Teaching for Creative Authenticity
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Troy University
Courses taught: Experiential Design · UX Design · Typography · UI Design · Graphic Design Principles & Practices · Color & Technology · (Online) Typography & Digital Tools
Troy University — College of Arts and Humanities | Troy, AL, USA
Color & Technology (ART 2230)
In-Person · Taught: Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025
This course introduces the principles of color and design across both analog and digital environments.
Projects emphasize observation, experimentation, and translation between mediums.
Projects included: Pixelated Self-Portraits, Color Formulas & Schemes, Dynamic Color Compositions, and Got Art? Creative Challenge.
Pixelated Self-Portrait Project
Students create pixelated self-portraits to train their eyes to observe tonal variation and improve value accuracy. Both digital and analog approaches are encouraged.
Color Formulas & Schemes Application Project
After completing theoretical and practical exercises, students design complex compositions based on color formulas and schemes, applying principles of hue, value, and saturation in either digital or analog mediums.
Thinking Inside the Box: Dynamic Color Compositions Project
Using spreadsheets as a nontraditional design tool, students create dynamic color compositions that explore rhythm, balance, and contrast through structured repetition.
Got Art? Creative Challenge Project
Students research artists and designers through the lens of color theory, selecting one to emulate. They then step into that artist’s creative mindset—learning how to interpret and translate an existing visual language from digital to analog, transforming it into their own composition.
This project underscores the distinction between imitation and interpretation, helping students internalize the value, timing, and context of informed emulation in professional creative practice.