Undergraduate Certificate in Visual Communications

This course introduces students to the concepts of Web site design, including Web project management, the Web site development process, and ethical and legal issues in Web development. The course provides hands-on experience with Web page layout, navigation, typography, Web graphics, color, color theory, web safe colors, HTML, XML, XHTML, structural elements (tables and framesets), cascading style sheets, and metadata. It also explores readability, interactivity, navigation, usability and accessibility, browsers and design considerations, audio, motion, multimedia, and the impact of these design elements on the performance of the web site. Students will need access to Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 (or higher) and Firefox 2.0 (or higher). This software is not provided by the course material grant and must be purchased/provided by the student. This course covers lessons 1-16 of the Design Methodology and Technology curriculum of the CIW Site Designer certification.

Pre Reqs: Web Development Fundamentals(WEBD121)

Graphics are valuable tools for communication in Internet applications. This course introduces the student to the principles and practices of image manipulation, image enhancement, and image storage. The student will explore graphical file formats, color and perception, color balance, histograms, web-friendly colors, the impact of image size and resolution on screen size and resolution, brightness, contrast, image noise, noise reduction, digital signal processing (blurring, de-blurring, Gaussian filters, sharpening, softening, spot healing, dodging, burning), transparency, opacity, hue, saturation, image layering, color blending (multiplying, dodging), image transformation (rotation, resizing, shearing), selections (pixel, vector), alpha channels, and image modes (grayscale, RGB, CMYK, HSB, indexed color). Students must have access to Adobe Photoshop CS2 (or higher). This software is not provided by the course material grant and must be purchased/provided by the student.

This course evaluates the principles, processes, and practices to produce effective print media such as logos, signage, brochures, flyers, CD/DVD covers, posters, print advertisements, and packaging. This course examines the theories and concepts of layout, composition, illustration, digital illustration, page layout, web page design, typography, color theory, electronic pre-press and print production. The student will apply the knowledge gained in this course to design and create various kinds of print media. Students must have access to Adobe Illustrator software CS2 (or higher). This software is not provided by the course material grant and must be purchased/provided by the student.

This course examines the process of designing, developing, and deploying text and graphics in motion in order to create a dynamic and interactive experience for the web user. Students will develop storyboards, perform interaction design, animate type, and set illustrations in motion. Students will examine and apply the theories and concepts behind developing illustrations, character animations, layers, frames, masks, symbols, libraries, motion tweens, shape tweens, nested objects, and animated shows. They will add audio and video to enhance the quality of the visual experience. Adobe Fireworks will also be introduced. Students must have access to Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 (or higher), Adobe Fireworks CS3 (or higher), Firefox 2.0 (or higher), and Adobe Flash CS3 (or higher) software. This software is not provided by the course material grant and must be purchased/provided by the student. This course covers lessons 24–29 of the Design methodology and Technology curriculum of the CIW Site Designer certification.

Pre Reqs: Web Development Fundamentals(WEBD121)

This course introduces students to Web site development through a combination of readings and hands-on development exercises. This course emphasizes XHTML, including hyperlinks, tables, Web forms, frames, images, colors, and other graphical elements. Image techniques, such as image maps, image transparency, image interlacing, and animation are examined. GUI editors, e-commerce practices, and advanced Web technologies, such as server-side and client-side languages, DHTML, and DOM are also addressed in this course. Fundamentals of JavaScript programming are also introduced in this course. Students will need access to Microsoft Internet Explorer and Firefox. This software is not provided by the course material grant and must be purchased/provided by the student. This course covers the Site Developer Foundations curriculum of the CIW Foundations certification. It also covers the Design Methodology and Technology curriculum of the CIW Site Designer certification. To succeed in this course, students will need basic computer knowledge such as creating files and folders, downloading and uploading files, creating zipped files, and working with text editor such as Notepad++.

This course provides an introduction to Web 2.0 trends and technologies. Students will profile the various features, tools, communities, and practices available in Web 2.0. Also included is a survey of the concepts, tools, and practices used to build blogs and wikis. The course also reviews the various methods of posting information from the blog into web pages using RSS & Atom techniques. Students will also appraise other Web 2.0 technologies, such as forums, collaborative web sites, discussion boards, and wikis. Students will apply the knowledge gained in this course to design and create blogs and forums. Students must have access to a microphone.