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
Online Graphic Design Program
Troy University’s online Graphic Design program offers a flexible, project-based curriculum that mirrors the rigor of the on-campus experience while fostering independence and digital collaboration. Students explore typography, color, branding, and interface design using industry-standard tools, guided by faculty mentorship and real-world application.
Recognized by Forbes Advisor as one of the Best Online Graphic Design Programs in the U.S., the program emphasizes creative process, conceptual thinking, and visual storytelling—preparing students to become adaptable, forward-thinking designers in an evolving digital landscape.
Typography (ART 3325)
Online · Taught: Fall 2024, Summer 2025
This online course introduces the art and practice of typography through a sequence of research-driven, hands-on design projects. Students study the anatomy of letterforms, explore typographic classifications, and learn how typography communicates meaning, hierarchy, and emotion. Through creative exercises and reflective discussions, students connect historical and contemporary design influences to their own visual voice. The course emphasizes experimentation, structure, and personal interpretation within a digital workflow.
Projects included: The Terminology of Typography, Anatomy of Type Your Way, Illustrative Typography + Moodboard
The Terminology of Typography
Students study the fundamental language of typography—type classifications, anatomy, and structure—to build fluency in professional terminology and contextual understanding.
Anatomy of Type Your Way
Students analyze and reinterpret the anatomy of a letterform through a creative visualization that demonstrates understanding of typographic components while showcasing personal design style.
Illustrative Typography + Moodboard
Through research and ideation, students develop a moodboard and produce an illustrative typographic composition, blending text and image to communicate visual tone, hierarchy, and emotion.
Sweet Sixteen
Students explore the expressive potential of typography through photography, observation, and composition—collecting real-world examples of letterforms and translating them into a cohesive grid-based design that highlights contrast, repetition, and balance.
Album Cover Design
As the capstone project, students conceptualize and design an original album cover using expressive typography as the central design element. The project includes research, moodboard creation, digital sketching, refinement, and final presentation in context, emphasizing conceptual clarity, composition, and typographic voice.
Supplementary Materials
Students watch and respond to weekly videos on notable typographers and designers—Ellen Lupton, David Carson, Massimo Vignelli, Paula Scher, Sagmeister— learning and reflecting on how typographic thinking shapes modern design and visual communication.
Digital Tools (ART 2208)
Online · Taught: Summer 2025
Digital Tools introduces students to core design software and workflows that form the foundation of contemporary creative practice. Through hands-on projects in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, students explore image editing, compositing, vector illustration, and page layout while learning to combine technical skill with visual storytelling. Emphasis is placed on precision, hierarchy, and craftsmanship across analog-to-digital processes.
Projects included: Photoshop Intro & Fundamentals, Image Composition & Retouching, Advanced Retouching, The Pen Tool & Digital Collage Methods, Promotional Spread Design, Adobe Illustrator: Vector Illustration, Visual Juxtaposition, Final Project: Portfolio-Ready Design Composition.
Photoshop Intro & Fundamentals
Students are introduced to Adobe Photoshop as a core digital design tool. Through hands-on exercises, they explore layers, selections, masking, and compositional adjustments to create professional-quality images while learning non-destructive editing workflows.
Image Composition & Retouching
This assignment deepens technical and conceptual understanding of Photoshop tools. Students learn to manipulate images through compositing, tonal correction, and advanced retouching—bridging technical skill with creative problem-solving.
Advanced Retouching
Students apply high-level image correction techniques to achieve seamless, professional-quality compositions. Focus is placed on precision, lighting, and surface consistency to emulate industry-standard production methods.
The Pen Tool & Digital Collage Methods
Students use Photoshop’s Pen Tool to master vector path creation and masking through the production of a surreal, conceptually driven digital collage. Emphasis is placed on spatial relationships, layering, and composition.
Promotional Spread Design
Students integrate Photoshop and InDesign skills to create a promotional layout, combining imagery, typography, and hierarchy. The project introduces publication design principles and prepares students for cross-application workflows.
Adobe Illustrator: Vector Illustration
Students transition to vector-based design, learning to use Adobe Illustrator for precision drawing, logo creation, and scalable illustration. The project emphasizes Bézier control, shape building, and visual storytelling through line and form.
Visual Juxtaposition
Through digital photography and compositing, students explore conceptual contrast—combining unrelated images to provoke thought or emotion. The project focuses on digital image manipulation, composition balance, and the creation of visual metaphors.
Final Project: Portfolio-Ready Design Composition
For the culminating project, students synthesize skills from both Photoshop and Illustrator to create a unified digital composition that demonstrates their technical fluency and conceptual range. The project is presented as a high-resolution mockup, accompanied by process documentation and design rationale.