Syllabus

d4_syllabus 2567_3195_eburow_2011

Overview

How can information design be used to make sense of a complex world?

How can we evaluate data, events, processes and organization systems visually? And how can information design inform good (and bad) decisions? How can it be used to learn something new, tell stories and build awareness about ourselves and the world we live in? We will be exploring these ideas in Design 4.

Course Description
This course is a continuation of Design III: Visual Organization and Information Design, with an emphasis on the latter. Students will explore information design by examining and creating visual communication in the form of page layouts, diagrams, charts, pictograms, maps and instructional material. The class involves a studio and will draw upon previous design and technology skills.

Prerequisites: Design 1, 2, and 3

Learning Outcomes
1. Develop a deep understanding of visual organization and information design.
2. Develop skills to analyze and design effective data visualizations and communication.
3. Understand the implications that information design skills hold for design management in the distillation of multivariate data.
4. Prepare students to apply their knowledge to their upper level classes (Design Research, Design Development, Design, Senior Seminar and Thesis).

Assessable Tasks
The coursework will include in class and out of class projects that demonstrate on going development in visual analysis, design, and presentation skills. Out of class projects will range in duration from 1 to 5 weeks, with work to review due each week. Projects are subject to group critiques and critiques with outsider reviewers.

Please Note:
This is a 2 credit class which means you will be required to complete on average, 4 hours of homework per week.