In our complex "information age," the need for effective communication has never been greater. Communicating information and ideas, through insightful and compelling words and images, is the primary focus of the Advertising, Graphic Design and Illustration programs.
Our faculty consists of many of Canada’s foremost working professionals from these fields, bringing to the classroom knowledge of current industry standards and directions, as well as a passion for design. A structured curriculum ensures the development of skills to support design studio work, where precise and astute strategies, innovative concepts and captivating visuals are realized.
Proficiency in English comprehension and communication is critical in all areas of study in the communications disciplines. Students with less than adequate skills in this area are encouraged to supplement their program with assistance offered through the Writing & Learning Centre.
Please refer to the Design Programs: Introduction.
This communication design program provides students with essential two-dimensional, three-dimensional and fourth-dimensional knowledge and skills required to create intelligent, compelling, and effective visual communication. OCAD’s Graphic Design Program has a strong focus on conceptual and design thinking. Today, graphic designers are working in diverse industries to enhance and shape our visual environments and communication media. By engaging students in problem recognition and creative problem solving, our goal is to enable them to create graphically effective, principled solutions that are conceptually strong, imaginative, and appropriate to the many types of problems and graphic tasks they will be challenged to solve in their chosen careers. Students will be introduced to the impact graphic design can have in context to local commerce, complex global economies, design for humanity, diverse cultures and our ever-changing societies.
In this program, students will be introduced to the fundamentals, aesthetics and design rigor essential to branding, communication design, packaging, editorial design, wayfinding, photography book design, motion graphics, multi-media, web applications, systems design and strategic design thinking. Students have the opportunity to take studio courses in specific areas of interest such as: Branding, Editorial & Publication Design, Guerrilla Entrepreneurism, Interactive Communication, Motion Graphics, Packaging Design, Typeface Design, Think Tank, Wayfinding/Information Systems, Design Process, Typography, business, graphic production, and graphic image making.
Unique to OCAD, students are encouraged to take diverse, interdisciplinary, general design courses with students from Industrial Design, Environmental Design, and Material Art & Design to broaden their design knowledge.
Working closely with a faculty mainly composed of practicing graphic designers, design and academic theorists, and visiting design professionals, students complete projects that cover a wide range of issues and applications. Students are introduced to the necessary principles of business and entrepreneurship to be successful in the field of design. In their final year, students develop a focused, year-long core design and research-based project reflecting their personal interest and values.
Please refer to the Faculty of Design's Degree/Diploma Requirements for information regarding degree and diploma requirements for Design program students.
All Faculty of Design programs are developed as semester groupings of related courses. In order to be best prepared to meet course expectations, students are normally required to complete all core courses in one semester before carrying on to courses in the next semester.
Students must achieve a minimum grade of 60% in their core studio course each semester (tagged with “†”) to advance to the following semester’s core studio.
A minimum overall average of 65% must be achieved at the end of fourth-year in all designated courses (tagged with “∆”) of the student’s major/program.
Note: All courses tagged with “*” are included in the laptop program.
COURSE CODE | COURSE NAME | CREDIT |
200 LEVEL: FALL SEMESTER | ||
VISC 2B36 | History and Evolution of Typography (LST) | 0.5 |
GDES 2B03 | Think Tank 1: Awareness (SEM) | 0.5 |
GRPH 2K01 | Graphic Design 1*†∆ | 0.75 |
GRPH 2A05 | Photography for Graphic Design | 0.25 |
GRPH 2A04 | Typography 1: Letters and Words * | 0.25 |
GRPH 2A02 | Graphic Translation/Drawing * | 0.25 |
200 LEVEL: WINTER SEMESTER | ||
VISC 2B39 | Graphic Design History in the 20th Century (LST) | 0.5 |
See Liberal Studies offerings | Choose one Liberal Studies course | 0.5 |
GRPH 2K02 | Graphic Design 2*†∆ | 0.75 |
GRPH 2B06 | Typography 2: Structures * | 0.5 |
GRPH 2A06 | Interaction Design Studio * | 0.25 |
300 LEVEL: FALL SEMESTER | ||
See Liberal Studies offerings | Choose one Liberal Studies course | 0.5 |
GRPH 3K01 | Graphic Design 3 *†∆ | 0.75 |
GRPH 3B14 | Typography 3: Advanced Structures * | 0.5 |
GRPH 3A02 | Research Methodologies for Graphic Design 1 (SEM) | 0.25 |
Choose one expansion studio: | ||
GDES 3B10 | Art of Presentation | |
GDES 3B13 | Compelling User Experience 1 | |
GDES 3B02 | Editorial & Publication Design 1 | |
GDES 3B22 | Editorial & Publication Design 2 | |
GDES 3B40 | Exploration, Insight and Foresight in Design (SEM) | |
GDES 3B06 | Guerrilla Entrepreneurism | |
GDES 3B48 | Illustrative Activism | |
GDES 3B07 | Interactive Communication: Smart Screens | |
GDES 3B53 | Interactive Communication: Beyond the Screen | |
GDES 3B11 | Motion Graphics 1 | |
GDES 3B04 | Packaging Design 1 | |
GDES 3B41 | Play Behaviour and Game Design 1 | |
GDES 3B05 | Sequential Narrative 1 | |
GDES 3B29 | Sequential Narrative 2 | |
GDES 3B09 | Strategic Brand Development 1 | |
GDES 3B42 | Strategic Brand Development 2 | |
GDES 3B03 | Typeface Design 1* | |
GDES 3B56 | Universal Design | |
DIGF 3B01 | Virtual Communities and Environments (SEM) | |
or |
relevant course in Faculty of Art or Design (subject to approval - contact Design Office) Maximum 1.5 Art credits will be counted toward graduating. |
0.5 |
SEMESTER TOTAL | 2.5 | |
300 LEVEL: WINTER SEMESTER | ||
See Liberal Studies offerings | Choose one Liberal Studies course | 0.5 |
GRPH 3K02 | Graphic Design 4 *†∆ | 0.75 |
GRPH 3B16 | Typography 4: Expressive * | 0.5 |
GRPH 3A03 | Research Methodologies for Graphic Design 2 (SEM) | 0.25 |
Choose one expansion studio: | ||
GDES 3B10 | Art of Presentation | |
GDES 3B02 | Editorial & Publication Design 1 | |
GDES 3B22 | Editorial & Publication Design 2 | |
GDES 3B06 | Guerrilla Entrepreneurism | |
GDES 3B48 | Illustrative Activism | |
GDES 3B27 | Interactive Communication: Clever Devices | |
GDES 3B11 | Motion Graphics 1 | |
GDES 3B32 | Motion Graphics 2 (not offered in 2009/10) | |
GDES 3B04 | Packaging Design 1 | |
GDES 3B31 | Packaging Design 2 | |
GDES 3B05 | Sequential Narrative 1 | |
GDES 3B29 | Sequential Narrative 2 | |
GDES 3B09 | Strategic Brand Development 1 | |
GDES 3B42 | Strategic Brand Development 2 | |
GDES 3B54 | Think Tank 2: Consideration (SEM) | |
GDES 3B03 | Typeface Design 1* | |
GDES 3B30 | Typeface Design 2 * (not offered in 2009/10) | |
GDES 3B59 | Urban Landscape Ecology (SEM) (not offered in 2009/10) | |
GDES 3B08 | Wayfinding/Information Systems 1 | |
or |
relevant course in Faculty of Art or Design (subject to approval - contact Design Office) Maximum 1.5 Art credits will be counted toward graduating. |
0.5 |
SEMESTER TOTAL | 2.5 | |
400 LEVEL: FALL SEMESTER | ||
See Liberal Studies offerings | Choose one Liberal Studies course | 0.5 |
GRPH 4K01 | Graphic Design Thesis Project 1 *†∆ | 0.75 |
GRPH 4B17 | Advanced Typography 5 * | 0.5 |
Choose one: | ||
GRPH 4A02 | Business and Studio Practice | |
GRPH 4A04 | Digital/Analogue Graphic Reproduction Processes | 0.25 |
Choose one expansion studios: | ||
GDES 3B10 | Art of Presentation | |
GDES 3B13 | Compelling User Experience 1 | |
GDES 3B02 | Editorial & Publication Design 1 | |
GDES 3B22 | Editorial & Publication Design 2 | |
GDES 3B40 | Exploration, Insight and Foresight in Design (SEM) | |
GDES 3B06 | Guerrilla Entrepreneurism | |
GDES 3B48 | Illustrative Activism | |
GDES 3B07 | Interactive Communication: Smart Screens | |
GDES 3B53 | Interactive Communication: Beyond the Screen | |
GDES 4B03 | Internship (not offered in 09/10) | |
GDES 3B11 | Motion Graphics 1 | |
GDES 3B04 | Packaging Design 1 | |
GDES 3B41 | Play Behaviour and Game Design 1 | |
GDES 3B05 | Sequential Narrative 1 | |
GDES 3B29 | Sequential Narrative 2 | |
GDES 3B09 | Strategic Brand Development 1 | |
GDES 3B42 | Strategic Brand Development 2 | |
GDES 3B03 | Typeface Design 1* | |
GDES 3B56 | Universal Design | |
DIGF 3B01 | Virtual Communities and Environments (SEM) | |
or |
relevant course in Faculty of Art or Design (subject to approval - contact Design Office) Maximum 1.5 Art credits will be counted toward graduating. |
0.5 |
SEMESTER TOTAL | 2.5 | |
400 LEVEL: WINTER SEMESTER | ||
See Liberal Studies offerings | Choose one Liberal Studies course | 0.5 |
GRPH 4K02 | Graphic Design Thesis Project 2*†∆ | 0.75 |
GRPH 4A03 | Portfolio Development* | 0.25 |
Choose two expansion studios: | ||
GDES 3B10 | Art of Presentation | |
GDES 3B02 | Editorial & Publication Design 1 | |
GDES 3B22 | Editorial & Publication Design 2 | |
GDES 4B02 | Editorial & Publication Design 3 | |
GDES 3B06 | Guerrilla Entrepreneurism | |
GDES 3B48 | Illustrative Activism | |
GDES 3B27 | Interactive Communication: Clever Devices | |
GDES 3B11 | Motion Graphics 1 | |
GDES 3B32 | Motion Graphics 2 (not offered in 2009/10) | |
GDES 3B04 | Packaging Design 1 | |
GDES 3B31 | Packaging Design 2 | |
GDES 3B05 | Sequential Narrative 1 | |
GDES 3B29 | Sequential Narrative 2 | |
GDES 3B09 | Strategic Brand Development 1 | |
GDES 3B42 | Strategic Brand Development 2 | |
GDES 3B54 | Think Tank 2: Consideration (SEM) | |
GDES 4B08 | Think Tank 3: Action (SEM) | |
GDES 3B03 | Typeface Design 1* | |
GDES 3B30 | Typeface Design 2 * (not offered in 2009/10) | |
GDES 3B59 | Urban Landscape Ecology (SEM) (not offered in 2009/10) | |
GDES 3B08 | Wayfinding/Information Systems 1 | |
or |
relevant course in Faculty of Art or Design (subject to approval - contact Design Office) Maximum 1.5 Art credits will be counted toward graduating. |
1.0 |
SEMESTER TOTAL | 2.5 | |
Recommended Liberal Studies Courses (subject to being offered): | ||
ENGL 2B01 | Introduction to Creative Writing | |
HUMN 2B01 | Aesthetics | |
HUMN 2B16 | Twentieth Century Ideas | |
HUMN 3B01 | Reading Popular Culture | |
HUMN 3B08 | Ethics, Advertising and Design | |
HUMN 4B18 | Postmodernism: Critical Perspectives | |
SOSC 2B02/ VISC 2B40 |
Media, Messages and the Cultural Landscape: Introduction to Communication Studies | |
SOSC 3B02 | Material Culture and Consumer Society | |
SOSC 3B05 | Social Pyschology and Consumer Behaviour | |
VISC 2B01 | History of Modern Design | |
VISC 2B07 | History of Modern Art | |
VISC 2B36 | History and Evolution of Typography | |
VISC 2B38 | Design Thinking | |
VISC 2B39 | Graphic Design History in the 20th Century | |
VISC 3B05 | Dada and Surrealism | |
VISC 3B21 | Illustration and the Rise of Popular Culture | |
VISC 3B38 | Advertising and the Art of Persuasion | |
VISC 4B06 | Global Mesh: Internet, Networks, Globalization and Digital Resistance | |
Also see Liberal Studies Special Topics Courses for 2009/10 |
Last Modified:1/24/2012 12:57:11 PM