(Emily Carr reference CEDE 110) This course provides students with insight into the process of design as visual communication. The process of developing design and visual problem-solving is studied at length and students will discuss and apply theories of design as it relates to the creative process. Visual structure will be discussed within the context of contemporary design and student work-in-progress. By the end of the course, students will understand and be able to apply the steps in visual translating ideas from concepts to final finished design.

(Emily Carr reference CEDE 160) This course provides an introduction to visual communication through drawing, colour theory and 2D practice. Classic and modern drawing principles are discussed with an eye toward practical applications for the graphic designer. Students are introduced to various drawing methods, tools and materials and are encouraged to experiment with concept development and self expression. This course covers such basic principles as line, shape, composition, perspective, proportion, positive and negative space, colour theory and the semantics of colour through a variety of applied media.

This course gives students an introduction to, and overview of, graphic design styles, history and vocabulary. A strong understanding of these topics is required for success in the Portfolio courses in terms 2, 3, and 4. Students will develop skills in research, written and oral communication, and presentations. By the end of the course, students will have the basic tools to complete self-directed project work in future term project courses.

This course teaches students to create print work using a variety of productivity tools. The course will concentrate on InDesign's graphic user interface, page layout and design and an array of InDesign's typographic features. The course will also cover the anatomy of type, serif and sans serif fonts, OpenType and Glyph characters. Page layout and design principles including grids, columns, balanced ragged settings, image placement, white space, optical margin alignment will also be covered.

The practical, business side of design: Getting organized and staying on-track through all the timeline projections, cost estimates and workflow charts in order to ensure success and profitability. Study the essential paperwork - estimates, memos, model releases, change orders, and contact reports and look at contracts and copyright issues. When to get legal and accounting help.

This course will familiarize students with the Macintosh (Mac) operating system and the devices within the Mac. Students will learn how the Mac operating system works and how to use it responsibly and effectively for assignments and projects. Students also learn how the various components (hard drive, CD-R, processor, etc.) function and what they do. LAN and network issues specific to BCIT will also be covered. Students will also learn basic troubleshooting skills.

(Emily Carr reference CEDE 210) This course is an introduction to the universal elements and principles of 2D page layout. We will review basic rules for the co-ordination of contents, form, space and concept through specific design applications such as posters, brochures and signage. Through a hands-on introduction to layout fundamentals we will explore page layout from rough sketch experimentation through layout finesse and final review. Projects encourage students to develop both their technical and conceptual skills while exploring how the creative process continues within the page layout form. Prerequisites: CEDE 110 and CEDE 160.

(Emily Carr reference CEDE 212) This course introduces typography as the most important element in graphic design. Whether in print or on-screen, typographic presence in good design is always evident. In this course students will study the anatomy of the letterform and distinctions between typefaces, then move on to typographic usage and shaping the page with type. Students will also research past and contemporary typographers and their contribution to design and the written language. By the end of this course, students will successfully apply typographic knowledge to all design projects. Prerequisites: CEDE 110 and CEDE 160

In this course students convert documents to PDF format, to bridge the gap between paper and digital workflow. This includes converting small volumes of paper documents to searchable Adobe PDF files and to e-mail graphics files that were previously too large, and modifying PDF's to include advance functions such as high level security, video/audio files and electronic forms. Students also prepare files for professional print, through to posting PDF files on the web for online distribution.

This course begins by examining different toolbox tools, view artwork in different modes, edit artwork, use ruler guides, work with layers, paint objects, apply custom colors and gradient fills and use the pen tool. Draw straight lines and curves, convert points, and use primitives to create basic shapes. Work with type, change type attributes, import text and link text blocks, wrap text around an object, and more.

This course teaches students how to create and edit digital images. Students will learn the purpose of the various tools in the toolbox, work with layers and blending modes to create depth and transparency, how to retouch photos, select and recolor areas of an image, as well as create interesting type. Students will gain knowledge of image size, pixel depth and resolution while focusing on selection techniques with various selection and drawing tools. Difference between raster and vector imaging is explained in detail, as well as use of filters, channels and paths. Students have their own workstations.

(Emily Carr reference CEDE 250) The project/portfolio course will be taught by faculty from both BCIT and Emily Carr and will be presented at the beginning of Term 2 for completion over the course of this term. It applies knowledge and skills gained in the first two terms in both creative and technical courses. Students would be tasked with researching a design period or design style of their choice and then using their research as the basis to create a poster using the design language of that style or period. Both a short synopsis of their chosen design style as well as a final digital poster layout would be presented. This project gives students an opportunity to apply the theories and principles learned in all other courses taken thus far. Final designs will be presented as a Super-comp printout from digital files, allowing students to combine their knowledge of design theory with the technical computer skills also gained in these first two terms.

This course covers a range of advanced Photoshop techniques that teaches students to create and produce high quality digital images for web or print. Students will learn how to look at color models, measure RGB and CMYK color, adjust midtones, shadows and highlights and perform precise color corrections; Students will also practice adjusting color and tonal balance of images and retouching. Students will learn how to create composite images using layers options and ‘smart objects’, as well as simple animation that can be outputted for web or video. Photoshop’s automated functions, batch processing and actions scripts, and Camera raw are covered in this course as well. Prerequisites: MDIA 1180

Building upon the basic skills learned in level 1, this course introduces the student to a series of advanced tools, some of which are new to this version of the software. Starting with the brush tool and symbol palette we learn how to give our artwork a more natural appeal. Combining methods of opacity, blending and the powerful gradient tool, we create more realism in our artwork. We also spend sometime intergrating other adobe software files formats such as Photoshop and learn how to prepare our graphics for print vs. the web. Prerequisites: MDIA 1160

(Emily Carr reference CEDE 310) A strong brand presents a consistent message to the consumer and helps define a company's culture. This course provides an introduction to the complex issues of brand creation and maintenance through the exploration of corporate identity concepts and principles. Students will develop an identity and apply it, exploring such practical considerations as readability, memorability and flexibility of applicaton. Research assignments and discussion will allow students to also look at larger brand issues, demonstrating how a brand continues to grow through all points of contact with it's audience. Prerequisites: CEDE 210 and CEDE 212.

(Emily Carr reference CEDE 311) This course is an introduction to the vocabulary, concepts and principles of package design through a variety of product categories from food to hardware, household products to fashion. Within the context of universal design principles and concepts, we will explore the specific opportunities and limitations of designing 3D products that must compete in a highly competitive retail environment. Issues specific to package design such as display environment, 3D form and consumer relationships are presented through lecture, case study and individual projects. Prerequisites: CEDE 210 and CEDE 212

(Emily Carr reference CEDE 313) This course provides an introduction to the many facets of corporate communications. Effective corporate communications require visual strategy that conveys specific visual messages as well as maintains the visual personality defined in corporate identity and branding. Students will look at a variety of successful communication strategies and utilize their design skills to respond to internal and external communication needs. Students will also learn techniques and methods to improve verbal and visual presentations. Prerequisites: CEDE 210 and CEDE 212.

Adobe Dreamweaver is a professional visual editor for designing, developing and managing websites. Using industry standard methods for creating pages, the class will work with basic elements such as text, graphic and table layout structures. Methods of applying Cascading Style Sheets for more powerful control and layers to further enhance design layout will also be covered.

This course explores how to setup a series of multi-page documents with spreads and full page bleeds in InDesign. Students will create sophisticated layouts of their own design with text wraps, paragraph styles, tables, spot Pantone colors, colorized grayscale images and imported images with applied alpha channels. Students will create tables with alternating screen tints and create complex pages using paragraph formatting, irregular text wraps and drop caps. Prerequisites: MDIA 1060

This Level 2 course builds upon the skills learned in Level 1. You will use some of the more advanced features of Dreamweaver including working with templates and libraries, cascading style sheets, dynamic HTML and JavaScript. The course will also cover working with forms and plug-ins. Prerequisites: MDIA 1470

TERM 3 PORTFOLIO PROJECT will be presented at the beginning of term three for completion over the course of this term. It applies knowledge and skills gained in the third and earlier terms in both creative and technical courses. Students will focus on a major national organization from the list provided. Students are required to research the organization’s existing brand and market situation and apply this knowledge in the redesign of the organization’s brand identity. Students must provide a cogent rationale for the re-brand based on the organization’s situation and surrounding market forces. Prerequisites: MDIA 2009

(Emily Carr reference CEDE 315) Editorial Design introduces the ideas and concepts behind design that are intended to persuade viewers to consider specific points of view. Building on knowledge from other design courses, students will discuss editorial and art direction in existing publications and develop ideas and layouts of their own. By the end of this course, students will utilize publication typographic and layout terminology when discussing existing publications and the in-class topics and projects. Prerequisites: CEDE 310, CEDE 311 and CEDE 313

(Emily Carr reference CEDE 3300) This course provides an introduction to new media and interactivity. Turning static artwork into graphic sequencing is the first step in understanding this dynamic form of design. Students will research contemporary design on the internet and apply newly-learned principles of new media design to in-class exercises and projects. Students will also apply knowledge of typography and creative process to assigned projects. By the end of this course, students will have a greater understanding of new media and should feel confident to explore new media further. Prerequisites: CEDE 310, CEDE 311 and CEDE 313.

Adobe Flash Professional is the leading tool for creating vector graphics and interactive multimedia. Concentration is on how to design and deliver cross-platform, low-bandwidth animations for web or presentations. We explore drawing, animation and sound capabilities to build interactive content. It is a task-based course, with students learning by doing.

The course covers the basics of prepress and printing processes and technologies. Students will prepare and supply files to print providers, and examine production workflows and a designer’s relationship with the printer and the printer’s expectations. They will explore the basics of image files, trapping, inks, screening techniques, imposition, paper & binding styles, postscript and pdf. In addition, color correction & separation, the use of spot colors, double hits, varnish and process colors will be discussed. The students will tour at least one print & prepress shop and hear about latest trends in the industry. Working with PDF files and their role and advantages will be explained. Students will work on various projects and will be able to bring and discuss projects from their work to class. Prerequisites: MDIA 1150 or MDIA 1049

This course is a continuation of Level 1 and focuses on advanced graphics creation for the web (layer mask and advanced animation techniques). Another main section is the learning of action script that allows you to control the timeline and create advanced interactive web sites.

(Emily Carr reference CEDE 450) The Project/Portfolio will be taught by faculty from both BCIT and Emily Carr and will be presented at the beginning of Term 4 for completion over the course of this term. As a final thesis project, it applies knowledge and skills gained throughout the year in both creative and technical courses. Students will expand upon their corporate communication skills by creating a small self-promotional website or interactive promotion and a print promotional item for themselves or their company. Students will research their market and prepare and present a written design brief to act as the foundation for their design solutions. Final materials should be designed to be appropriate for their diverse mediums and still maintain consistency of brand image. This project allows students to integrate knowledge gained from the entire year in the pursuit of a targeted piece of corporate communications. It also gives students experience integrating print and digital communications under one brand identity. Final designs will be presented in a tight digital colour presentation comps for the print piece and as an online or interactive presentation for the interactive piece, allowing students to combine design and technical computer skills from their entire series of courses. It will also serve the practical purpose of giving students that are completing the Program a means of promoting themselves in a competitive job market.