Digital Design is one of the newest majors at Claflin University. The university has a mission to embrace technology in all academic disciplines, and provide tech-savvy creatives to build the digital economy and provide leadership for the 21st century. The Digital Design graduate has valuable employment opportunities as artist or designer.
Curriculum
Students are engaged in real world projects to understand the challenges and timelines of the profession. Digital Design majors are educated and trained to compete in the rapidly emerging art and creative design fields. This major was developed around art, design, and technology to articulate creativity, form and function with state of the art digital media.
Digital Design majors receive training from talented artists and designers in a variety of areas, including drawing, design, digital painting, art history, art technology, 3-D modeling, photography, and presentation techniques, etc.
Student Opportunities and Experience
The Department of Art has established cutting edge computer labs with the appropriate peripherals and software for 2-D, 3-D, interactive, and animated works. Students develop their work from sketchbook to a virtual design in a variety of computer graphics programs. Industry standard computer programs like Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, After Effects, Premiere, Audition; and AutoDesk AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, etc. Students output to large-format plotters, 3-D Printers, etc.
At Claflin, students are encouraged to show their work at annual art exhibitions, both on campus and off, and to participate in conferences. There are opportunities for undergraduate research, to gaining mentor-ship and become a mentor, be involved in local and regional travel to museums, etc., and international study abroad opportunities. Art students can also choose from a variety of student clubs and organizations on campus, and join the Department of Art's own Art Club. Students can even start their own campus club at Claflin.
Careers and Outcomes
Students who earn a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Digital Design can use their education to pursue graduate study in a variety of creative art and design disciplines. They can also gain valuable opportunities to work in the digital area at corporations, state and federal departments, ad and design agencies, sports and entertainment fields, etc. Their work within these organizations include: graphic design, web design, architectural design, motion graphics, advertising design, digital illustration, etc.