OVERVIEW
In this minor, students learn to apply design in developing effective communication strategies. Ideas are conceived and implemented in various contexts through applied critical thinking, visualization methods, hierarchical systems, and storytelling. Students learn the fundamentals while also exploring one area in communication design, such as editorial, branding, motion design, and spatial design, among others.
The Communication Design minor is offered through Parsons' School of Art, Media, and Technology and requires successful completion of 18 credits across four subject areas, as outlined in the chart below.
Note: Course availability may vary from semester to semester. Some courses may be in development and offered at a later time. Students seeking to pursue alternative coursework to fulfill the minor should consult with their advisors.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
A student who has completed this minor should be able to demonstrate:
- Understanding of current and historical professional practices, processes, and methods of the graphic design industry
- Competence in the usage of typography and its variables to convey and augment the inherent message of textual content, express it meaningfully, and aid the viewer in processing information
- Competent knowledge of the design vocabulary used in communication design and related fields, including conceptual terms and software-related expressions
- Ability to follow a design brief and apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to communicate
- A strong understanding of the iterative making process in graphic design, using incremental methods such as prototyping, user testing, and evaluation to build toward more advanced work
- Competence in presenting, evaluating, and critically analyzing communication design projects, including one’s own
Curriculum
| Subject Area |
Course Options |
Requirements |
| Principles and Elements of Communication Design |
|
6 credits |
| Current and Historical Professional Practices |
|
3 credits |
| Fields of Communication Design and the Iterative Design Process |
|
9 credits |
ELIGIBILITY
Minors are available to undergraduate students across The New School except those students at Lang and in the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students who are completing a self-designed BA or BS in Liberal Arts, who are not permitted to declare minors. For students at Lang or in the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students who are interested in pursuing deeper study of this subject area, opportunities are available through the self-designed major in Liberal Arts. To explore this, contact an academic advisor or read more information about self-designed options for Lang or the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students.
Students majoring in BFA Communication Design or AAS Graphic Design cannot pursue a minor in Communication Design. The Communication Design minor
requires an application for admission.
For questions regarding this minor’s curriculum, including requests for course substitutions, please contact Juliette Cezzar, assistant professor of communication design, at cezzarj@newschool.edu.