The two-year Diploma Course in Multimedia Design involves work in many areas of graphic and new media design and equips students to become accomplished in the design and production of print media, web design and interactive media design. An optional and advised third year affords the opportunity to pursue an Advanced Diploma in Multimedia where students gain industry experience, work in a simulated creative agency and specialize in either digital design for print and interactive media or web application development for desktop monitors and hand-held/mobile devices.
The course offers both the theory and practice of Multimedia communication, with a focus on the practical application of these skills in the workplace. Teamwork is encouraged and students learn to work in groups to complete their projects.
COURSE CONTENT
FIRST YEAR
During the first year of the Multimedia Design course, students are given a strong foundation in the principles of design. The emphasis is on paper-based design training to establish the skills required to translate a design brief into an effective piece of visual communication.
- Subjects throughout the year are:
- Graphic Design
- Illustration
- Digital Design
- Contextual Studies
Graphic Design 1
Students are taught the basic principles of design through paper based design projects. Students learn to use colour, type and composition effectively to create visuals for a variety of print media including magazines, book covers, information design, logo design, branding and advertising.
Illustration 1
Students are taught a variety of practical paper based drawing skills to enable effective understanding of visualisation techniques. Students will learn to use different media for drawing such as pen, pencil, charcoal, ink, pastel, markers, and will apply different styles of rendering techniques. Students are introduced to the theory of perspective drawing use rendering techniques for advertising visuals. Paper is used as a building material to form three dimensional artworks and students are encourage to use their skills and creativity to express a purposeful outcome such as a poster, book cover or advertisement.
Digital Design 1
The objective of this course is to teach an understanding of the basic principles of graphic design through knowledge of print & digital theory, the technical workings of the print environment and its effect on design. Students learn technical illustration skills, using the software application Adobe Illustrator and learn to generate digital artwork for print as an output. Students learn Adobe Photoshop and the editing and manipulation of images for print media. Students learn Adobe Indesign for print layout and complete practical projects using all three software applications.
An introduction to Photography is taught as part of the course, covering techniques of image making and visual literacy for the purpose of contributing to multimedia digital productions. Students are given practical photography projects and are required to take photographs with a compact digital camera to stimulate their creative visual ability.
Contextual Studies 1 (Media Studies and Visual Literacy)
Media Studies
The objective of this module is to provide the learner with a theoretical introduction to the Media. Students learn a broad range of topics that have an impact on their future careers in a media environment. The role of the media in society, advertising and marketing, branding and media communications are discussed and analysed.
Visual Literacy
Students are introduced to a broad based history of art from the earliest civilizations to the modern era and contextualize the historical art forms with modern day artists. Students will be able to understand the timeline of artistic expression in the visual arts with particular reference to painting and the decorative arts. The course will take an historical look at a variety of art periods in both Europe and Africa and will reference distinct movements in art as well as the main artists involved.
SECOND YEAR
During the second year students hone their creative skills and produce projects that will form the basis of their digital CV and portfolio. Students work on interdepartmental projects learning to work with their colleagues as clients and also work on real industry projects where applicable
Graphic Design 2
Students gain practical experience working with simulated industry briefs for graphic design for print media. Students will learn advanced print reproduction techniques as they progress their project work to a print ready conclusion. Students gain intermediate technical skill with Adobe InDesign as well as continued experience with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Students will be able to use all three applications with inter-changeable ease and know what is appropriate for any given print project. Students gain a greater understanding of design layout principles and digital illustration as applied to a variety of print media. Students formulate conceptual solutions to a design brief and will learn to work to a design process that lays out the stages of design as it would be in industry.
Digital Design 2
Students design and produce interactive corporate web sites and create a personal on-line portfolio for themselves. Students learn both front end design and back end coding as well as an introduction to Motion Graphics and Interactive Design. Students develop an animated advertisement or logo with the style and tempo of the animation creating an appropriate message to the viewer. Students are taught the principles of modeling and lighting a 3D environment and create a series of 3D images.
Scripting for the Web 1
This module aims to provide students with the theoretical knowledge and practical application of various industry standard web coding and scripting languages. Students are taught how to translate concepts into practical applications through logical thinking. Students will develop practical skills in the application of the various scripting languages through daily tutorials and practical projects.
Contextual Studies (Visual Literacy 2, Media Law, Sound for MultiMedia, and Internship)
This subject comprised three modules that are short, single term subjects and a two week internship at a company that a student chooses to go to. Students are responsible for finding their own company to intern with and benefit from real experience that can lead to a further period of employment when they graduate.
Visual Literacy 2
The aim of the course is to make students aware of 20th century design eras and characteristics and where appropriate, its influences in contemporary design.
The course will encourage the student to make the connection between and apply historical influences to, work by contemporary international and or local designers.
Media Law
This module aims to give students an understanding of the law as related to the creative industries with particular reference to copyright law and intellectual property rights of creative work. The course is designed to give a general overview of the laws governing the media and an individuals rights to copyright.
Sound for MultiMedia
This module is an introduction to the theory of sound for multimedia presentations. Students will gain knowledge of the key components of sound including, pitch, amplitude, timbre. How sound travels, audio formats and sound as a digital representation are discussed. Practical experience is gained in designing sound for an animated sequence in conjunction with Digital Design. Basic editing is gained using CuBase and a project to create sound using the spoken word, SFX and music is produced.
Internships
As part of the requirement for the completion of the course, students are required to spend 2 weeks in an agency/studio environment. The time allocated for this falls within the vacation periods and students find their own unpaid placement in a design environment of their choice. Students document their internship and present their experience on completion of their time in the industry.
Digital Portfolio Production
Students produce an interactive website that illustrates the skills gained and projects created throughout the course. This is a digital curriculum vitae that will assist graduates in finding employment.
SOFTWARE
All software used is industry standard and includes Adobe Creative Suite; Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash and Fireworks; 3D StudioMax; CuBase.
ADVANCED DIPLOMA IN MULTIMEDIA DESIGN AND PRODUCTION
An optional third year affords the opportunity to pursue an Advanced Diploma in Multimedia Design and Production specializing in advanced level Digital Design for print, web and interactive media for desktop monitors and hand-held/mobile devices. Students will develop a conceptual approach to working with an advertising brief and will experience a design environment similar to that of an agency. Students will learn how to approach the design elements of an advertising campaign during which they will specialize in their chosen field of web or print design in their execution of particular elements for the campaign. Students will gain knowledge of brand