“Research is not just information retrieval at the beginning of the design process but ongoing feedback and evaluation of the consequences of design action, including across the lifespan of messages, products, environments, and services.”
— AIGA DESIGNER OF 2025

“Every project is a journey, an opportunity to discover new ways of seeing and understanding the world.”
— REBECA MÉNDEZ

“Research informs design. Then design empowers people.”
— BOBBY C. MARTIN Jr.

“Design is the process of going from an existing condition to a preferred one. There’s no such thing as a perfect design.”
— MILTON GLASER

“Analysis of the problem is the most significant part of the design process.”
— Louis Danziger

“The place in which I’ll fit will not exist until I make it.”
— JAMES BALDWIN

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Welcome to Senior Seminar I (the beginning of your senior year)!

This site will be an extension of our studio and will offer you inspirational resources & related materials, along with assignments and readings.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Design is a continual process of approximating an ideal—always leaving room for improvement. Emotionally resonant iteration enriches our work beyond mere function.

To prepare you for the completion of the Graphic Design program, this course will address all facets of designing your portfolio and successfully presenting yourself as a practicing design professional. The course will assist you in identifying and establishing a brand for yourself; organizing, finessing and presenting a cohesive body of work, as well as promoting and protecting that work, while acquiring the skills to navigate and prosper in the profession.

Classes will balance lectures, discussions, critiques and student presentations of design work that focuses on the (re)development of your portfolio work to expose yourself as a polished designer.

Assignments will follow a typical client/designer process: conducting research > grasping context > introducing an idea > developing and/or shaping content > creating form.

Projects will emphasize problem analysis, the relation between form/content/audience, and executing your ideas. They will cover a variety of formats including brand identity, multifaceted layouts, publications and typographic systems design. Course work will also underline a development and understanding of your individual aesthetic and sensibilities as a designer. We will discuss the creative process and how it is linked to your influences and personal expression.

At all times, you will focus on questioning the intent, efficacy, and value of your work in relation to the interconnectivity of all things, ensuring that your design interventions are placed mindfully within broader cultural and social landscapes.

DELIVERABLES

Portfolio Inventory & Refinements
– Refine & complete 10 projects (single and/or systems).
– Create a branded PDF portfolio including visuals + project descriptions

Personal Branding
– Establish & apply your personal identity system to stationery, a promo item, your resumé, a creative contract & your PDF portfolio presentation

Portfolio Website
– Design & develop the experience of your personal presence online
– Populate your website with refined projects
– Include professional photography of finished pieces + project descriptions

Creative Platform or Social Media
– Create a professional profile involving 8+ projects in a creative network for showcasing and discovering creative work or social media platform of your preference (ex: Behance, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc).

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

+ Finesse independent critical thinking to solve communication problems through design.
+ Embrace and exploit technology to satisfy your message.
+ Hone collaboration and presentation skills.
+ Refine your eye for detail and impeccable, appropriate presentation.
+ Learn how to properly document and present work.
+ Perfect your projects demonstrating creative knowledge, technical expertise and an original perspective.
+ Apply writing as a tool to strengthen critical thinking.
+ Demonstrate effective time management & planning skills.
+ Encourage class members to be critical observers of design.
+ Make observations verbal by making use of the professional design vocabulary.
+ Become familiar with intellectual property rights and protections, ethics, basic business practices.

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Please find complete class syllabus bellow:

SeniorStudioI_Syllabus_Fall2025

Student Folders Link

Faculty Contact Info:

Chantal Fischzang
Associate Professor
chantal.fischzang@rutgers.edu
Bradley Hall, Room 222

Rebecca Pauline Jampol
Adjunct Professor
rjampol@gmail.com

Image: Emil Olsson