About this course: This condensed survey course focuses on four key periods or themes from the history of design. Together we’ll trace the emergence of design as a recognized practice, why things look the way they do, and how designers approached specific design problems in their work. Each week, a short quiz will test your knowledge of concepts, and a short reflective assignment will give you the opportunity to analyze the questions designers ask themselves today. This is an essential course for emerging designers entering the field, or for students interested in learning more about visual culture and analysis. No previous experience is required.
Created by: California Institute of the Arts
Taught by: Louise Sandhaus, Faculty, Program in Graphic Design
School of Art
Taught by: Lorraine Wild, Faculty, Program in Graphic Design
School of Art
| Basic Info | Course 4 of 5 in the Graphic Design Specialization |
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 4 weeks of study, 2-3 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Early Mass Marketing
This week we are going to take a look at the effects of industrialization in the late 19th century, and how goods were produced, sold, and marketed.
11 videos, 3 readings
- Video: Course Introduction
- Reading: About this course
- Reading: About the assignments
- Video: Introduction to Early Mass Marketing
- Video: Form Follows Function
- Video: A Democratization of Choice
- Video: A Revival of Styles
- Video: Style Mash-up
- Video: An Exaggeration of Type
- Reading: The Designer's Toolbox: Wood Type
- Video: Branding
- Video: A Household Name
- Video: Text and Image
- Video: "Words doing the work"
Graded: Week 1 Quiz
Graded: Connecting the Past to the Present
WEEK 2
The Bauhaus
This week, we'll look at how the work and teachings of The Bauhaus (1919-1933), and how design emerged as a recognized practice.
11 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Introduction to The Bauhaus
- Reading: Week 2 Resources
- Video: Founding the Bauhaus
- Video: The Foundation Year
- Video: The Bauhaus and Architecture
- Video: Klee, Schlemmer & Albers
- Video: László Moholy-Nagy
- Video: Herbert Bayer
- Video: Color & Image
- Video: Textiles & Ceramics
- Video: Typography
- Video: Publications
Graded: Week 2 Quiz
Graded: A Designer's Tools, Now and Then
WEEK 3
Modernism in America
Modernism in mid-century America through the eyes of four key designers.
13 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Introduction to Modernism in America
- Reading: Week 3 Resources
- Video: The Bauhaus influence
- Video: A symbolic language
- Video: Case Study: Scope Magazine
- Video: Developing corporate identities
- Video: A new subjectivity
- Video: Case Study: Fortune Magazine
- Video: Play and humor
- Video: Case Study: The Mechanized Mule brochure
- Video: Duality & Simplicity
- Video: Case Study: El Producto cigars
- Video: Rand’s Logo Designs
- Video: A clear identity
Graded: Week 3 Quiz
Graded: Symbolic Forms
WEEK 4
Graphic Design Radicalism
Design practice in the late 1950s to early 1970s was new, radical and divergent. To show you just how varied it was, we’ll look at the work of four key players/movements.
14 videos, 5 readings
- Video: Introduction to Graphic Design Radicalism
- Reading: Week 4 Resources
- Video: The objectivity of Swiss Design
- Video: Incorporating abstraction
- Reading: The Designer's Toolbox: Four-color printing
- Video: Josef Mueller-Brockmann
- Video: The Grid
- Video: Emil Ruder
- Video: Compositional Strategies
- Video: The subjectivity of Push Pin
- Video: Milton Glaser
- Video: “The South”
- Video: The Psychedelic Poster and Looking to the Past
- Reading: The Designer's Toolbox: "Psychedelic" Effects
- Video: The Diggers
- Reading: The Designer's Toolbox: Gestetner Machine
- Video: Sister Corita’s Aesthetics
- Video: Sister Corita’s Politics
- Reading: The Designer's Toolbox: Screen printing
Graded: Week 4 Quiz
Graded: Graphic Design Subcultures Today
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Help from Your Peers
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Certificates
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
Creators
California Institute of the Arts
CalArts has earned an international reputation as the leading college of the visual and performing arts in the United States. Offering rigorous undergraduate and graduate degree programs through six schools—Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater—CalArts has championed creative excellence, critical reflection, and the development of new forms and expressions.
Pricing
| Audit | Purchase Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Not available | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Not available | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Not available | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
This class was very interesting and it gives some background for a lot of the stuff that you learn in the other courses in the specialization. I liked that the assignments weren't difficult but were interesting and informative. We were able to learn from each other and learn in the process of researching topics.
great course for designers who have no idea of graphic design history
It was a wonderful course. I have designed things but never took a formal design education. I think knowing the history of a particular field helps. It gives you a picture of how things evolved to be what they are today. I would not have known where to start even if I wanted to learn history of graphic design. This course has given me a good start. Now I can go deeper in that study. Thank you
Coursera provides universal access to the world’s best education, partnering with top universities and organizations to offer courses online.
© 2017 Coursera Inc. All rights reserved.
HC
It's a lovely course and the lecturers are great, but it focus mostly on American design or the impact of other designers in the USA. I would love to learn more about non-USA design.