Multimedia Design Certificate (225 hours)

Course Overview/Description

The Multimedia Design program focuses on providing the conceptual, technical, and visual design skills required to create multimedia applications and environments.

Students learn professional applications for Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Flash, Apple Final Cut Pro, and Adobe After Effects, or equivalent digital imaging, animation, digital video editing, and motion graphics tools. Course projects include critique, storyboarding, retouching, compositing, Flash animation and site design, basic Action-Scripting, video and sound editing principles, motion graphics production, and interface design. This program is instructor-led, project-based, and completed at your own pace. Expert Faculty members provide critique and feedback on projects within 1-2 business days, helping you build a design portfolio for prospective employers.

Course Objectives

By successfully completing this program, students will understand how to:

• Implement the many facets of multimedia both online and off.
• Be proficient in Adobe Photoshop.
• Develop a competence in basic drawing and animating tools in Flash.
• Create websites with strong functionality, interactivity, and usability.
• Draw and animate compelling characters and interactive environments in Flash.
• Explore hands-on introduction to editing digital video using Final Cut Pro.
• Learn how to create motion graphics using Adobe After Effects.
• Be able to integrate different media to create interfaces and experiences.

Course Outline

This program consists of eight required courses and one elective. The required courses are as follows:

• Intro to Multimedia: Lay the foundation for multimedia design projects by exploring the evolution, current state, and future path of multimedia design. Through examples and exercises, students examine the many facets of multimedia and how it can be implemented online or off, building conceptual skills for multimedia projects.
• Photoshop Basics: Get a thorough grounding in Adobe Photoshop, the premiere digital imaging program for graphic and digital designers. Hands-on projects show how to select, enhance, distort, color, scale, and manipulate scanned images and artworks-or create them from scratch. Every designer must tame this creative powerhouse of a program.
• Flash Basics: Develop a competence in basic drawing and animating tools in Flash. Students will master such critical interface elements as layers, scenes, nested symbols, and movie clips. Course projects including creating a logo animation, a cityscape, a splash screen, and a basic Flash site interface.
• Flash Web Site Design: Equip yourself to create Web sites with strong functionality, interactivity, and usability. Students learn to create compelling, well-designed Flash sites, avoiding common pitfalls and "Flash abuse." The emphasis is on learning a step-by-step approach to Flash site design that can be applied to a range of professional projects.
• Flash Animation: Learn drawing and animation techniques for creating compelling characters and interactive environments in Flash. Students explore techniques for using scenes, movie clips, masks, and compound objects to create animated buttons, graphics, cartoons, and interfaces. The focus of the class is on applying and mastering the principles of traditional animation using the basic Flash toolset (an understanding of ActionScripting is not required).
• Digital Video Editing I: Get a hands-on introduction to digital video editing using iMovie, Final Cut Express, Premiere Elements, or Avid Xpress. Explore how to use a camera to capture video and audio and edit footage, learning the basics of lighting, shooting, editing and other issues associated with digital video moviemaking. Course topics will include working on a timeline, nonlinear media housekeeping, and storage, and basic effects and transitions. Class projects will require the editing and production of short video features for the Web.
• Motion Graphics and Digital Effects: Learn how to create motion graphics using Adobe After Effects, a powerful imaging and animation tool used to produce animations, video effects, and broadcast graphics. Students master basic parameters of creating motion graphics using keyframes, masks, and filters, and timelines. The focus is on learning how to integrate video, audio, animations and/or still images from other media into effective motion graphic presentations and compressing them for different movie formats.
• Advanced Flash Multimedia Projects: Learn how to create advanced interactive multimedia, using Flash in conjunction with other software applications and digital assets. Course topics include integration with external files and imaging applications, programmatic animation, working with video and sound objects, and using dynamic text and CSS style sheets. The course combines a nuts-and-bolts approach to conceptualizing projects with the opportunity for advanced exploratory Flash work.

Each student will be required to select one course from the following list:

• Interface Design: Explore critical concepts in interface design, the discipline of designing intuitive, easy to navigate, and user-friendly interfaces. Students examine the thought processes behind visual and functional aspects of interface design, studying the connection between physical and Web-based interfaces. The class provides a theoretical basis for advanced interface design projects.
• Photoshop Advanced: Take your Photoshop skills to the next level by mastering Photoshop's advanced features. Students explore professional approaches to compositing, retouching, image correction, and masking. Brushes, lighting, textures, and special effects are explored as creative ways of producing high-impact images for print or Web media. The course builds on a basic level of Photoshop knowledge experience and offers projects that are challenging on both technical and artistic levels.
• Digital Photography: Explore the interaction of photography techniques and environmental factors to create powerful digital images. Students learn the fundamentals of lighting, perspective, and set-up and explore techniques for classic assignments: portraits, product shots, indoor and outdoor location shoots, and fast-action sports. Whether you're a fine artist, graphic designer, or Web developer, a mastery of digital photography gives you creative control of the medium.
• 3D Modeling Using FormZ: Experience a practical introduction into the world of 3D modeling using the advanced Autodessys Form_Z 3D modeling tool. Class projects including a robot design, lighting effects, 3D architecture, animation, and ad design. The course show graphic designers how to integrate 3D effects into their work and establishes a good starting point for further exploration of 3D environment or game design.

Prerequisites/Audience

There are no specific prerequisite skills for this program. Each course builds on the skills and knowledge gained from the previous course. Students will begin with the Introduction course and work their way through the program.

The intended audience for this program is students seeking a thorough multimedia education.

PC Requirements/Materials Included

This course is compatible with Windows Vista Operating System.

This program can be accessed and completed using either PC or Macintosh computers. You'll need an Internet connection of 28Kpbs or higher, and a Web browser (Internet Explorer 4.0 or Netscape 4.0 or higher). We do not recommend AOL or Netscape 6 browsers.

Students will be required to provide their own software for each of the courses. There are no required textbooks.

The following software is required for this program:
• Adobe Photoshop
• Macromedia Flash
• Apple Final Cuts Pro, iMovie, Premier Elements, OR Avid Express (any one of these 4 are acceptable)
• Adobe After Effects

Instructor Bio

Nancy Taylor is the Creative Director, Designer and Owner of Nancy Taylor Design, based in Brooklyn, New York. She has worked in Marketing, Design, and Administration at several top companies in New York City. She holds an MFA from Parsons School of Design (in Design and Technology) and studied film and video at Film/Video Arts. Nancy is also an accomplished collage artist who has exhibited all over New York City. Donald Gambino is a computer artist, consultant, educator, and trainer, since 1983, teaching students of all levels and abilities. Formerly the Chairperson of the Computer Art Department at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, he has taught innovative computer art courses for over 12 years, and created the BFA program in Computer Art.

Luke Harms is a senior Flash designer and art director who specializes in action scripting. In his seven-year career working in interactive media, Luke has consulted for such major media firms as Ernst & Young, IconNicolson, Grey Interactive, and Marvel Interactive. Luke also teaches at the Pratt Institute in New York City and holds a Masters in Interactive Communications from Tisch School of the Arts.

David Holzman has been an illustrator, graphic designer, painter and educator for over 20 years. He has taught at the School of Visual Arts and Western Connecticut State University. Mr. Holzman developed Summerworks, an intensive six-week residential program for artists. He has worked in a both traditional and digital media, and his work has appeared in Graphis, Print Magazine and the Museum of Modern Art.

Stephen Voss is a Portland, Oregon-based documentary photographer and web designer. Stephen's photographs have appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Willamette Week and he writes about photography for a number of magazines. He is currently working on a grant-funded project documenting people experiencing homelessness in the Portland area. Stephen has a BA in Computer Science from the George Washington University in Washington, DC.

James Dodson graduated from the University of Texas School of Architecture with a Bachelors Degree in Architecture in 1995. During his studies he spent two semesters studying abroad and fell in love with travel. His passion for design and travel brought him to Oslo, Norway where he joined Snèhetta (the internationally acclaimed designers of the Alexandria Library in Egypt). In 4 years at Snèhetta Jim worked on a variety of projects and a number of prize-winning competitions. Jim's specialty in the office was the use of 3D modeling as a design tool. His models have been published in magazines and trade publications in Europe and the US. Jim has also given lectures in 3D modeling at architecture schools in Oslo and Bergen.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do I register?
Click on the register button at the top of the page and follow the directions. It is important that you type all your information in the boxes, then print it out to sign.  Payment and sending instructions are in the bottom right corner of the form.

2. How much do the courses cost?
The fee is in the pink box at the top of the page.

3. Can I register for courses if I live outside the United States?
Yes you can!

4. Do I ever have go to the school I register with?
All of our courses are delivered entirely online, so you never have to go to a class or travel to the school.

5. How long does it take to complete a course?
All of our courses are self-paced and open enrollment. You can start and finish the course at your own pace. When you register for a course, you are given an 180 days (6 months) to complete the course. If you need more time, extensions are available.

6. Can I get financial aid?
GES courses are non-credit courses, so they do not qualify for federal aid. In some states, vocational rehab or workforce development boards will pay for qualified students to take our courses.

• GES provides a loan opportunity for students. Simply go to www.collegeloanapplication.com to apply for an easier qualifying loan at a slightly higher rate. Click here for more information on this loan program.

7. What happens when I complete the course?
Upon successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a certificate of completion from the school you registered with. You must obtain a final passing grade of 70% or greater to be awarded a certificate.

8. Am I guaranteed a job?
GES courses will provide you with the skills you need to obtain an entry-level position in most cases. We do not provide direct job placement services, but our instructors will help you build your resume and are available to give advice on finding your first job. Instructors will also be available to use as a professional reference upon completion of the course. Potential students should always do research on the job market in their area before registering.

9. Who will be my instructor?
Each student is paired up with a facilitator for one-on-one interaction. The facilitator will be available (via email or phone) to answer any questions you may have and to provide feedback on your performance. All of our facilitators are successful working professionals in the fields in which they teach.

10. Can I use a Mac or an iMac?
This program can be accessed and completed using either PC (IBM Compatible) or Apple (Macintosh) computers.

11. How can I get more information on the course?
All of the information we have is available online under our course catalog (www.gatlineducation.com). If you have questions that are not answered online, please feel free to email us at courseinfo@gatlineducation.com or call 817-870-2870. We will answer your questions promptly.

12. When can I start the course?
Our courses are all open enrollment. You can register and start the course as soon as you are ready.

13. How many hours per week should I spend studying?
As a general rule, we suggest a minimum of between five and ten hours per week. However, this will vary from individual to individual. If you are just getting started and have little to no experience, certainly try to put in as much time as you can and try to maintain a persistent schedule. Ultimately each student will find a pace that is comfortable for them.