Intro to DesignTheoryPractice

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course introduces design as a creative, analytical, and systemic practice for understanding and shaping the world around us. Students will be introduced to the foundations of the most common design subdisciplines (graphic, interaction, game, service, etc.) while learning the history of design as a discipline and how contemporary design methods can be applied to solve complex social and organizational problems. Through hands-on and collaborative exercises, students practice and integrate visual communication, interactivity, and systems thinking — developing skills in research, problem framing, and prototyping. Emphasis is placed on understanding design as an iterative process of inquiry: defining problems, generating ideas, testing solutions, and reflecting critically on outcomes. By connecting the aesthetic and technical dimensions of design to broader social, environmental, and technological systems, students learn to think across disciplines and design with intention and impact. No prior design experience is required. This course prepares students to relate design to their major discipline and to do advanced work as part of a larger design curriculum. Note: A proposal for a minor with this course as its gateway has been submitted. This course fulfills CCT’s methods requirement.