Have you ever looked at a font? Have you ever really looked at a font? Have you ever noticed the effect the font has on your thoughts? Thin fonts feel quaint yet elegant while bold fonts are loud and affirmative. What about those delicate little lines on the edges of each letter? Or the sharp lines instead of smooth curves? These details are all a part of the art of typography. 

You can learn this and much more in ACAD’s new Graphic Design and Reproduction class which is taught by Tracey Hill, a professional graphic designer and art teacher. 

While ACAD offers several interesting electives, Graphic Design is a creative yet necessary course as we move toward the digital future. 

Hill says that graphic design “not only allows students to express themselves artistically, but to combine that with some of the skills necessary in the 21st century”.

These skills include but aren’t limited to, drawing in Adobe Illustrator, creating a digital photograph in Adobe Photoshop, and preparing digital files. Alongside developing many online skills, students can also learn unique skills such as printmaking, screen printing, and designing their own font and poster/advertisement. 

I was able to do just that last semester in Graphic Design. 

First we learned about typography. With this knowledge I was able to design my own font that was centered around the word “jazz”. I was inspired by jazz’s smooth yet rhythmic sound as well as its commonly used instrument, the saxophone.

For my poster, I continued with the jazz theme of my font by making an advertisement poster for the jazz singer, Billie Holiday. After doing research on the singer, I found Holiday was extremely outspoken about civil rights so I decided to highlight the power of her voice in my poster. 

My favorite part about my project was screen printing my design onto paper. While the process was initially difficult, I learned from my mistakes and had fun doing it. 

If you like drawing, designing, digital art, or just trying a unique experience, consider taking Graphic Design in the future.