See the schedule to find out when courses are offered.   See the College Catalog for details (units, prerequisites, etc.). For recommended sequence, scroll down for chart and see an instructor.

Art 120: Two-Dimensional Design I

This introductory course provides the concepts and vocabulary necessary to analyze and build designs, and understand how humans communicate with the visual language.

Art 124: Drawing I

Develop the physical and intellectual skills necessary to think visually and build an understanding of the fundamental drawing tools and techniques.

GD 105: Fundamentals of Digital Media

Explore the technologies used within the graphic design industry. Learn the fundamentals of hardware management and software techniques, while investigating the creative potential and the practical aspects of digital media.

CIS 212: Web Publishing

Use Dreamweaver and graphics software to build a creative Web site in this introductory Web publishing course. Students will apply design principles to insure that their site is attractive, legible, well-organized, and user-friendly.

GD 110: Beginning Graphic Design

Study the fundamental and the aesthetic concepts that make graphic design a powerful form of artistic expression and a vital part of our social communication. Basic concepts of design and production are examined using creative problem-solving skills with text and images. Students begin to build their understanding and use of industry terminology and its application.

GD 125: Typography

Discover the art of typography, the foundation of all graphic communications. Learn to appreciate the letter form in this in-depth look at the complexities of type design. Understand the history of type and how it applies to today's technologies. Learn to analyze the anatomy of type, its character and its aesthetics as an art form as well as a communication tool.

GD 126: Digital Imaging

Capture artful images using film, scanners, and digital cameras. Learn to manipulate and edit images with a powerful, raster graphics software to meet both aesthetic and professional needs. Students continue to build their portfolios by applying their custom images to their design projects.

GD 129: Page Layout

Students continue to build their design skills by developing more portfolio pieces in this intermediate design course. Projects will be more complex, and expectations will be higher as you demonstrate your potential as a professional designer. Students increase their understanding of typography and the complexities of the design principles to develop their own personal style as their work matures.

GD 130: Professional Business Practices

Learn what it takes to be a successful and effective business person in this creative industry, whether employed or running a free-lance business. Develop a creative resumé and finish building a powerful portfolio, the two essential tools necessary to transition from academic to professional work.

GD 210: Practical Digital Photography

This practical course is intended for anyone interested in traditional photographic methods as they apply to digital photography. Students will learn to properly light, compose, expose, adjust, manipulate and print digital photographs. Lectures and demonstrations will explore advanced camera settings and file editing with Adobe Photoshop. Assignments will emphasize skills needed to produce high quality images for print and web display.

GD 211: Commercial Digital Photography

This course emphasizes advanced photographic and digital imaging techniques, expanding on knowledge and skills acquired in GD 210 (Practical Digital Photography) and GD 126 (Photoshop Digital Imaging). Lectures, demonstrations and assignments will focus on various applications of commercial photography including portraiture, tabletop, still life and photoillustration. Unlike most fine art oriented photography classes, this course will present aesthetic and technical aspects of photography as they pertain to graphic communication and commercial art.

GD 217: Web Graphics

This course focuses on the creation of attractive, usable web interfaces and graphic elements. Students will use Photoshop to design and develop common web design elements as they explore information design, screen design and navigation design.

GD 222: Flash Web Animation

GD 222 covers design, development and implementation of web-based animation using Macromedia Flash. Students will create common web animation projects such as advertisements and web interfaces.

GD 225: Digital Illustration

Conquer the skill of using vector-based programs to draw and create images digitally. This course provides the student with the technical knowledge to produce custom illustrations that can be added to projects in all their courses for portfolio quality pieces.

GD 230: Graphic Design Internship

Provides field experience in design, business procedures, client relationships and supervision of professional work. Students are responsible for finding an employer for paid or unpaid work experience in the graphic design industry to earn up to 6 units of credit.

Recommended Sequence of Courses

Though we use recommended rather than required prerequisites in most cases to maximize flexibility, ou will get the most out of the program if you begin with classes listed at the top and work your way down. Our most important request is that you take the required art classes and GD 105 early in the program. Digital Photography, for example, does not require GD 126, but the Photoshop you master in GD 126 will allow you to focus on the camera in GD 210 and 211.

Please consult a teacher for specific recomendations based on your situation.