Digital Design and Creative Strategy

Learn the Fundamentals of Graphic Design No Prerequisite | 10 Weeks Dive into the world of graphic design with our online Foundations of Design course, where you'll explore the fundamental principles that make design a powerful tool for communication. This course is designed to equip you with the skills to create visually engaging, strategic designs that communicate effectively. Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your design expertise, this project-based course emphasizes applied learning, ensuring you gain hands-on experience while developing pieces for a professional...

Design Tools and Techniques: A Hands-on, Online Course 10 Weeks | No Prerequisite Enrollment for this course opens on May 2, 2025, with classes beginning on July 1. To join the waitlist or learn more, contact us at unex-digital@ucsd.edu. Unlock the full potential of modern design with our course on Design Tools and Techniques, where you’ll gain comprehensive, hands-on experience with the essential software used by industry professionals today. Whether you’re looking to refine your skills or learn new tools, this course covers a wide range of design platforms and techniques to equip you for...

Build Strong, Cohesive Brands No Prerequisite | 10 Weeks In today’s competitive market, creating a memorable brand identity is crucial to standing out and engaging customers. Our Branding and Identity Design course offers a comprehensive introduction to the principles and practices that drive successful brands. From understanding brand strategy to developing cohesive visual elements, this course will give you the foundation to craft compelling identities that resonate with audiences. You’ll learn how to create branding systems that span across business applications, ensuring consistency and...

Create Content That Engages No Prerequisite | 10 Weeks In today’s fast-paced digital world, the ability to create visually compelling content for digital marketing and social media is more important than ever. Our Design for Digital Marketing & Social Media course is designed to provide you with the practical skills needed to design content that grabs attention, drives engagement, and supports marketing goals. Over 10 weeks, you’ll explore the unique design requirements for various digital platforms, from social media and websites to email marketing, ensuring your designs are tailored to...

Design Portfolio: Development and Presentation 10 Weeks | Prerequisite: The completion of 4 courses in the Digital Design and Creative Strategy program or an equivalent body of design work and/or industry experience. In today’s competitive job market, having a strong, polished portfolio is essential for standing out to potential employers and clients. Our Design Portfolio course offers a comprehensive approach to portfolio development, guiding you through the process of selecting and curating your best work, while honing your ability to present it in a way that highlights your unique skills...

Art Direction: Where Design Meets Strategy 10 Weeks | Suggested Prerequisite: Aptitude with design industry tools and processes Art Direction and Project Management is designed for aspiring design leaders who want to master both the creative and organizational aspects of successful project execution. Over the course of ten weeks, you’ll learn how to craft effective briefs, develop innovative concepts, and tell compelling visual stories that connect with your audience. With hands-on exercises in applied campaign creation, you'll gain the skills to translate concepts and ideas into powerful,...

Visual Design - Build User Friendly Interfaces 10 Weeks | Suggested Prerequisite: Aptitude with Standard Industry Tools Visual Design, UI, and Prototyping is designed to provide you with the essential skills needed to create visually engaging and user-centered interfaces. Starting with the fundamentals of visual design, you’ll learn best practices for layout, typography, and color theory, and how to present web designs that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional. As you move through the course, you’ll explore responsive design frameworks, ensuring your interfaces adapt seamlessly...

Introduction to HTML and CSS This course introduces students to HTML5, the primary markup language for the World Wide Web and its modern style language, cascading style sheets (CSS). Students learn the language syntax and layouts. This course shows how supporting browsers will render a web page and provides fallback solutions for non-­supporting browsers. Students will develop an understanding of media queries and how to create a responsive web design. Course Highlights: Introduction to HTML structure and lists Links, images, and tables Forms and multimedia CSS style color and text Boxes...

Principles of User Experience 10 Weeks | Recommended Prerequisite: Basic knowledge of HTML & CSS and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) The field of user Experience (UX) Design is ever evolving-- and with this evolution comes new design tools, techniques and strategies. As the first course of the UX Design Certificate, Principles of User Experience is an introduction to the science behind UX design, illustrating the breadth of the field that extends well beyond the web and demonstrating the strict research methodologies that support it. Understand the principles of Human Factors and User...

Grow Your Project Management Knowledge and Skills Effective project management skills are important to professionals in any industry. Learn how to define, plan and execute a project whether your goal is simple or complex. Gain the tools and knowledge for delivering projects on time and on budget, while meeting performance specifications. Explore the basic components of project management and the project life cycle: determining the correct project through strategic portfolio analysis; creating a successful charter; assembling and managing a team; analyzing and controlling risk; monitoring...

Smartphone Photography: Tell Your Story 6 Weeks | No Prerequisite With the evolution of digital photography, current smartphones have quality built-in cameras that allow us to take images of anything, anywhere! Aside from the point-and-shoot basics, there are features, formats, and techniques we can employ to best capture quality still images and videos. From composition and lighting tips to employing helpful camera editing features and apps, this course will have you actively making photos and videos - all on your smartphone. This 6-week course will cover content that will aid amateurs to...

Master the Art of Motion Graphics with Adobe After Effects 10 Weeks | No Prerequisite Step into the world of motion graphics and elevate your creative skills with Adobe After Effects: Introduction to Motion Graphics. Whether you're an aspiring animator, video editor, or content creator, this ten-week online course will equip you with essential animation, compositing, and visual effects techniques used in industry. Through hands-on projects and expert instruction, you’ll gain a solid foundation in After Effects, learning to craft dynamic visuals that captivate audiences. No prior experience...

Design Internship: Take Your Skills to the Next Level 120 Hours (minimum) | Prerequisite: Completion of all 4 core required courses in the Digital Design and Creative Strategy Certificate Program and Faculty Approval The Design Internship offers you the unique opportunity to gain real-world experience and apply the knowledge you've learned in the core courses of the Design Certificate Program. As a student who has completed four core courses and received a faculty referral, you'll embark on an immersive internship that places you in the field, working alongside industry professionals. Over...