BA: Digital Media Design At University of Johannesburg‎ (UJ)

Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media Design prepares students to meet the needs of the digital age as designers of content, systems and products, where text, image, video, audio, graphics and animation converge

BA Design in Digital Media

 
A Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media Design prepares students to meet the needs of the digital age as designers of content, systems and products, where text, image, video, audio, graphics and animation converge. Starting from a generalised approach, students learn specialisations in interaction design or digital video. In Digital Media Design, students engage with and apply digital technologies innovatively, in order to design products to communicate and enhance life experiences.

A range of technologies and products that students engage with include web sites, mobile applications, interactive games, design deliverables, music videos, digital video, motion graphics, short format animation, wayfinding systems and digital photography. The Department’s facilities include four comprehensive computer laboratories with the latest high-end graphics computers, an audio recording suite an animation studio and a green screen studio.

Career Opportunities
This degree prepares students for careers in the design, film, broadcast and advertising industries as; interaction designers, user experience designers, user interface designers, service designers, music video designers, multimedia animators, motion graphics designers, information designers, digital video producers, video editors, video compositors, digital photographers, digital media consultants and creative directors.

Click here for General information on the BA Digital media Program, admission / portfolio requirements and contact details.

Outline of undergrad programme At Digital Media Design At University of Johannesburg‎ (UJ)
First Year
 The BA Digital Media Design (DMD) is a fulltime, three-year degree course that prepares the graduating student for an entry-level career in the digital industry, and the requirements for further academic study.

While the finer details of the BA DMD are provided in the the official programme, to make our course more user friendly a general overview of the course is provided below. Please, note that this overview is subject to change and is meant to indicate the type of content typically found in the programme.

First-year

In the first-year programme, Multimedia students are introduced to the fundamentals of digital and communication based design. In order to complete the programme students, must complete five modules, three of which are practice-based while two are theoretical.

Digital Media Design 1
This module introduces students to: 

  • Communication design fundamentals such as design principles, visual layout and typography
  • Design thinking fundamentals such as design research, creative strategy development and concept ideation.

Digital Media Technology 1
This module introduces students to digital software and technologies used in multimedia design practices. These include: 

  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Premiere
  • Html and CSS

Visualisation 1
This module allows student to explore and develop their technical and creative abilities in a range of visual orientated design projects across a range of disciplinary practices including: 

  • Drawing
  • Photography
  • Story-boarding
  • Illustration

Design Studies 1
In this theory-based module, students are introduced disciplinary, historical and cultural theories that assist students to better understand design and the social world in which design takes place. In Design Studies 1 students are expected to respond and debate concepts through written assignments

Professional Design Practice 1
In this theory-based module, students are introduced to the world of business. Topics taught in this module include: economics, business organisation, business culture and communication in business contexts.  Second-year The focus of the second-year programme is on further developing students creative and theoretical abilities with a particular focus on digital design practices. In order to complete the programme, students must complete four modules, two of which are practice-based while two are theoretical.

Digital Media Design 2 (40 Credits)
At an intermediate level this module introduces students to a range of technological and design skills related to digital media in general and interactive and digital content development in particular. A number of themes taught in this module include the following: 

  • Title sequences design
  • Video compositing design
  • Sound Design
  • Web Development
  • User interface design
  • Social impact design
  • Digital content technology
  • Narrative Design
  • Interaction Design

Visualisation 2 (30 Credits)
In Visualisation 2 conceptual and production approaches focus on the crafting of informational and experiential visual design. As such a number of the themes taught in this module include: 

  • Photography
  • Information Architecture
  • Information Design
  • 2D animation
  • Character design

Design Studies 2 (30 Credits)
At an intermediate level this theory-based module, is concerned with disciplinary, historical and cultural theories that assist students to better understand design and the social world in which design takes place and affects. In Design Studies 2 students are expected to respond and debate concepts through written assignments

Professional Design Practice 2 (30 Credits)
In this theory-based module, students knowledge of business is extended. Topics taught in this module include: the business environment, Marketing and Branding, branding, and design entrepreneurship.  Third-year

The third-year of the Digital Media Design programme consists of two units; Digital Media Design 3 and Design Studies 3.

Design Studies 3 (50 Credits)

Design studies is organised into three units that are taught simultaneously over the entire year. These units are:

Unit 1: Design Theory (20 Credits)

At an advanced level, this theory-based module, is concerned with disciplinary, historical and cultural theories that assist students to better understand design and the social world in which design takes place and affects. In Design Theory students are expected to respond and debate concepts through written assignments.At a third-year level this course emphasises the affect of contemporary media on society. Themes taught in this unit include: 

  • The culture industry and its contemporary relevance
  • Nostalgia and the media – Instagram and manufacturing the aesthetics of the past in the present
  • Afro-futurism, imagining Africa and its future in relation to technology and digital culture – Learning
  • Participation in media society and notions of spectatorship that engender agency.

Unit 2: Design Research (20 Credits)

In this unit, students are introduced to a range of research methods and theories commonly used in the design process to guide practice. This unit includes a blend of written and practical outcomes. Themes taught in this unit include: 

  • Paradigms of design research
  • User interviews
  • Expert interviews
  • Data analysis
  • Problem ecology diagrams
  • Observations
  • Benchmarking
  • Generative tools

Unit 3: Professional Practice 3 (10 Credits)

Professional Practice 3, is designed to provide an insight and understanding into the world of business and work. Ideally this subject aims to harness both the intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial spirit common to most designers, and to empower them, through basic skills, to develop and realise their professional potential. This unit includes a blend of written, oral and practical outcomes. Themes taught in this unit include: 

  • Preparation for a career in Digital Media.
  • Experiential work placement
  • Intellectual property rights

Digital Media Design 3 (70 Credits)

The Digital Media Design 3 module is divided into a number of core and elective units. All students attend the core unit while the elective units relate to a specialist field of digital design that the student selects. In our current offering students select between either Interaction Design (IXD) or Digital Content Design (DCD). The unit outline is as follows:

Visualization 3 (30 Credits) core shared unit.
This unit focuses on developing conceptual and technical abilities within a range of visually orientated projects. Project themes in this unit include: 

  • Motion graphics
  • Speculative design

IXD Elective unit (30 Credits)

In this full-year unit students are first introduced to range of the theories and practices fundamental to the field of User-experience Design (UXD) and then secondly apply their knowledge to a range of practical projects and exercises. UXD is a human-centric design thinking approach to conceptualizing digital products and services. Key components of UXD that will be addressed in this course include: 

  • UX Design Thinking
  • Experience design
  • UX Research
  • UX Strategy
  • UX Ideation
  • UX Prototyping
  • UI Design
  • UX Evaluation
  • Designing with and in Communities

DCD Elective unit (30 Credits)

In this full-year unit students are first introduced to range of the theories and practices fundamental that inform the design of digital media content and then secondly apply their knowledge to a range of practical projects and exercises. Key components of DCD that will be addressed in this course include: 

  • Advanced Photography
  • Pop Culture and the Music Video
  • Adaptations
  • Transmedia

IXD Technology Elective (10 Credits) This unit will enable students to enhance their technical skills, methods, techniques and knowledge used in the practices of interactive web-based application and site development. Typical technologies covered in this unit include: 

  • JavaScript
  • jQuery
  • Bootstrap

DCD Technology Elective(10 Credits) This unit will enable students to enhance their technical skills, methods, techniques and knowledge used in the practices of digital content design. Typical technologies covered in this unit include: 

  • Compositing with Adobe After Effects
  • Video Editing with Adobe After Premier