In an increasingly visual culture, and culture of online user-created content, non-designers are called upon in the professional realm to illustrate their ideas. Graduates entering the workforce will encounter situations where they will benefit from possessing a visual communication sensibility and vocabulary to communicate effectively with a broad range of audiences, including professional designers. Creative approaches to challenges, such as visual thinking, are also shown to improve students’ comprehension and problem-solving abilities. Digital Design in Communication is an opportunity for undergraduates to receive an introduction to principles of visual message design from a critical rhetorical perspective. They will also get the opportunity to apply these principles to a variety of visual products such as advertisements, logos, brochures, resumes, etc. A variety of computer software applications are available to support the research, writing, visualization, and design of messages.

This course will enable students to develop a strong foundation in elements of web production including learning basic mark-up and programming languages commonly used in web development, including HTML, CSS and basic Javascript, UI/UX design, typography and content editing for various platforms including mobile. Students will work collaboratively across visual art fields and digital humanities to develop effective and innovative ways to display and present content in digital environments. Students will learn usability testing, how to prepare images and video for online environments as well as understanding the importance of storytelling on mobile devices.

This course introduces non-science majors to the primary imaging technologies currently used in the field of cultural heritage, in support of the preservation and conservation of artifacts in museums, archives, libraries, and other institutions. Understanding historical manuscripts and artifacts of historical and cultural heritage significance is an important part of studying both past and present cultures. The use of modern imaging technologies to discover, understand, and preserve these artifacts is becoming an important and rapidly growing field of exploration, and combines aspects of history, languages, material science, and specialty imaging. This course will introduce students to the basic concepts behind the primary imaging technologies used in the field of cultural heritage research, with a focus on passive spectral imaging. The course also provides a more detailed description of various imaging modalities, e.g., spectral, x-ray, 3D, etc., and basic image processing concepts used to extract information from spectral imagery. Real data from cultural heritage image collections will be used as examples for in-class demonstrations, whenever possible. Students also will work on projects related to image collection and processing, as applied to data from works of cultural value.

Students will use photographic imaging software to create, combine, and modify graphic imagery. Topics will include retouching, tonal adjustments, custom brushes and pattern, raster text, spatial illusion, masking techniques, animation, and compositing. Students will research and discuss professional design, effective visual communication, copyrights, and photographic illustration.