Introduction to Lettering & Calligraphy

Course Name: DESN 370-VT: Special Topics in Design – Lettering & Calligraphy
Class Number: 51775
Day & Time: Thursdays 10:00 AM – 1:50 PM
Classroom: KP 481
Instructor: Amy Fortunato

This is a beginner-friendly course for letter enthusiasts that are looking to express themselves through hand-crafted letterforms. This is not a type design course that results in a digital font, but rather explores the artistry and bespoke qualities of hand-drawn lettering and calligraphy. Unique and beautifully crafted lettering creates stand-out portfolio pieces and is a useful asset for a multitude of projects.

A variety of exercises and workshops build hand skills with various tools and mediums that combine analog and digital techniques.

Character Animation

Course Name: DESN 370-VT: Special Topics in Design – Character Animation
Class Number: 51774
Day & Time: Mondays 8:10 AM – 12:00 PM
Classroom: IB 203
Instructor: Elliot Cowan

Looking to improve your character animation skills and learn traditional “acting with a pencil”? In this class you’ll take the animation principles you learned in your Intro To Digital Animation class and push them further to start delivering animated performances. Using Adobe Animate, you’ll create characters that think and emote and make the audience believe they exist. This class is perfect for anyone who wants to expand their animation skills, might want to pursue a career in the animation industry or simply wants to express themselves through the powerful medium of animation.

Experimental Animation

Course Name: DESN 370-VT: Special Topics in Design – Experimental Animation
Class Number: 51778
Day & Time: Mondays 1:40 PM – 5:30 PM
Classroom: Klapper 107
Instructor: Christen Smith

This hands-on course explores experimental animation as a dynamic dialogue between art history, contemporary art movements, and emerging techniques. Rooted in the Western traditions of Abstract and Surrealist animation, the course expands into a global and forward-looking perspective, incorporating screenings, gallery and museum visits, guest speakers, and readings. Students will experiment with a wide range of animation methods—from pre-cinematic techniques to digital and hybrid approaches—while engaging with the aesthetic and philosophical implications of persistence of vision and moving images. Through iterative assignments, cohort collaborations, and in-class critiques, students will refine their artistic voice, learning to trust their instincts, embrace experimentation, and apply discoveries to the creation of finished works. The semester culminates in a two-minute experimental animation, with discussions on structure, sound, exhibition, and distribution strategies.