About Our BFA Program

School of Computer Arts: New Media

About Our BFA Program

It is the objective of the School of Computer Arts: New Media to provide students with a comprehensive, multi-disciplined education in digital art, design and production. The department emphasizes comprehensive training in design and industry-standard digital tools to prepare students for real-world careers in a wide range of opportunities including interactive multimedia design, graphic design, web design, motion graphics, audio, video, and imaging.

Potential Careers: Interactive/Web Designer, Graphic Design and Print Production, Motion Graphics Designer, Visual Designer, Imaging Specialist, Art Director, Producer, Creative Director.

BFA Program Learning Outcomes

School of Computer Arts: New Media Program

Graduates of the School of Computer Arts: New Media will meet the following student performance criteria:

1. Research

   • Understanding and performance of detailed research as the initial phase of a successful design process.

2. Strategic Planning

   • Identifying and describing desired results; establishing an appropriate strategy and plan to achieve project goals.

3. Concept Development

   • Utilizing accumulated research as the vehicle for inspiring ideas and approaches to solving design problems as enunciated in the project brief.

4. Information Organization

   • Ability to organize relevant information to be conveyed into a logical structure and hierarchy.

5. Articulation of Concept and Design Decisions

   • Ability to provide oral and visual evidence of rationales and justifications for design decisions based on project objectives.

6. Design Process

   • Developing efficient, effective processes to achieve justifiable, compelling and appropriate design and production decisions.

7. Conveyance of Preliminary Ideas

   • Ability to accomplish thumbnails, sketches, storyboards, formatting and structure of design approaches to the client for approval prior to production.

8. Aesthetic Development

   • Exposure to a range of relevant contemporary communication aesthetics, and the informed practical application of appropriate visual/aural design and style in order to reinforce the message.

9. Graphic Design Fundamentals

   • Understanding the basic elements and principles of graphic design and design for new media.

10. New Media Design Fundamentals

    • Understanding the principles and methods of design in new media interactive environments: active user-defined interaction vs. static, linear, passive communications.

11. User Interface (UI) Design

    • Understanding interactive interface and navigation design principles.

12. User Experience

    • Analyzing and prototyping enhanced, compelling user interactivity, usability and accessibility.

13. Grid Systems

    • Understanding the value and application of grid systems to reinforce design unity and hierarchy.

14. Visual Design

    • Developing the ability to enhance the message and conveyance of information with appropriate, engaging visual content which reinforces project objectives, strategy, theme and concept.

15. Imaging

    • Ability to perform creative and technologically exacting digital imaging techniques and procedures—professionally, in a production environment.

16. Photography

    • Understanding of photographic principles, camera and lighting techniques, and ability to shoot a range of subjects enabling original image content development for comprehensives, prototypes, and/or final art.

17. Typography

    • Understanding the principles, aesthetics and techniques of professional typography and typesetting; ability to design and produce a fully functional original digital typeface; ability to modify existing fonts.

18. Print Design, Layout & Production

    • Understanding, practical application and pre-press production of graphic design for print mediums, employing industry-standard digital applications.

19. Identity & Branding Design

    • Understanding and practicing the design and production of corporate identity and branding systems.

20. Motion Graphics

    • Understanding and ability to design and produce animated type and graphic objects for time-based and interactive media.

21. Video

    • Understanding of short-form creative and commercial time-based media in digital video format; shooting, lighting, capturing, editing, compression and compositing video for inclusion in web, interactive and broadcast mediums.

22. Audio & Sound Design

    • Understanding fundamental music aesthetics and theory, and ability to create, manipulate, edit, synthesize, synch, sequence and export digital audio, music, soundtracks and sound effects.

23. Web / Interactive Architecture and Mapping

    • Ability to organize and hierarchically structure screen-based multi-page projects visually in the form of diagrams or “maps” indicating levels, interrelationships and linkages between pages and levels.

24. Web / Interactive Design

    • Ability to design screen-based user interfaces, navigation systems and achieve a structurally unified, funtcional and usable interactive environment, and a compelling, useful user experience according to the project objectives and target audience.

25. Web / Interactive Scripting

    • Understanding and ability to code xHTML, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), and incorporate enhanced dynamic behaviors and functionality to interactive multimedia projects via ActionScripting and other scripting languages.

26. Presentation Skills

    • Ability to confidently communicate project objectives, validity and justification of design solutions.

27. Teamwork & Collaboration

    • Ability to work successfully in team and collaberative environments, contribute and communicate in order to achieve project deadlines and goals.

28. Cross-Media Campaign Design

    • Understanding and practice in developing projects requiring multiple reinforcing, unified elements, technologies and means of distribution to fulfill the objectives of a marketing campaign.

29. Proposal Development

    • Ability to define, compile and organize project objectives, research, strategy, theme, conceptual approach, production schedules and measurement criteria in written and oral forms.

30. Art Direction

    • Understanding and ability to establish and oversee the overall creative visual art and design direction, evaluate and manage adherence to project goals by all members of a design and production team, and communicate with other producers and managers involved in the project.

31. Time Management

    • Ability to analyze project needs and establish realistic production schedules to meet established deadlines.

32. Efficient Techniques

    • Understanding software technology options and production methods enabling the ability to increase efficiency and speed using software.

33. Portfolio Design and Production

    • Understanding and developing self-marketing, self-promotion and advertising, the interview process, resumes, establishing a unified personal/business identity and business forms.

34. Industry Standards and Expectations

    • Understanding typical production workflow, conventions, project phases, quality controls and the revision process: building digital files to enable quick revisions.

35. Best Practices and Business Ethics

    • Understanding and applying ethical and legal guidelines with respect to professional best practices and copyright law in the art and design industries.

36. Project Documentation

    • Ability to document and archive the design development and production phases of a project by means of a process journal and timesheets.

Academy of Art University Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Academy of Art University will demonstrate the ability to:

1. Produce a body of work suitable for seeking professional opportunities in their chosen field of art and design.
2. Solve creative problems within their field of art and design, including research and synthesis of technical, aesthetic, and conceptual knowledge.
3. Communicate their ideas professionally and connect with their intended audience using visual, oral, and written presentation skills relevant to their field.
4. Execute technical, aesthetic, and conceptual decisions based on an understanding of art and design principles.
5. Evaluate work in their field, including their own work, using professional terminology.
6. Recognize the influence of major cultural and aesthetic trends, both historical and contemporary, on art and design products.
7. Learn the professional skills and behaviors necessary to compete in the global marketplace for art and design.

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