The Global and Historic Context of Art and Design - Track A Mandatory
The objective of this course is to relate the different branches of human knowledge: architecture, sociology, history, anthropology, and art with the aim of developing a cognitive map of the world we live in. This course will analyze the basic theories of art, architecture and design culture since the industrial revolution up to the present day. Using the extensive resources of Barcelona with visits to the cities museums such as MNAC, MACBA, Joan Miró Foundation and the Picasso Museum, emblematic buildings by Gaudi, Mies Van Der Rohe, Richard Meier and Jean Nouvel as well as design stores like Vitra, BD and Vinçon and restaurants and leisure spaces around the city.
Language of Instruction: English
Recommended US semester credits: 3
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Advanced Principles in Design: Integrating Communication, Humanities, and Scientific Techniques - Track A Mandatory
This course is centered on the assimilation of procedures that allow understanding of a design language that examines the relationship between necessity and function of objects and the interaction between objects and their environment. The student is also introduced to the semantics of form, color, and materials.
Language of Instruction: English
Recommended US semester credits: 3
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BCN. City of Cities in a Global World
This course is focused on the city and on urban design, understanding the global need growing cities have, “to sew” the modern and traditional city through a redesigned public space. In this sense, the experience developed in the city of Barcelona in the last 40 years is a great example that we will analyze in order to understand the methodologies and interiorize the tools of interpretation and transformation of the city, from the bigger to the smaller scale.
Language of Instruction: English
Recommended US semester credits: 3
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Design for Packaging
Modern-day packaging needs call for professionals with the power to communicate—both formally and graphically—the attributes of a product. With the aim of training professionals whose design is nurtured in a sense of social and environmental responsibility, the program shows the right tools for conceptualizing and developing comprehensive packaging projects. The goal is to understand the factors affecting production and selection of a package for a specific product, its possibilities and materials.
Language of Instruction: English
Recommended US semester credits: 3
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Digital Representation Principles
This course is aimed at providing students with representation concepts and techniques that are broadly applied in design fields. Based on exercises, talks and workshop sessions, the course embraces the ability of students to define and show their ideas by learning about the options and features that Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Indesign, and Adobe Illustrator offer as a powerful suite specifically conceived for design professionals. The course approaches also the basic concepts of video editing and production, as well as fundamentals of presentation techniques, in order to provide students with a complete range of options that they will put into practice in many visual communications required by the Study Abroad program as well as by future design projects.
Language of Instruction: English
Recommended US semester credits: 3
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Food, Design, and Health
This course is focused on the interaction of design, as a creative process, with food and health, as a fundamental part of human being. The relation between design food and health is not only based on the tangible aspects (space, forms, product, packaging…) but in a wide range of approaches, from culture to territory, from well-being to aesthetics. We must understand the whole relation of man with the environment to create innovative ways, systems or products to enhance this interaction. Designing in a creative way, connecting mind and hand, the senses and the culture, in a constant communication with other designers, will allow us to find out new ways of understanding our world and improving it.
Language of Instruction: English
Recommended US semester credits: 3
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Furniture and Product Design
This course focuses on the areas of product and furniture design. Covering the whole process from conceptualization, formalization, development, and pre-production of a designed object from the human, domestic or work environment. The course will study the social, ergonomic and aesthetic environment of the user, the ways of producing the final work and the impact of this on the environment as a whole. Students will approach the semantics of objects, their functional and communicative capacity along with the integration of materials and technology.
Language of Instruction: English
Recommended US semester credits: 3
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Retail Design / Visual Merchandising
Retail is naturally the showplace for new ideas, new concepts, and new products. As such, the store environment serves as the selling stage for the latest merchandise offerings of the day, and a tool of communication used to create a dialogue with the targeted customer. Through effective visual merchandising, the retailer communicates both the attributes of the brand and the attributes of the products offered. The primary objective of this program is to present students the importance of visual merchandising as an integral component of a successful retail strategy. Classes will include an in-depth analysis of the retail store environment.
Language of Instruction: English
Course Level: Lower Division
Recommended US semester credits: 3
Course Level: Lower Division
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Typography and Graphic Design
This course focuses on graphic communication with special attention to texts and the written word and their integration and relationship with images, colors, and textures. Projects ranging from artistic and experimental calligraphy, typography, poster composition, editorials and digital interaction. The course centers on the vision of graphic design as an essential element of communication crossing social, cultural and functional boundaries. This concept of design, not only as a formal exercise, will incorporate functional challenges and technological links, taken in this graphical context.
Language of Instruction: English
Recommended US semester credits: 3
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Spanish Language
Students in both tracks have the option to take a 3 credit Spanish language course.
Language of Instruction: Spanish
