Are you responsive to
your environment?
Memphis College of Art is. The landscape
of graphic design is ever expanding: technology and
information, language and voice, and, audience and
arena. It is this contemporary union of physical expression
and linear theory which forms the foundation of the
College’s
unique design program. The evolution of graphic design
is here.
GD 200 Design System 1.
A studio introduction to visual communication exploring the
unique meanings and principles of design and its supporting
elements. As a companion to the first semester, students
are instructed on a Macintosh platform utilizing the current
professional design software: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop,
Adobe InDesign and Quark Xpress.
Prerequisite: None
GD 205 Design System 2.
The second course in a sequential
series for majors of the discipline, primary focus is the
expansion of introductory concepts secured in Design System
1. This formation extends the student’s natural artistic
intuitiveness on an elevated conceptual and technical level.
Areas of investigation include: pure typography; the grid
as structure; and the development and realization of two-
and three-dimensional design solutions.
Prerequisite: GD 200
GD 300 Design System 3.
Design System 3 calls
attention to the experimental integration of structures, imagery,
and typography as form. Extended thought is placed on the systems
of letterforms in relation to history and technology. A project
example, Volume Discourse, examines the multiple utilizing the
College’s Vandercook letterpress and
digital technology.
Prerequisite: GD 205
GD 305 Design System 4.
The intermediate
level of study concludes with the continued application of
physical and theoretical design principles with an emphasis
in identity systems and emotional branding. Supplemental
demonstrations, lectures, readings, and research activities
complement the course of study.
Prerequisite: GD 300
GD 400 Design System 5.
The final year
sequence commences with Design System 5, a comprehensive
course in a professional and rigorous studio environment.
The system accentuates a continued linear design methodology
and its proven tenets. Concurrently presented multi-level
projects are designed to simulate the vigor and expectations
of a practicing professional.
Prerequisite: GD 305
GD 405 Design System 6.
The conclusion
of the formal program of the discipline, the student applies
the collective knowledge to a defended, undergraduate senior
thesis and exhibition. This endeavor requires the whole of
the student and illustrates their verbal, academic, and artistic
aptitude. Discipline centered, the thesis encourages trans-disciplinary
influences.
Prerequisite: GD 400
Platforms:
The totality of the Design System program is
further enhanced through electives or platforms - providing
concentrated enrichment to the student’s academic formation.
The offerings, modified on a semester basis, reflect emergent
forms and impart harmony between system and platform.