Design Foundations
Design Foundations builds creative problem-solving skills used to communicate meaningful messages and ideas, be they commercial, educational, cultural, or political. By organizing basic design principles effectively, artists can more deeply explore their own artistic practice and style. Clearly communicating an idea requires an understanding of composition, color, narrative, motion, cultural signifiers, and the physiological and cognitive processes that generate perception in the viewer. Through a rigorous investigation, in both two and three-dimensions, artists can develop the capacity to communicate more effectively through design.
Course Descriptions
Design I (ARTS 1311) is a foundational studio art course that introduces students to the materials, core principles, and concepts of two-dimensional design. The course explores visual thinking skills, historical and contemporary art forms, and technical approaches to the use of materials in a progressive way. Students will learn to build critical analysis skills through a development of appropriate vocabulary and the exploration of completed work. Through a focus on creative problem-solving within defined parameters, students learn how to use the compositional tools of line, shape, space, texture, value, volume, and color to effectively make use of the picture plane in order to channel their creative energy and desire for personal artistic expression.
Design II (ARTS 1312) is a foundational studio art course that builds on the core principles, goals, and concepts of Design I to introduce students to the formal strategies employed in three-dimensional design. Students are introduced to basic three-dimensional materials, techniques, and tools through hands-on experience, progressive projects, and the study of three-dimensional form throughout the history of art. Through engagement in aesthetic problem-solving in different assignments, students gain critical analysis skills and will experience with the ways that the formal elements of line, shape, mass, volume, light and shadow, color, and organization of forms define three-dimensional objects in space.
Design I is a strongly recommended prerequisite for Design II.
Course Resources
Design Foundations Facilities at ACC Highland
The 2D Design Studios consist of spacious classrooms that allow each student an individual workspace and access to a sink for ink and paint clean-up. The studios utilize a high-definition projector for in-class lectures and presentations, and classes are limited in size to allow ample time for individual instruction, class discussions, and critiques.
The 3D Design Studio consists of large workspaces specifically designed to accommodate a diverse range of materials and a dedicated studio classroom. The facilities include a fully equipped woodworking shop, a plaster and mold-making shop, two fabrication rooms, and a spray booth. The studio provides storage for ongoing student projects, and is furnished with up-to-date equipment and extensive safety and air quality measures. The facilities also include a projector for in-class lectures and demonstrations, and a highly-trained supervisory staff. Classes are limited in size to allow ample time for individual instruction, class discussions, and critiques.
