You are in the official 2007-2008 General Catalog for California State University, Fresno.

Department of Art and Design

Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements
Art Major
Graphic Design Option

Major requirements (69 units)

--- Art and Design Core (21 units) ---
ARTH 10 and 11 (6 units), ART 13 (3 units), ART 14 (3 units), ART 20 or ID 43 (3 units), ART 24 or 30 or 40 (3 units), ART 50 or 60 or 70 (3 units)

--- Lower-division requirements (12 units) ---
GD 35, 40, 41, 42

--- Upper-division requirements (36 units) ---
GD 135, 140, 141, 142, 143, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150; ART 116; MCJ 142

General Education requirements (51 units)

Electives (0-6 units)

Total units (120)

___________

* This total indicates that a maximum of two courses (6 units) in G.E. Breadth C1 and G.E. Breadth E1 also may be applied to the graphic design major. These courses include ARTH 10, 11; ART 20, 40, 50 (G.E. C1); and/or ART 13 (G.E. E1). Consult the department chair or faculty adviser for additional details.

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Advising Notes

1. All courses required for the major must receive a letter grade.
2. Student work may be retained for a limited period for display and accreditation visits.
3. The upper-division writing skills requirement can be met by passing the university examination or by completing a W course with a letter grade of C or higher, to be taken no sooner than the term in which 60 units are completed.
4. The General Education requirement of 51 units may be exceeded depending upon the selection of courses; such excess units may be counted under the Electives category toward the 124-unit degree.
5. No General Education Integration course offered by the Department of Art and Design may be used to satisfy the General Education requirements for majors in the department.

COURSES

Graphic Design (GD)

GD 35. Visual Communications Fundamentals (3)
Foundational visual and cognitive organizational processes for the practice of visual communication, presented through lectures and applied through studio exercises. Includes visual perception and organization, visual ideation, and visual problem-solving processes, techniques, and principles. (2 lecture, 2 lab hours)

GD 40. Graphic Design: Computer Imaging (3)
Prerequisites: ART 13. Introduction to computer skills necessary in the area of graphic design. Includes projects encompassing the basic skills of working with Photoshop and Illustrator, scanning and placing images, typography and page layout, and mounting and presenting artwork. (6 lab hours)

GD 41. Typography (3)
Prerequisite: GD 40. Typographic principles, elements, and techniques. Type classification, selection, design, and layout. Computer projects. (6 lab hours)

GD 42. Graphic Design (3)
Prerequisite: GD 41. Advertising and graphic design projects taken through steps from thumbnail sketches through rough layouts to computer-generated comprehensive presentations. Emphasis on evaluation of market and audience and development of aesthetic solutions to communication problems. (6 lab hours)

GD 135. History of Graphic Design (3)
Prerequisites: ART H10 and 11. A survey of characteristic design approaches, solutions, materials, and technologies, their relationship to popular culture and trends, and their social and political history. Course includes lectures and studio projects. (2 lecture and 2 lab hours)

GD 140. Internet Design (3)
Prerequisite: GD 42. Internet design for graphic designers focusing on Web site structure that communicates and navigates easily. Emphasis on professionally designed, visually integrated Web sites utilizing contemporary software for Web design, image creation, and manipulations. (6 lab hours)

GD 141. Advanced Typography (3)
Prerequisites: GD 41. Advanced principles of typography, including design of typefaces utilizing contemporary software. Exploration of sophisticated typographical projects incorporating commercial and handmade fonts. Emphasis is placed upon typographical experimentation. (6 lab hours)

GD 142. Advanced Graphic Design (3)
Prerequisites: GD 42, Art116. Advanced projects in advertising and graphic design from concept to finished computer-generated files. Emphasis on professional solutions to common graphic design problems such as corporate identity, packaging, advertising, and brochure design. (6 lab hours)

GD 143. Rendering (3)
Prerequisite: ID 43 or ART 20; ART 116. Assignments exploring limited and full color illustrations. Emphasis on development of professional presentation and skills. (6 lab hours) (Course fee, $5)

GD 146. Advanced Rendering (3; max total 6)
Prerequisite: GD 143. Advanced rendering for design and illustration. Includes limited and full color problems with emphasis on professional presentation. (6 lab hours)

GD 147. Advertising Illustration (3)
Prerequisite: GD 146. Illustration as it applies to graphic design and advertising situations. Composition and techniques designed for quick reading and ease of execution. Computer projects in black and white and color. (6 lab hours) (Course fee, $5)

GD 148. Advanced Advertising Design (3; max total 6)
Prerequisites: GD 142, GD 149. Advanced advertising/graphic design from conceptual to finished art. Includes problems and more advanced approaches relating to various advertising media. Emphasis on production procedures, professionalism, and building a strong portfolio, including critiques. (6 lab hours)

GD 149. Professional Practices (3)
Prerequisite: GD 142. Advanced exploration of graphic and advertising design as well as standards and practices common in advertising agencies and design studios. Covers workplace structures, time and record keeping, estimating, self-promotion, copyright law, and working with vendors and employees. (6 lecture-lab hours)

GD 150. Advanced Internet Design (3; max total 6)
Prerequisite: G D 140. Softwares (such as Flash) for designing Web sites with interactivity and motion. Emphasis on professionally designed, visually integrated sites using scalable vector graphics in stand-alone Web sites, or in combination with programming languages such as HTML.

GD 190. Independent Study in Graphic Design (3; max total 6)
See Academic Placement - Independent Study. Approved for RP grading.

GD 198. Internship in Graphic Design (1-6; max total 6)
Prerequisites: permission of instructor and supervising agency. Experience in graphic design related professions with a design studio, advertising agency or publication under the supervision of graphic design faculty. Maximum credit toward a graphic design option is 6 units. CR/NC grading only. (Minimum of 3 field hours per unit.)

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