OCAD U Course List
Selected participants will have the option to choose 3 electives from the following 15 online courses.
Social Media Marketing for Creative Professionals
This course explores the potential of social media marketing for artists and designers. Students will look at a number of core social media engines and learn the best uses for each one, with an overview of their strengths, weaknesses, and audiences. Students learn effective tips and tricks for using social media successfully for networking, building relationships, personal branding, research, managing visual content, and more. Please note that students must provide their own laptop, tablet, or smartphone in class to participate.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon the successful completion of this course, students will have learned:
- To identify the various channels under digital marketing
- How to identify the audience for a company/brand/business
- How to create your social media strategy
- The importance of various social media platforms
- The tactical use of major social media platforms
- How to create a content calendar
Introduction to Entrepreneurship for Artists and Designers: Turning Your Idea into a Viable Business
In this course, students will explore the business potential of their own creative ideas. Students are introduced to research tools and fundamental business planning principals.
Topics include: business models, business strategy case studies, developing markets, budgeting, decision making, business trends, risk analysis, operating systems, finance, and legal issues.
Students will use this information to create a detailed business plan and understand if and how their idea could become a viable business.
Ecommerce Photography Workshop
This studio workshop introduces students to the best practices for photographing products for online business. It will help students visually convey the full product experience and context to customers.
Topics include: camera basics, studio lighting, colour accuracy, avoiding glare, and image size. Students will also gain an understanding of how to use Adobe Photoshop to enhance their images and produce documentation for online formats.
The Cost of Creative Work: Pricing Products and Service
In this course students gain an understanding of how to set and manage prices based on the cost of materials and labour. Using tools to set and manage prices, students will understand the value of their product and service, learn to build an appropriate price framework and price strategy, monitor the market, react to competition, negotiate price agreements, and establish best practices.
Accounting for Creative Professionals
This course provides an overview of accounting practices for creative professionals, arts organization managers and freelance artists/designers interested in developing their business skills.
Topics covered will include: recording business transactions, preparing financial statements, managing accounts payable and receivable, budgeting, cash management, and tax planning strategies.
Introduction to Design Thinking
Design thinking is a problem-solving process that focuses on empathy, listening, collaboration, observation, critical analysis, and experimentation to drive innovation. Design thinking can be applied to a wide range of fields from product design to urban planning.
This studio/seminar introduces students to design thinking. Students will work collaboratively to explore real world problems through stages of the design process such as inspiration, ideation, and implementation. Topics include visualization, mapping, storytelling, prototyping, and testing.
Students are required to provide their own laptops with Adobe Creative Cloud design software, writing materials, and sticky notes to complete the in-class assignments. Basic knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator is recommended.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon the successful completion of this course, students will:
- Learn various forms of the collaborative design process
- Learn how to visualize their ideas through mapping, storytelling, prototyping and testing
- Gain the skills needed to foster and drive innovation
- Learn how design can be used as a tool to tackle and address real world problems
Basic Design Principles
This studio course introduces students to fundamental design principles. These principles that underpin two dimensional space will be explored using typography, photography, and drawing. All students are required to provide their own laptops with Adobe CC Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign software to complete the in-class or online assignments. Trial versions of the software are sometimes available on the company website, but at this time there are no discounts available for Continuing Studies students. Students are responsible for purchasing their own supplies.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon the successful completion of this course, students will have learned how to:
- Employ two-dimensional design elements and principles to progress through focused studio exercises
- Demonstrate design as an iterative process
- Demonstrate an ability to recognize craft as a fundamental quality in all aspects of process and outcome.
Editorial Design Studio
In this studio course, students will explore and develop their editorial skills to create cohesive visual narratives for print and online media. Topics include colour theory, understanding and creating grids, typography and typographic systems, gestalt principles, and intermediate Adobe Creative Suite design software techniques. Students are required to provide their own laptops with Adobe CC Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign software to complete the in-class assignments.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon the successful completion of this course, students will have learned:
- The fundamentals of narrative/editorial design in regards to colour theory, grids, typography and typographic systems, gestalt principles, and layout
- How to visualize their ideas and narratives through and with the Adobe Creative Suite
- How to create cohesive and compelling visual narratives for print and online media
The Art of Type
This design studio course is an introduction to the potential and expressive qualities of contemporary typography. Topics include the anatomy of the letterform, distinctions between typefaces, and shaping the page with type. Students will be introduced to contemporary graphic designers and their impact on visual communication and the written language. Students should be prepared to create work in either Adobe InDesign or Adobe Illustrator. Classes are held at OCAD U using the latest software.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon the successful completion of this course, students will have learned how to:
- Evaluate the differences between letterforms to enable them to choose suitable typefaces for a variety of graphic design solutions
- Classify type in order to compare the differences between typefaces
- Demonstrate an ability to recognize and pair typefaces
- Demonstrate an ability to design 2-dimensional work and type forms
Colour Theory for Digital Design
This studio course investigates conceptual and formal approaches to documentary photography. Topics include concept development, shooting methodology, the editing process, and ethical issues of cultural and the social representation. Students will focus on one project and create high quality images (print or digital) within the context of a documentary narrative. Studio work will be supported by technical demonstrations, presentations about historical and contemporary documentary photography, and group critiques. Students are responsible for the cost of printing.
Students must have access to a digital SLR or mirrorless camera.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon the successful completion of this course, students will have:
- Developed a methodology for production of a well-rounded documentary photography project
- A portfolio consisting of exhibition quality images of a self-directed documentary project
- Familiarity with the historical and contemporary practices of documentary photography
Documentary Photography Studio
This studio course investigates conceptual and formal approaches to documentary photography. Topics include concept development, shooting methodology, the editing process, and ethical issues of cultural and the social representation. Students will focus on one project and create high quality images (print or digital) within the context of a documentary narrative. Studio work will be supported by technical demonstrations, presentations about historical and contemporary documentary photography, and group critiques. Students are responsible for the cost of printing.
Students must have access to a digital SLR or mirrorless camera.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon the successful completion of this course, students will have:
- Developed a methodology for production of a well-rounded documentary photography project
- A portfolio consisting of exhibition quality images of a self-directed documentary project
- Familiarity with the historical and contemporary practices of documentary photography
Inclusive Design for Digital Media
This course introduces designers and artists to fundamental concepts in inclusive design. Topics include creating accessible online content, captioning and describing video, and an introduction to the social opportunities of inclusive design. Students should gain an understanding of best practices in creating digital media that complies with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). In-class course is held in OCAD U's computer lab using the latest software.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon the successful completion of this course, students will have familiarity with:
- Reasons for digital inclusion, including awareness of relevant regional legislation
- Considerations for the design of accessible online media
- Software and online tools, guidelines and methodologies for digital media inclusion
Introduction to Visual Analytics
This course focuses on the theories behind visual analytics, and the relationship between data analysis and data visualization. Students will be introduced to tools for analyzing information and the preliminary displaying of results. Students will explore the collection, management, analysis and presentation of spatial data, as well as concepts of database systems, data modeling and digital mapping.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, students will develop literacy in three areas:
- The diversity of data visualization requirements across different domains, with an emphasis on modeling data for analysis and visualization
- Fundamental concepts in data visualization, including cognitive, design, UX, and narrative considerations and
- Proficiency in the use of Tableau
Introduction to User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Design
This course introduces UI and UX; the essential tools required to create compelling user experiences for desktop, tablet, and mobile users. Students will learn to plan and design effective user interfaces based on aesthetic, psychological, scientific, and technological considerations. Topics include user-centred design, identifying requirements, and information architecture. Students will build mock-ups and create wireframes to test the user experience.
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES
Students will need to access and install Marvel POP, a free app available for both iOS mobile devices, and Android. They will also need to access either Balsmiq Desktop, a free downloadable application available for iOS or Windows OR the free, online trial version of Moqups (browser-based so available for all computer types and operating systems, and suitable for those students who might be using ‘work’ computers and cannot download software).
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, students will:
- Gain an understanding of the UI/UX design process, roles and skill sets
- Learn methods to understand users’ needs and business requirements
- Gain insight into UI/UX design best practices and apply these principles to an application design
- Learn how to create a working prototype
- Learn how to evaluate and usability test designs
Introduction to Web Analytics
In this course students learn how to increase web traffic and improve the user experience by understanding and interpreting Google Analytics. Topics include metrics and data collection, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Search Engine Optimization (SEO) measurements, and optimizing paid search campaigns.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, students will gain:
- An understanding of how web data is collected and aggregated in order to properly interpret it
- The ability to configure and navigate Google analytics
- The ability to create a strategic measurement plan