Do you see yourself as a non-creative individual? Do you want to learn to effectively understand design? Do you want to learn how to see the world around you with new eyes and have the ability to create sharper and more successful websites and graphics from the ground up?

This course will teach you the basics of design and help get you on the road to creating, designing and implementing solid designs for the web! In this introductory course, basic design thinking, theory and practice will be explored in an easy to absorb, fun and relaxed environment.

Students will begin by understanding and implementing the foundations of design: the basic elements and principles of design. These elements and principles are applicable to all design mediums such as architecture, art, graphic design, photography, print and web design. Special emphasis will be given to the application of these principles and elements, along with color and typography, to the medium of web design.

For students who have not had formal training in design, this course will bring them up to speed with the fundamentals of design, while learning how to apply these concepts to web and graphic design. For students who have received previous design training, this course will offer new techniques, tips and tricks, and new ways of thinking of design fundamentals while applying these concepts to the electronic mediums of web design and graphics for the web.

Applicable Job Roles: web designers, graphic designers, and webmasters.

• Defining design.
• A brief introduction and history of design.
• Principles and elements: Understanding the differences.
• Understanding the first set of principles of design: unity/variety, hierarchy, proportion, and scale.
• Understanding the first set of elements of design: shape, space/whitespace, line, and size

• Discussion: The role of a designer in the construction of functional website.
• Discussions: Design is a process that has a clear beginning and end.
• A brief synopsis of the differences between print and web design.
• Understanding the second set of principles of design: balance, rhythm/repetition, proximity, and emphasis.
• Understanding the second set of elements of design: color, texture/pattern, value, and typography.

• Exploring and using texture and pattern.
• Discovering the classical rules of composition Part I and Part II: (includes leading the viewer's eye, the use of grids in design, the use of a browser enhanced grid in design, proportions and the Golden Mean and the Rules of Third).
• Understanding and implementing value.

• Understanding the color models.
• Exploring the technicalities of color.
• Working with color creatively.
• Typography Basics - Understanding typography and using it creatively.

• Brainstorming techniques.
• Exploring and enhancing avenues of creativity.
• Design tips for designs and graphics destined for the Web.
• Learning how to break the rules of design.

• Putting the 5 weeks of work together by revising,polishing and presenting a final project, which consists of a design comp that utilizes the principles and elements of design, along with a cohesive color palette, typography, strong composition and creativity.
• Peer evaluation.