Steve Stein: Media Design Foundations

Master of Science & Lecturer in Digital Media

Professional

Media Design Foundations

Course Description

This course will provide a solid introduction into media design and hyper media design, including color, color theory, typography, multi media, and corporate identity design. The class will teach how to create basic Web pages using Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), devise and develop basic multi media projects; understand and apply color theory, and use fonts, type and typography. The course will cover the basic HTML framework, font, type, and text formatting, images and graphics, as well as different color and perception models. Students will focus on design and aesthetic considerations but special attention will be devoted to readability, usability, coding syntax and implementation methods.

Students will apply the lessons from the class, and create and design several multi media projects, homepages, and portfolios. Projects assigned include a resume, a personal portfolio, logos, self created fonts, the application of type, corporate identities, hypermedia projects, and marketing campaigns.

Course Objectives

After completing this course, students will have learned the basic HTML syntax and attributes that will allow them to create basic Web pages and format text, images and other media to make it Web-ready. The class will also develop the analytic and aesthetic skills of the student and enable the participant to deconstruct, analyze, understand, and (re)produce multimedia and hypermedia works and projects.

The students will be able to embed images, text, and other media in Web pages and create hyperlinks to other pages, graphics, and miscellaneous Internet services (including FTP, telnet, newsgroups, etc.). Students will design, edit and implement basic and nested frame structures, tables, image maps and basic navigation systems. The participants will understand the fundamentals color theory and apply design criteria, color, as well as type and typography on several multimedia projects.

The students will publish their work and personal portfolios and not only demonstrate their creative, aesthetic, and analytic skills during several exercises and assignments, but also exhibit the level proficiency and media literacy. Inn addition, all students will gain familiarity with the Internet and find additional, valuable reference and software materials online.

Appointments

Every student is encouraged and invited to use the following office hours to address personal problems and discuss the assignments or course topics. Additional appointments and consultations can be scheduled via E-Mail.

Course Format

The class will consist of a mix of lecture, workshop, discussion, online participation and in-class "critique" sessions with other students and potential users. Students are required to prepare a small set of readings for class and discussion. An additional reading list will be provided to help students explore problems they encounter as they work on their projects. Throughout the entire course, students and participants will iteratively critique each other's assignments, works, programs and designs.