Digital Design

Year 1: Introduction to Digital Design
Year 2: Digital Design Concept Development

Are you interested in what digital design can do? Are you considering a career as a digital designer? If so, MK24 offers a two-year digital design course in English.

DUE TO CORONA COURSE WILL START APRIL 12!

Are you interested and would you like to have more information? Join the information gathering live at MK24 or online on March 17 at 7 pm
Sign up at: grafischevormgeving@mk24.nl

During the first year you will experiment with different design methodologies and explore the various aspects of digital design. There will be an assignment given for each design aspect.

The second year will focus on the individual design process, from concept creation to design production. Each step in the course will be accompanied by an assignment.

Knowledge about UX and UI will be shared during the entire course, according to the various disciplines and assignments.

Please note: This class is taught in English.

In the first year you will learn the implications of digital design and discover the significance of optimizing the design for a variety of devices. As part of the course, you will make an excursion to a professional digital design studio, where you will see firsthand how a successful web design business is run. The main focus of the course is on designing rather than developing, however you will learn the basics of CSS and HTML and how to work with CodePen.

The course is divided into four major subjects and subdivided into multiple topics, each of which will be tackled in a series of assignments.

• Content creation
• Programming
• Concept and design/layout
• Animation, interactivity, and moving images

Your final assignment for the end of the first year is to design, and possibly develop, a one-page website.

Is this course for you?

Anyone with an interest in digital design is welcome to enroll. No prior knowledge of design or the applications we use is necessary, however a basic knowledge of computers is required.
The course is primarily aimed at people who are seriously considering digital design as their future professional career.

Do you have questions about the specifics of this course? If so, send us an email: grafischevormgeving@mk24.nl.

What you’ll need for this course

A computer with Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketch, XD or Figma, and After Effects. If you do not have a laptop, you may borrow a MacBook Air from MK24 during class

Curriculum

Each year of the Digital Design course consists of 36 lessons of two and a half hours each, which includes a short break.

Each subject is taught by an instructor who is an expert in their field.

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Topics that will be taught in the first year are:

Content Creation

• UI / UX
• Photo editing for digital environment
• Vector images icons and logo design
• Copyright and use of images
• Introduction SEO / Google analytics

Programming

• CSS / HTML / CodePen
• Different CMS
• Difference between web app and website

Concept and Design/Layout

• Creation of concept and content
• Brand strategy
• Information architecture and site structure
• Prototyping
• Interactivity
• Accessibility
• Responsive design for different screen sizes

Animation, Interactivity, and Moving Images

• Introduction to interactivity
• Animation
• Moving images

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The second year of Digital Design is mainly focused on concept development and will consist of an
analysis of an existing case to help you with the development of your own concept, which you will work on during the year.
You will also learn how branding and marketing work and how to include it into your own concept.

The topics of the first year will be a guideline for the second year, which will go into more depth and address the following subjects:

• Content design: still images, moving images, video
• Use of color
• SEO / Google Analytics master class
• CSS / HTML
• Graphic design and digital typography
• Prototyping with CSS and HTML
• Responsiveness & interactivity: what to take into account when designing for different screens and devices
• Accessibility for web: designing a website so that it is accessible for all potential users, including those with physical disabilities, situational disabilities, and those with limited means to afford bandwidth and speed
• Impact of websites and design choices on the environment

By the end of the second year we expect you to have completed a number of small assignments, and to have designed an entire website. You will also have discovered which aspects of digital design suit you best.

As Digital Design is usually a co-production, you will learn how to brief other professionals on developing the site that you have designed.

During the second-year course you will start creating your own portfolio in preparation for entering the professional market.

Please note that the course is aimed at designing a website. Whether you will be able to develop it as well depends on the complexity of the coding required. Although you will be taught the basic skills of HTML and CSS, this might not cover the requirements of your design.