The Robinson Center for Graphic Arts and Communication Design at the CCNY Art Department

FEB.15 FALL DEADLINE OCT.1 SPRING DEADLINE
B.F.A. APPLICATION DOWNLOAD
COURSES

Electronic Design & Multimedia Courses

*B.F.A. Required Courses

**B.F.A. Note: for students entering the BFA as of Fall 2016, there has been a change in the elective requirements. Of the five required elective courses (15 cr.) for the BFA, a minimum of two courses (6cr.) must be selected from Art courses at the 400-level.

Prereq: ART 10000

This course researches historical and cultural influences and technical developments in the design of objects for use.

You must take either ART 21067 History of Design or ART 21068 History of Graphic Design

Prereq: ART 10000

This course approaches the study of graphic design as a tool for communicating, reinforcing and shaping socially constructed ideals by tracing the role of communication arts from pre-historic to contemporary postmodern aesthetics.

You must take either ART 21067 History of Design or ART 21068 History of Graphic Design

Prereq: ART 10100

Type as abstract structure and its relation to problems of graphic communication. Application of typographic design in the creation of posters, brochures, magazine and book design, print ads and packaging.

Prereq: ART 10100

Exploring the relationship of image and type in graphic design, with emphasis on developing conceptual and visualization skills. Design and imaging using traditional tools and technology in projects ranging from the development of graphic icons to the design of promotional materials.

Prereq: ART 10100 or ART 10200

Aspects of contemporary illustration in various media. Projects in editorial (book, magazine), advertising (product, technical), promotional (poster) illustration.

Prereq: ART 10100 and ART 29520

Electronic illustration and image processing with an overview of approaches from painting to montage. Exploring imaging techniques through the use of masks, channels, filters and special effects. Issues of color management, color correction, resolution, and printing.

Prereq: ART 10400 or ART 10410

Introduction to digital photographic practices. Technical concerns and aesthetic issues of digital image capture and digital photo manipulation and output/display. Exploration of contemporary digital photography and student concept development through the digital photographic process.

Prereq: ART 29500

A continuation of Typography I. Students will create powerful graphic statements using the diverse properties of typographic expression. Emphasis on communication systems, cohesive identity packages, logo development and publication design.

Prereq: ART 29500 and 29510

Design for print media with special focus on page layout, integration of text and graphic illustration, and corporate identity systems. Use of the computer as a design and production tool, with an introduction to vector and raster-based software for design and illustration.

Prereq: ART 39510

Production for digital media distribution channels: print, web, ebook, apps, film/video. Development of projects from ideation, sketches, file setups, editing/revisions, final preparation and delivery. Real-world product creation through lectures, demonstrations, discussion, critiques and field trips using actual products as examples. Emphasis on the advanced software workflow used in advertising and design facilities.

Prereq: ART 29520

A continuation of Illustration I, emphasis is placed on personal style, portfolio development, taking a concept from start to finished illustration, and exploration of historical and contemporary Illustration styles. In addition to projects, students will engage in critiques, gallery and studio visits, and with speakers presenting creative and commercial illustration projects.

Prereq: Art 39510 or permission of the instructor

Builds upon students’ basic Adobe Illustrator skills to develop complex vector graphic images. Through demonstrations, exercises, and project assignments, students apply visual problem solving skills to projects in logo & brand design; graphic icons; character design and caricature; dynamic lettering; 3-D illustration; and pattern design among other topics.

Prereq: ART 29526 or ART 29530

Introduction to the basic principles, techniques, and processes involved in the development of 2D animation. The course focuses on exercises and projects that explore the classical principles of animation as applied in a digital environment.

Prereq: ART 29530

This course builds on the concepts and skills learned in Art 36903. A further examination of conceptual and technical concerns surrounding digital photography.

Prereq: ART 29500 and ART 29526 or permission of the instructor

Interface design, information structuring and interactivity for the Web from the perspective of design, utility and interactivity. Development of HTML documents and images, design and prototype testing of a logical hierarchical information structure.

Co-req: ART 39510 and ART 39540

Projects in user experience and user interface design (UX/UI) for screen-based, interactive media. Graphic design and front-end (web) design focusing on usability heuristics, information architecture, rapid prototyping and usability testing. Students will develop user personas, design user flows and wireframes and develop high fidelity mockups and prototype apps for mobile phones, tablets and kiosks.

ART 39510 and ART 39540

Students will develop app prototypes for small-format tablet and mobile devices while strengthening their skills in User Experience and User Interface design. This course will focus on the development of wireframes, user flows, high-fidelity mockups, interface design, and user testing for mobile devices.

Prereq: ART 29526 or ART 29530

Introduction to the basic concepts of computer programming for visual artists including variables, functions, and data structures though projects dealing with image processing, animation, and text manipulation. The course assumes no prior programming knowledge and presents the concepts in a manner that is accessible to everyone. Development of problem solving skills is emphasized.

Prereq: ART 29526 or ART 29530

Introduction to digital motion graphics and desktop video on the Macintosh. We will survey a variety of imaging techniques through the history of video as an artform, and learn how to apply these modes of visual thinking to our own projects. This course will provide practical experience in design and production of Quicktime-based digital video and motion graphics using a variety of software, especially Adobe After Effects.

Prereq: Permission of instructor

This class is recommended for all BFA students who want to prepare for their final thesis or other independent projects. This course examines the creation of an individual project through concepts, research, experimentation and exercises. Through readings, discussions and field trips, students will learn to come up with a strong idea and how to formulate an argument for it.

Permission will be based on instructor’s evaluation of student’s course work to date, and submission of a brief proposal [100-200 words] that articulates the student’s creative research interest. Students from other majors who wish to develop a creative research project are invited to apply.

Prereq: ART 29526

Overview of creative and technical aspects of 3D image creation on the computer. Topics include modeling, texture maps, camera and light sources, and rendering techniques for still image and animation. In addition to discussing a range of 3D software programs, this course will explore the role of 2D drawing and painting programs in the creation of 3D image environments.

Prereq: ART 39522 or Art 39528 or Art 39570 or permission of the instructor

This course teaches the fundamentals of game play design. Students are introduced to a variety of games and will work individually and collaboratively to create new online and app games, emphasizing an iterative design process incorporating animation, 3D modeling and programming.

Prereq: ART 21067 or ART 21068 or related 20000-level Art History course

Seminar exploring the visual language of image and typography and its function in mass communications; the syntax of video, audio and interactiveworks; and the aesthetic and social challenges raised in design for print,time-based media and telecommunications. The seminar will provide studentswith a thorough grounding in technology-related issues through selectedreadings and discussion.

Prereq: ART 39510

Continuation of Electronic Design I. Investigation of contemporary design styles and exploration of issues in typography and information design through advanced projects in publication design and graphic illustration. Development of personal graphic illustration.

Prereq: ART 49510 pr permission of the instructor

An advanced exploration of the creative and production process for print media, organized around a semester-long group collaboration. Interdisciplinary collaborations will be encouraged.

Prereq: ART 39528

Rotating semester-long topics in animation chosen from among a variety of animation processes, methods, and techniques. Coursework will involve both group and individual projects and may address topics such as rotoscoping, cutout animation, direct animation, puppet animation, claymation, etc. Specific course content will vary by semester and be announced beforehand. This course may be taken as many as four times for credit.

Prereq: ART 39540

This course builds on a solid foundation in Web design to encompass scripting and interactivity, audio, video and animation over the Web and sophisticated data handling and processing. Emerging technologies and languages (DHTML, Javascript, CSS) will also be addressed.

Prereq: ART 39552 and ART 39540 or ART 49540

Rotating semester-long topics in web programming providing introduction and practice in client-side scripting languages, server-side scripting languages, dynamically generated web pages (CGI), and database scripting and integration. Course may be taken up to four times.

Prereq: ART 39560

This advanced course covers topics related to complex compositions for animation, video art, editing techniques, post-production and research methods for motion graphic projects. It requires a basic knowledge of digital video applications (as covered in Digital Video 1). Students will gain an in depth understanding of the field by looking analytically at videos, through critiques, workshops, demonstrations, and in readings and class discussions.

Prereq: ART 39552

This course is an advanced exploration of the creative and production process for interactive multimedia. Interdisciplinary collaborations will be encouraged.

Prereq: ART 39570

This course is a continuation of 3D Imaging 1. The class will focus on advanced 3D modeling and animation techniques as well as applying visual effects to scenes using principles of physics. Topics include applying physics-based properties to computational geometry in 3D space, creating particle systems using emitters and mastering advanced modeling techniques using NURBS and polygons.

Prereq: Three 30000-level EDM courses.

Advanced projects and portfolio evaluation for students planning a career in electronic design, illustration, and multimedia. Exploration of presentation techniques; introduction to the business of graphic design, career resources and business practices. Portfolio preparation; practical experience in making portfolio presentations; creation of self-promotion materials.

Prereq: BFA EDM only; completion of all major requirements for the BFA in EDM and permission of the instructor

Advanced design seminar in which students develop a sustained individual project in a major area of concentration (print, Internet, multimedia) along with collateral promotion and other presentation materials to be presented in an exhibition and documented in a process book. Students must meet with the Thesis advisor the semester before taking Thesis to write a project proposal; proposals must be approved before start of class.

Proposals are due the semester before a student registers for Thesis, generally April 1 for Fall and December 1 for Spring. Actual proposal deadline dates will be posted in the EDM lab.