Selected highlights from the AIGA/NASAD paper...

BASICS
Ongoing acquisition of the latest hardware and software is a given, but it is not in itself sufficient...

The AIGA and NASAD believe that a four-year professional degree in graphic design is intended to produce far more than technical skill. Program development involves thoughtful choices about the proportion of technology instruction to problem-solving, visual studies, and theoretical issues...

...it is assumed that graphic design students will view technology as a means for achieving human-centered communication goals.

TECHNOLOGICAL CAPABILITIES DEMANDED BY THE PROFESSION
...While some graphic designers specialize entirely in new media, most handle a mix of print and electronic work. In addition to the print-based competencies listed above, most undergraduate students will also be significantly more employable if they possess a rudimentary ability to:

• Work in time-based multimedia
• Design motion typography
• Design information architecture, interfaces, and narratives for the Internet
• Design time-based media in cross-disciplinary projects

Recommendation:
Increasingly, graphic designers are involved in the design of computer interfaces and interactive media...Students expecting to concentrate on new media as professionals should have a command of these aspects of design and may complement their design experiences with courses in scripting and/or programming. For these students, studies in sound, video, animation, and possibly script writing are also important.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Complete text available (PDF file) at the AIGA website.

 

 

[Top]  |  [Back to start]  |  [About this site]  |  [Email]