Through exploring the principles of visualization, graphic design, typography and color theory, students will learn to create designs that have visual impact and communicative power. Instruction and class activities cover composition techniques, image editing, graphics creation, and file preparation for distributing projects using current professional software. The core focus is the creation of designs for advocacy, branding and digital art. This course provides the basis for more advanced courses in interactive design, motion design, publishing and inter-media applications. Students are expected to research and solve weekly design problems and participate in regular critiques while building a digital design portfolio, including a final professional-quality visual presentation.