Through a close historical analysis of branding systems, set design, fashion, language and character construction, students will investigate the manner in which Black identities appear in popular film, television and music. We will compare the visual complexities surrounding cultural representations in contemporary television and streaming shows such as: A Different World, Black Cake, Dreaming Whilst Black, I May Destroy You, P-Valley, POSE, Small Axe, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Top Boy, Twenties and Insecure while also identifying how these shows can be a source of inspiration to make future design. We will unpack the ways popular media can guide our visual and material choices and provide a basis for our conceptual thinking towards social critique. This is an interdisciplinary course that will look closely at imagery, typography, color and patterns developed for performance-based environments. As we proceed throughout the semester, we will propose a number of related questions: What images and styles are recurring on screen? What language is used (ie. slang, code-switching, multilingual exchanges)? What are the differences in sitcoms versus serious dramas? How can sound be used to reinforce aspects of representation? How do we adapt our findings and references into communicable outputs? How do we emphasize or speculate on our understanding of Black identities in performance realms? How do we provide commentary or a new point of view? Students will be encouraged to develop work in a format of their choice (ie. print or digital artwork, artistic installation, musical or theatrical performances or creative writing) as a way to explore their own independent research questions.