DESN 100. DRAWING FOR COMMUNICATION. 5 Credits.

This course covers hand-drawing as a design skill. Emphasis is on sketching, design drawing, design process and composition studies for visual presentation and design solutions. Students gain drawing skills such as basics of drawing techniques, basic shapes, light, texture, pattern, gesture and perspective drawing to communicate and present their ideas visually. Students learn and develop critical thinking and creative problem solving skills using the drawing process.

DESN 200. VISUAL THINKING + MAKING. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: ENGL 101.
Satisfies: a BACR for humanities and arts.
This course is designed to enhance students' creative problem-solving skills through hands-on projects. This course encourages students to explore non-linear thinking strategies and engage in the creative production of visual artifacts.

DESN 210. DESIGN THINKING LAB. 5 Credits.

In this multi-disciplinary class, students will use creative thinking, collaboration skills, and human-centered design principles to develop innovative solutions to problem-based learning activities.

DESN 216. DIGITAL FOUNDATIONS. 5 Credits.

Introduction to media design and digital culture using computer software for the creation and manipulation of images and text, file management, and preparation for print, web, or multimedia uses.

DESN 243. TYPOGRAPHY. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 100 and DESN 216.
An introductory-level course concentrating on the fundamentals of typography with emphasis on letterforms, typographic syntax, type specification, type as image and the use of type in a variety of communicative purposes.

DESN 263. VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN 1. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 100 and DESN 216.
This course provides an introduction to Visual Communication Design including the theories, principles and practices of visual communication, concept development, design process and design technology.

DESN 293. INTRODUCTION TO PORTFOLIO. 2 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 100, DESN 200, DESN 216.
This course is the first in a three course portfolio sequence that provides a scaffolded approach to student portfolio development. Students are introduced to what portfolios are, how they are designed, and why they are important.

DESN 301. VISUAL STORYTELLING. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 100.
This course will introduce the basics of visual development: from visual storytelling to character design. Students will learn how to create a dialogue between pictures and text through the use of design briefs, research, semiotics, and sequential imagery. They will learn about the history of visual storytelling, practice typographic and pictorial design, and be able to apply what they learn to film, animation/motion design, game design, UX experiences and comics/book illustration projects.

DESN 305. SOCIAL MEDIA DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 216 or permission of the instructor.
In this course students learn how to design and implement social media campaigns, foster relationships on social platforms, and comprehend analytics in order to assist organizations with their online presence. Through project-based learning, students communicate brand, personality, and story across social platforms while learning design skills, time management skills, and marketing strategy.

DESN 325. EMERGENT DESIGN. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 216.
This course explores the benefits and risks of new design technologies. Students learn to recognize emergent design technologies and use them to address design problems and explore ways in which new tools reference past paradigms in order to create forward-thinking design solutions. Through hands-on, project-based learning, students investigate the possibilities inherent in new technologies such as AI, AR/VR/ and Computational Design. This course may be repeated.

DESN 326. INTRODUCTION TO ANIMATION. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 200.
In this course, students explore the principles and techniques related to the moving image, considering both practical and experimental processes and outcomes in the field of animation. Topics include hand-drawn, stop-motion, and key-framing techniques, both in and out of the computer, investigating concepts surrounding visual rhythm, metamorphosis, narrative, and time.

DESN 335. GAME DESIGN. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: junior standing or permission of the instructor.
In this course, students learn how to design and create both physical and digital games. Students develop games with engaging story, utilize physical and digital interactions, and produce tabletop-board games, and also digital-console games. Methods for digital/physical projects include game: history, research, prototyping, testing, and production/coding.

DESN 336. 3D ANIMATION. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 326 or permission of the instructor.
This course provides an in-depth introduction to the fundamentals of 3D modeling, animation, texturing, lighting, and rendering using Maxon's Cinema 4D software. Through a combination of lectures, hands-on exercises, and creative projects, students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to create 3D graphics and animations for various industries, including film, motion design, and game design.

DESN 338. USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN 1. 5 Credits.

Students investigate principles of interaction design of web enabled devices and differences and similarities between physical interaction and conceptual interaction through the use of metaphor. Exploring relationships between analog and digital frameworks, students become mindful of the overlapping patterns of interaction between the two systems.

DESN 343. TYPOGRAPHY 2. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 243.
Building on the principles and concepts introduced in DESN 243 Typography, this course will review the fundamentals of typography and extend typographic knowledge and skills with emphasis on letterforms, typographic syntax, type specification, and type as image. Projects will include experimental application of type + image to artifacts and multi-page documents.

DESN 348. USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN 2. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 338.
Students examine different rhetorical frameworks that inform software user interface/experience (UI/UE) and content design. Supporting theories, such as visual rhetoric, contextual design, information architecture, gestalt, content strategy, and design ethics, are investigated. Students demonstrate their understanding of theoretical principles by creating and redesigning small UI-related deliverables and by practicing rigorous written analysis and critique.

DESN 350. DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: junior standing or instructor permission.
This class will have an experimental and philosophical approach. Students will use digital imaging mediums for effective communication and image design. Working within the medium of digital photography, students will engage in strategies and philosophies of vision, light/shadow, reproduction, editing and presentation.

DESN 351. ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 350.
This class is an extension of DESN 350 with considerable work in studio lighting, product photography, and post-production workflows. With a focus on multi-point lighting setups with specific lighting patterns, techniques using multiple sources of light, and off-camera strobes and flashes.

DESN 355. MOTION DESIGN. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 200, DESN 216.
This course explores the principles of design through motion, with an emphasis on effective use of typography, graphical elements, sound and motion within time and space. Students learn how to import projects, create narrative structures, storyboard, output for various devices and problem solve moving image concerns.

DESN 359. HISTORIES OF DESIGN. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: ENGL 201.
Satisfies: a university graduation requirement–diversity.
This course focuses on multiple stories and multiple histories within design practice. Emphasis is placed on the context (social/cultural/political/technological) within which themes emerged and designs were created. Student-led research/discussion is focused on expanding the story of design by discovering and sharing those who have been largely left out of the design history books (female/femme, Black, Native American, Latinx, Asian, African, Australian, indigenous peoples, and more).

DESN 360. ZINE AND PUBLICATION DESIGN. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: ENGL 201.
This course facilitates development of personal style and voice, as students design, edit, and create their own “zines” (reproducible hand-made booklets). Students practice graphic layout, typography, and professional book assembly. Analog production methods and desktop publishing software will be used. Student-made zines will be sold at “Spokane Zine Fest” and other in-person and digital outlets.

DESN 363. VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN 2. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 243, DESN 263.
This course focuses on the interaction of type and image in the visual communication design process. An introduction to form and composition will be achieved through a sequence of design projects that emphasize compositional structure. The goal of class projects is the development of complex, cohesive visual systems using traditional production skills, design processes and specialized computer applications.

DESN 365. MOTION DESIGN 2. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 355.
This course continues to build upon the knowledge and tools explored in Motion 1. Focusing more on the theory and practice of motion design, students will use advanced motion techniques to further realize and develop their motion design projects. Students will explore pre-visualization techniques, character driven design, data visualization processes, and apply in-depth problem solving skills to create large scale projects.

DESN 366. PRODUCTION DESIGN. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 243, DESN 263.
This course provides students with theory, knowledge and skill of production design for both print and web application. Students gain conceptual understanding and practical skill in areas including color management, print production, and web graphics.

DESN 368. WEB DESIGN 1. 5 Credits.

This course addresses modern interfaces, concepts, processes, and techniques for creating Front-end web designed sites, applications, and experiences. Students will use current design-and-code technologies, while preparing for future web enabled devices. This course sets a foundational understanding of HTML, SVG, CSS, JS, and the web-as-a-platform.

DESN 374. BRAND THINK AND SERVICE DESIGN. 4 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 363.
This course explores the research and strategies of service design and brand development. Through case study research, students come to understand what constitutes a successful brand solution and how shared community experiences are created.

DESN 375. DIGITAL VIDEO. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 216.
This course offers an introduction to digital video techniques. Students will be introduced to production, editing, theory and practical application for the creation of effective visual communication solutions. Emphasis will be on the creative application of concept and design for the moving image and understanding how to integrate textual, graphical and audio elements for the successful communication of messages created for CD, DVD and the Web.

DESN 378. WEB DESIGN 2. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 368.
This course continues Front-end web design interfaces, concepts, processes, and techniques from Web Design 1. It introduces web programming, JavaScript libraries, and a modern version control process. This course establishes an intermediate understanding of HTML, SVG, CSS, JS, and the web-as-a-platform.

DESN 384. DIGITAL SOUND. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: junior standing.
This course provides a foundation in the techniques of sound design, recording, production and editing for digital media. Students will create and record sound files, apply effects and mix and produce a variety of multimedia audio elements using state-of-the-art digital technology. Applicable uses include websites, games, multimedia products for promotion and learning, entertainment products and virtual worlds.

DESN 385. ADVANCED DIGITAL SOUND. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 384.
This course provides in-depth experience in digital sound creation and editing techniques, along with related hardware and software. Topics include live and studio recording techniques, multi-track project recording, mixing and mastering, and the design and creation of sound tracks, including music, to support and enhance typical media productions. Collaborative and individual projects will be required.

DESN 393. PORTFOLIO EXPERIENCE. 2 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 243, DESN 293, DESN 338, DESN 368.
This course is the second in a three course portfolio sequence that provides a scaffolded approach to student portfolio development. Students will design portfolios and receive formative feedback for further portfolio development.

DESN 396. EXPERIMENTAL COURSE. 1-5 Credits.

Experimental.

DESN 398. SEMINAR. 1-6 Credits.

Seminar.

DESN 399. DIRECTED STUDY. 1-10 Credits.

Directed Study.

DESN 401. IMAGINARY WORLDS. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 301.
Students will research, explore and create pictorial images based on universal ideas of world building. They will examine the cultural context of imagery contained within folklore, legends, myths, fantasy and science fiction, explore how the role of global communities, ethics, satire, wit and the internet impact contemporary image making, and use a variety of media to explore atmosphere, color, character design, and plot visualization in the creation of virtual environments and narratives.

DESN 410. SIGNS, SYMBOLS, AND CODES. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 363.
This course provides a theoretical framework useful for critical and creative thinking in terms of design. Students will develop an understanding of signs, symbols, and codes, then apply that to the analysis of visual communication and meaning. Students will study the making of meaning in its widest possible sense. This course is concerned with the description of sign systems and the codes that structure meaning, as well as the particular instances or events in which signs are constructed.

DESN 446. 4D ANIMATION. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 336, DESN 365.
This course focuses on advanced student projects using Animation and Motion Design techniques. Students use skills developed in prior coursework, 3D Animation, Motion Design, etc. to build on and complete larger scale project(s). Continued animation theory, principles, and techniques will be included.

DESN 458. USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN 3. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 348.
This course explores the importance of user interface and emphasizes the role visual structure plays in the design of user experiences. Students apply the prototyping process: research, application, testing and iteration to create useful interactions between web enabled designs and end users. Principles and practices of digital typographic presentation to achieve communication goals and objectives are studied.

DESN 463. VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN 3. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 363.
This course continues the study of visual communication design, combining theoretical studies with applied projects. It emphasizes awareness of contemporary visual culture through analysis of a wide range of design examples and continued refinement of perceptual, problem-solving and creative skills. Students employ effective design processes and solutions for issues and topics relevant to contemporary visual communication design practice.

DESN 468. WEB DESIGN 3. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 378.
This course improves the design and development of front-end web designed sites, applications, and experiences from Web 1 and Web 2. It explores the challenges of designing and developing for the myriad of web-connected devices, physical and digital interfaces, and future design-and-code trends. This course establishes an advanced understanding of HTML, SVG, CSS, JS, and the web-as-a-platform.

DESN 471. SENIOR EXHIBITION. 1 Credit.

Cross-listed: ART 471.
Notes: must be repeated three times for credit.
Pre-requisites: senior standing and declared BFA in VCD major.
This course entails the individual preparation and presentation of work for senior exhibition.

DESN 474. ADVERTISING CONCEPTS. 4 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 363 and DESN 368.
This course covers principles of advertising design, specifically developing advertising concepts. Open to students in visual communication design, journalism and marketing programs.

DESN 480. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: senior standing.
Professional Practice is the study of the visual design industry from both the agency and freelance perspective.

DESN 490. SENIOR CAPSTONE. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: senior standing; DESN 363, DESN 368.
Satisfies: a university graduation requirement–senior capstone.
This course expands on previous visual communication design knowledge and skills and also emphasizes communication, collaboration and presentation skills. In teams, students work on a comprehensive design project for a community partner which emphasizes design research and the design processes that lead to creative conceptualization and final design solutions. Students are expected to demonstrate sophisticated design decisions and appropriate design solutions.

DESN 491. SENIOR PROJECT. 1-10 Credits.

Notes: graded Pass/Fail.
Pre-requisites: senior standing; permission of the instructor.
Independent and/or group study and production of a design project.

DESN 493. PORTFOLIO PRACTICE. 2 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 393.
This course is the last in a three course portfolio sequence that provides a scaffolded approach to student portfolio development. Students continue to develop career-ready portfolios and apply for jobs and internships. Students share portfolios in a showcase event spring quarter. This course may be repeated.

DESN 495. INTERNSHIP. 2-7 Credits.

Notes: graded Pass/Fail.
Pre-requisites: junior standing; permission of instructor, department chair and college dean.
An internship is on-the-job-training. It exposes students to the professional environment through outside job opportunities in graphic design studios, advertising agencies, corporate communications departments and other acceptable organizations. Students work under the guidance of art directors, creative directors, senior graphic designers or marketing managers and perform creative work that is educational and meaningful for their their long-range career preparation.

DESN 496. EXPERIMENTAL. 1-6 Credits.

Experimental.

DESN 497. WORKSHOP, SHORT COURSE, CONFERENCE, SEMINAR. 1-6 Credits.

Workshop.

DESN 498. SEMINAR. 1-6 Credits.

Seminar.

DESN 499. DIRECTED STUDY. 1-6 Credits.

Pre-requisites: permission of instructor, department chair and college dean.
Directed Study.

DESN 504. COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES. 4 Credits.

An accelerated coverage of the theory and applications of communication technologies. Emphasis is on competencies and skills required in business and industry including desktop publishing, computer-assisted image generation and manipulation, data translation and communication and presentation media development used in advertising, proposal writing, presentations and publications.

DESN 508. WEB DESIGN. 4 Credits.

This course covers professional web design addressing modern technologies, processes and techniques. Students work with current web technologies, while preparing for future web enabled devices, or the progressive enhancement approach. Technologies will include HTML(5) and CSS(2/3).

DESN 550. DIGITAL FOUNDATIONS. 4 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 216.
Introduction to media design and digital culture using computer software for the creation and manipulation of images and text, file management, and preparation for print, web or multimedia uses.