Digital Design Diploma

Program Overview

The Digital Design Diploma program equips graduates with the skills to design and produce digital and print media, including websites, e-publications, and multimedia products. Graduates develop expertise in typography, user experience design, and digital design tools, and are prepared for careers in graphic design, web design, and related fields. The program emphasizes team-based projects, client-focused work, and industry-standard software.

Program Outline

Working individually or as part of a project team, graduates have the skills to present, defend, and critique digital media projects meeting client need, project scope, and available resources.

Outline:

Term 1

• DESN1101 - Fundamental Principles of Digital Design (3 Credits): This course introduces the principles of design through exercises, projects, rapid ideation and presentations.
Learners will explore the principles of design, with a focus on process and composition across a variety of media and design software.
• DESN1102 - Typography (3 Credits): This course introduces learners to the craft of typography through the study of professional typographic terms, definitions, and texts.
In addition, learners will evaluate the fundamentals of typesetting (selection, size, spacing, and hierarchy) and the relationship between typeface and intended contextual meaning.
• DESN1401 - Introduction to the Digital Design Profession (3 Credits): Digital Design is a fast-moving, creative, and client-focused profession.
These dynamics will be explored in the context of a project team. This course will provide opportunities to learn about working in a design firm, as well as working as a freelancer. Topics like agency reporting structure, client presentations, ethics, and legal issues facing designers will be explored. Learners will integrate software skills learned to create client-focused projects.
• DESN2301 - User Experience Design (3 Credits): This course introduces the principles of broad user experience design and hands-on creation of digital interfaces.
Design principles, processes, skills and best practice approaches are applied in the construction of solutions to hypothetical design & industry relevant scenarios. Learners will start with learning concepts & examples, followed by taking a multi-disciplinary approach to integrating those concepts with their skills based on performance criteria. Learners will do this within production teams in a standard design sprint model. The course covers persona development and interface design.
• MKTG2301 - Digital Marketing Communications (3 Credits): Learners apply the art and science of communicating in both online and offline environments as part of a marketing strategy.
Learners will design creative, targeted materials using a variety of digital tools. In this course, learners demonstrate persuasive writing skills in relation to design projects. Through a series of hands-on exercises both individually and with fellow designers, learners design mobile application layouts from mock-up to high fidelity prototyped wireframes using contemporary and industry specific software.
• DESN1302 - Digital Design Studio (3 Credits): In this course, learners apply design, artistry, and research skills to a variety of assignments, both outside of class, and for in class deadline client-focused work.
There is a heavy emphasis on teamwork, design expression, design critique, and design problem solving skills. Heavy use of design software integration skills is used to rapidly and expertly craft designated design deliverables.
• DESN2302 - Intermediate Digital Design Tools (3 Credits): This course expands learners' knowledge of digital design tools and techniques.
Through projects, learners create a variety of commercial packaging, campaigns, or promotions. Learners will demonstrate effective project workflow and best practices when completing their projects.
• MKTG1301 - Branding and Marketing (3 Credits): This course introduces learners to the process of branding development and execution.
The course emphasis is on brand ideals, elements, dynamics, as well as development and management of a brand identity. Learners will apply of the principles of storytelling to evolve a brand throughout a campaign.
• SODV1203 - Interaction Design for Web and Applications (3 Credits): In this course, learners will build on their learning from previous courses and use cutting edge client-side tools and techniques to plan and create engaging online experiences.
Learners will also learn techniques to build experiences for a broad selection of browsers and sizes of interfaces using web-based platforms.

Term 3

• DESN2205 - Motion Graphics (3 Credits): This course covers the principles of composition, and animation and how they are applied to any moving visual project.
Using industry standard software, learners develop basic to intermediate motion design projects.
• DESN2303 - Layout Digital Design Tools (3 Credits): This course focuses on utilizing layout tools for creating both print and digital deliverables within a unified workflow.
Integration of digital tools and advanced techniques will be explored to create an efficient and thorough industry production skill set.
• DESN2304 - Video and Audio Production (3 Credits): This course introduces learners to video and audio editing applications and covers the process of developing content from pre-production, production, and postproduction stages.
Learners will integrate software applications into final media outputs such as short videos and podcasts. Being an active member of a production team to complete more complex audio-visual deliverables is also examined throughout the course.
• DESN2305 - Digital Design Studio: Problem Solving (3 Credits): This intense in-class course prepares learners to develop print deliverables in a tight deadline driven environment.
Upon completion of design materials, learners will go through a rigorous design critique that uncovers design problems learners must solve before final submission and client approval.
• DESN2998 - Digital Design Capstone Research and Planning (3 Credits): The course prepares learners for collaborative experiences in real-world scenarios through work-integrated learning.
The project provides an integrative learning experience that builds upon previous courses and life experiences. The learner, as part of a small collaborative group, will strategize and complete a project for a real-world client or problem following an appropriate workflow.

Term 4

• DESN2206 - Advanced Motion Graphics (3 Credits): This advanced motion graphics course further explores the principles of animation and develops into more complex motion design projects.
Learners demonstrate the integration of motion graphics into a variety of digital platforms.
• DESN2306 - Interaction Design for Social Experiences (3 Credits): This course builds on core interactive skills gained to date in the program to create a social media campaign.
Learners and faculty troubleshoot potential issues in social experiences, utilizing skills learned in the user experience (UX) course and applied to social media. The campaign will include audio and video components and successful critiques will be practiced. Prerequisites: DESN1302, DESN2301
• DESN2401 - Digital Design Professional Practice (3 Credits): This course is designed to showcase and present graduating learners' work, both personal and professional.
One half of the course is dedicated to graduates' marketing material to support their job search--portfolios, resumes, and interviews. The other half of the course is the organization, preparation, and delivery of graduates' showcase and presentation of their skills and abilities as designers.
• DESN2999 - Digital Design Capstone Project (3 Credits): This final capstone course provides the opportunity for each learner to plan and design a unique portfolio-ready design piece.
Learners will also reflect on the experience and prepare a portfolio submission to be used in the professional world.
• DESN3208 - Advanced User Experience Design (3 Credits): This course explores the principles of advertising and promotion for products and services in business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B) markets in addition, the course emphasis the end-user experience.
Learners develop a clear, comprehensive branding strategy for a product or service based upon the fact that a brand is the totality of how consumers perceive, experience, and respond to a product or service. Learners focus on promotions, point of purchase, direct response, and media planning.Prereqsuite: DESN2301

Careers:

Exciting career opportunities are possible in both the public and private sector including companies and corporations, non-profit agencies, and government agencies.

• Graphic designer
• Web designer and developer
• Graphic arts technician
• Front-end web developer
• Mobile designer

Other:

• Curriculum and estimated tuition are subject to change.
• Laptop specifications
• Intel quad core CPU (i5 or i7)
• 8GB RAM (16GB recommended)
• 13 inch 1080p screen (15 inches recommended)
• a dedicated graphics card with 2GB of VRam
• a 128GB solid state hard drive (256GB recommended)
• a portable hard drive (for data backup)
• Windows 10
• Additional course-specific software may be required.
• Full course outlines are available here.
• Curriculum subject to change.

• Domestic: CAD$17,397
• International: CAD$47,108