Graphic & Interactive Design AA

The Associates Degree in Graphic and Interactive Design provides foundational skills in graphic design, digital imaging, and interactive media.  Students develop their creativity and communication skills through a diverse mix of projects, utilizing industry-standard software and equipment. This major is ideal for those without a previous college degree, preparing students either for further study at a 4-year institution or direct entry into the design field. Students are encouraged to consult with Digital Media Arts faculty to tailor their educational path to their career goals.

New emphasis pathways are currently being developed within the area of graphic design, digital illustration, and animation. In accordance with the Solano College mission to help students achieve their educational, professional, and personalgoals, the graphic design certificate would allow students to transform their lives with career and technical education through a certificate program that targets employment opportunities within the creative workforce sector in Solano County and beyond. 

As the sole community college within our county, Solano College must grow the program to keep up with the needs of this rapidly changing industry.

This program also seeks to provide educational opportunities for underserved demographics within our community by providing affordable education that is applicable towards creative occupations. Many of our students currently attend private/for-profit institutions for creative educational needs. We see a need for this kind of education within Solano County to provide transferable skills at a local institution. 

Visual literacy: Students will learn to evaluate, conceptualize and produce creative works

Communication Competency: Students will effectively communicate ideas and information through written, oral and artistic representations.

Career and Technical Skills:

Students will utilize industry-standard equipment and applications required of these career pathways. Students will demonstrate effective workplace behaviors such as appropriate communication, professionalism, decision-making, and time management.

Graphic designers create visual concepts, physically or digitally, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform and captivate consumers.  

Career titles within the creative industry include: 

Production Designer, UI/UX Designer, Visual Designer, Creative/Art Director, Multimedia/Marketing Designer, Web Designer, Multimedia Designer, Motion Graphics Designer, Package Designer, Textile and Industrial Designer, and Exhibition Designer.

Program Description:

The Associates Degree in Graphic and Interactive Design provides foundational skills in graphic design, digital imaging, and interactive media.  Students develop their creativity and communication skills through a diverse mix of projects, utilizing industry-standard software and equipment. This major is ideal for those without a previous college degree, preparing students either for further study at a 4-year institution or direct entry into the design field. Students are encouraged to consult with Digital Media Arts faculty to tailor their educational path to their career goals.

At the completion of the Graphic Design certificate program, students will be able to:

• Employ and document a structured design process to develop design solutions, working both individually and collaboratively.
• Select the appropriate tools, materials and processes for a range of design contexts and media platforms
• Develop and maintain a professional portfolio of work.
• Analyze and discuss the merits of design work using relevant concepts and terminology.

The CTE Graphic & Interactive Design has already been approved/recommended through the BACCC. 

Curriculum has been updated due to changes requested by supporting faculty and recommendations from curriculum committee.  

The curriculum in this AA matches the CTE Certificate of Achievement; the CTE certificate is the major requirements minus the GE (24 units).  

Narrative and LMI attached 

Solano College is the only community college within Solano County.  

This report focuses on 3 community college near service area, Napa Valley College, DVC, and Santa Rosa Junior College. More info is attached in the PDF which includes the entire narrative and LMI.

Napa Valley College Graphic Design AA

• The Napa Valley College Campus is 17 minutes drive from Solano College. Napa Valley College does not offer a certificate, but they do have an AA in graphic design.  This program is higher in unit value and includes an art history component as a GE requirement because it is for transfer. Our program is designed to be strictly a CTE offering, with a smaller unit value, and Digital Media Projects (formerly Graphic Design 2) creating opportunities for students to work on real-world client based projects. 

DVC:

• We contacted Joann Deming in 2021 and 2022 to discuss our plans.   DVC as several low unit options,in subjects including animation, graphic design, digital illustration and UI/UX.  
• This particular low-unit certificate more closely matches ours. DVC is 30 minutes away, and has far more course offerings and robust program/certificate offerings than Solano College, but serves a different service area, being in Contra Costa County.  
   
  
  

Santa Rosa Junior College:

• The Santa Rosa Graphic Design Certificate of Achievement has a 36 unit value, significantly more than our 24 unit certificate.  The requirements for this certificate include two 1.5 unit courses which are workshop/professionalism courses. For the graphic design certificate, which is lower unit and includes Digital Media Projects (formerly Graphic Design 2) these workshops are not necessary. Santa Rosa College is also 58 minutes away from Solano College, making this college a lesser competitor in our general service area.