Introduction to Media Design

Media Design is an exciting and relatively new discipline within the wider context of design. In it researchers and practitioners are interested in exploring new ways to use and deploy digital media technologies to have function, communicate information or present artwork. Designers from a Media Design background often work on or with web design, e-books, data-bases, big data visualisation, smartphone applications, film, animations, digital imaging, art installations, technology products and many other artefacts and systems. Such designers create their ideas utilising digital or electronic formats and the intention is often that the work is created from scratch to be accessed on a digital platform. This course is a first step introduction to Media Design, it is not intended to be a comprehensive class but rather a short and intense introduction to some processes and skills and you may wish to continue your exploration of this discipline in other classes or studies. This is not a heavy lecture based course but rather a seminar, discussion, and hands-on practical class where you will do a lot of learning by doing. You will be working in teams a lot and each week there will be a subject to discuss, learn and try.

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Schedule

The course is split into four sections and some summary details about each section are as follows: - Section 1 Orientation (all teaching staff will be present for this one class) This is the first class session and serves as an introduction to the teaching staff who will run the course including their background and interests; as well as an overview of the content of the course and the general schedule. It is an opportunity for you to ask questions about the class and its objectives. - Section 2 Led by Professor Hidenori Watanabe In this introductory class you will be given a task to do with an existing digital media application, working in teams you will be asked to look at the current function and user experience of a particular application and to make suggestions for new ways to utilise the idea. - Section 3 Led by Professor Yasuaki Kakehi The second section of this course is about giving you some experience of the processes you may need to make your ideas tangible. It will look at digital media design tools from prototyping interactions in digital formats to 3D printing. No previous experience is required of these processes, the classes will serve as a first foundation to these skills. - Section 4 Led by Professor Miles Pennington This is a taste of Design Thinking, the practical processes by which design concepts (proposals for new products, services, systems etc.) are developed by design teams. You will experience through practical work, idea generation, mocking up to make a first prototype, testing concepts and making presentations.