Home > Learn > Coursework: Exploring Digital Design

Why do human-made things look the way they do? How does a designer make intelligent decisions about her design? Does a beautiful design allow a tool to perform better? Why are some designs more appealing to us than others?

You will explore these questions and more in this class by looking at the work of designers of all kinds, learning about some of the theory and history of the design field, and most of all, putting these ideas to the test by applying them in your own projects.

To explore these ideas, you will use tools used by professional designers in the "digital age," such as Adobe Photoshop CS, Adobe Flash CS, Adobe Premiere Pro, Google Sketchup, and 3D Studio Max.

We have designed the class (see, even classes are designed!) to prepare you for the other course offerings in the Technology Department by giving you a basic but solid foundation in the process and ideas behind good design, as well as some of the tools used.

We will use this site to post information about the course and the projects you will be assigned, as well as resources to support your learning.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Exploring Digital Design

Topic 1: What is Digital?

Topic 2: How are the Design Principles used to enhance communication?

Topic 3: What is the Design Process?

Topic 4: How do we represent four dimensions on a two-dimensional screen?

Topic 5: Does form follow function? (Does it have to be beautiful to be good?)

Topic 6: How do I make it happen? (AKA: Transforming designs into useful things)