About this course:

This course focuses on the visual design and user experience of websites, teaching students core concepts through creative assignments that explore different web publishing tools. While the course does include some instruction on coding and graphic design, these will be explored as aspects of a holistic approach to designing visual interfaces for the web. Students will be introduced to core concepts and workflows such as wireframing and mockups, ultimately leading to the creation of functional websites.

Course Objectives

• Experiment with a variety of web publishing tools
• Compose visual designs that amplify content through mood, style, and composition.
• Practice professional workflows and standards in project management.
• Develop creative websites through research and iteration.

Lesson Content

This course is divided into three units, each containing two lessons. See the syllabus for the dates of each lesson.

A typical lesson contains:

• Tutorials and instructional content
• 2 Exercises (25 points each, pass/fail)
• 1 Assignment (100 points)
• 1 Blog post (50 points)
• Peer comments (5 points)

At the end of each unit there will be a short quiz (10 points) to review core terms and concepts.

Lesson Schedule

Here is the basic flow of events for each lesson; for exact dates, please refer to the course syllabus.

1. Instructional Content: Begin each lesson by reading all of the instructional content on the course website; this may include completing tutorial videos or readings.
2. Submit Exercises: these are designed as preparation for the more extensive and open-ended assignments.
3. Submit Assignment: students will complete a draft of each assignment, though it should look polished and fulfill the requirements.
4. Submit a Blog Post: written responses to prompts, including related images and media will be posted to student's individual research blogs. This may occur alongside work on assignments.
5. Peer Reviews: students will provide feedback on each other's assignments and blogs. The day after assignments are due, they will be "open for review" and all students will be required to leave comments on the work in Open Studio. Peer reviews will typically be due 2-3 days after the assignment. This means it is important to submit your assignments and blogs on time.
6. Revisions: Students will have a brief period to revise their assignments and blogs after receiving feedback from their peers. It is expected that the final version of each show changes from the first draft, and address the comments received during peer review.

All work is due at 11:59pm of the day specified.

Submitting Assignments

Most assignments will be submitted through Canvas, where the instructor will provide individual feedback and grades. As a visual design course, we will also be submitting some work through Open Studio (a dedicated page on the course website).

Open Studio: image galleries for each assignment, visible to entire class. Students will leave comments here during peer reviews for exercises, assignments, and blog posts. While students will maintain live websites for their blogs, you will be asked to post screenshots and links to each blog on Open Studio so that peer reviews can all be centrally located.

Canvas: submissions to the instructor will receive private feedback and grades. In some instances you will be asked to submit screenshots of your websites, blog posts, or submissions in Open Studio. In addition, some assignments will require students to submit project files or other filetypes not accepted in Open Studio.