Syllabus || Course Description:

This course will introduce students to the major issues in designing a screen based interface: typography, image use, navigation, optimization and organization of data. Photoshop, HTML and Flash will be used as the primary tool to create the assignments. The primary focus of this course is interface design. It is not a "tech course." However, when appropriate, a review of basic technical concepts will also be covered. In addition, guest lecturers and professional visits will be organized.

Students will be required to complete the following assignments in this course:

5 short screen based interface assignments

Each assignment will address different interface concerns. Assignments may be done with whatever software/programming language the student wishes and do not have to be functional. Our primary concern is the structure and "look and feel' of the solutions presented. Extra consideration will be given if functionality is added. Please note the syllabus may change depending on the needs of the class.

Resources || Design
Texts:

Edward R. Tufte
Envisioning Information
Graphics Press: Cheshire, CT: 1990.

Katherine Nelson, ed.
Websights: the Future of Business and Design on the Internet
RC Publications, New York: 2000.

Ken Coupland, ed.
WebWorks: Navigation
Rockport Publishers, Inc, Gloucester, MA: 2001.

Darcy DiNucci
Macromedia Flash Interface Design
Macromedia Press, Berkeley, CA: 2003.


Design Web sites
A List Apart
http://www.alistapart.com

Subtraction: Khoi Vinh's Blog on Web Design
http://www.subtraction.com

Interface Design
"practical tips for commercial sites"
see links on this site for other resources
http://www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/id/interface/

HTML + CSS || Resources
Web sites

HTMLdog.com
Webmaster World
Holy CSS Zeldman!
CSS Zen Garden
Web How-to Index to Quick Guides and Links for Advanced Web Authoring
WebMonkey: Authoring: HTML Basics
BareBones HTML
HTML: An Interactive Tutorial for Beginners
Basic HTML Formatting Tags

Flash || Resources
Flash Texts

Teach Yourself Visually: Flash MX
by Ruth Maran

ActionScripting in Flash MX
by Phillip Kerman

Macromedia Flash MX 2004 for Windows & Macintosh: Visual Quickstonart Guide
by Katherine Ulrich

Macromedia Flash MX 2004 : Training from the Source
by Jen deHaan

Macromedia Flash MX 2004 ActionScript
by Derek Franklin & Jobe Makar

Flash Support Web sites
(many of these sites were collected by Minki Park):

Macromedia's Flash Resources:
Support Center http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash/Documentation
(Manuals)http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flash/
Tutorials http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash/tutorial_index.html
Technote http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash/technotes.html
Developer Center http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/mx/flash/
Online Forums http://webforums.macromedia.com/flash/Flash

Tutorials & Resources:
http://flashkit.com
http://www.ultrashock.com
http://flash-db.com
http://actionscript-toolbox.com
http://www.were-here.com
http://phpforflash.com
http://flash-tools.com
http://www.actionscripts.org
http://www.flashguru.co.uk
http://flazoom.com
http://www.flash-game.net
http://tangible.new21.org
http://www.onrelease.org
http://www.flashloaded.com/
http://flash-mx.com/

Flash Design:
http://www.ultrashock.com
http://www.figoo.net
http://www.moluv.com
http://shift.jp.org
http://www.designiskinky.com
http://www.howdesign.com
http://www.thebestdesigns.com
http://www.favouritewebsiteawards.com
http://www.internettinyawards.com
http://www.flashforward2002.com

Flash Fonts:
http://miniml.com
http://www.fontsforflash.com
http://www.superlooper.de/
http://www.04.jp.org
http://www.orgdot.com/aliasfonts
http://www.romeorecords.co.uk/flashfonts
http://fontkitchen.com