the right tools, programs, and steps towards a projected goal, and where the computer plays a crucial role in creative development.

We will focus on the foundations of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign to organize and manipulate content while implementing graphic design methodologies to develop critical thinking and ensure insightful, innovative, and well-crafted execution of your ideas (from sketches to computer-based executions). The fundamentals of typographic design and visual hierarchy are also explored through practical and experimental projects designed to establish an understanding of the formal and conceptual relationship between words and images.

Objectives
+ To gain a comprehensive understanding of creating form and meaning.
   /Become critical thinkers & makers.
   /Practice problem-solving processes & skills.
   /Critically analyze your own work and the work of your peers.

+ To master basic skills relevant to graphic design.
   /Gain a comprehensive understanding of visual & informational hierarchy
   as well as composition & craft standards.

+ To develop an awareness of typographic principles, forms, and terminology:
   /Anatomy of letterforms, designing with type & typographic measurement systems.

+ To develop an ingenious approach to image making.

+ To demonstrate competency in digital production tools (hardware and software):
   /Basic image manipulation skills in a raster-based computer environment
   /Page composition software

Computers In Graphic Design Syllabus Fall 2025 (Prof. Frederick)

Class Google Drive

What is GD?

Elements_of_Design

Composition

Image: Oh Sheet by Thomas Barbéy