Although
the course name emphasizes the design aspect of document creation,
this class more broadly concerns rhetorically effective communication in a variety of print and online genres. Our
work throughout the semester will focus on strategies for evaluating
and developing documents that engage and inform readers/users
in a variety of circumstances.
Throughout the term we will use readings,
hands-on activities, and course projects to learn about and apply
various approaches to visual communication. We will spend considerable time discussing
readings and the design principles highlighted by these authors. We
will use this material as a basis for critiquing and evaluating
the document design work of others, as well as for learning how
to apply and/or adapt such strategies to our own work. Our
focus will be on learning to craft texts that integrate effective
visual and written strategies to create complete and
compelling messages.
Please keep in mind that while the term document has
connotations of print-based texts, visually-oriented and multimodal
digital texts are increasingly central to our communication landscape. For
this reason, the course will include attention to paper- and screen-based
texts and the technological tools used to create them.
By the end of the semester students will:
- be able to identify and apply basic design principles
- know how to evaluate the effectiveness of a document’s overall
design for a particular rhetorical situation
- develop strategies
for integrating visual and written communication in ways that
are attentive to the needs of a given audience and purpose
- become familiar with research on design, usability, and visual
communication
- become comfortable designing and producing
a wide variety of document types according to conventions
of the relevant genre
- understand both when and how it is appropriate to break with
conventional approaches to design
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