Introduction to Digital Media Design

David Leicester Hardy is an assistant professor at James Madison University in Virginia and is a multidisciplinary graphic designer working in web, interactive, print-based, and motion graphics design. With over fifteen years of professional experience, he has worked for advertising agencies, educational institutions, private firms, non-profit institutions, and artists and musicians.

Introduction: Convergence with Tech, Divergence of Media

- Progress of graphic design
- Rationale and objectives of the book

1. User Interface and Digital Design

- Familiar controls, their uses and variations
- Text and object size for screen and target size for touch controls
- Hierarchy and visual flow in digital design
- Strategic use of color and texture
- Signal-to-noise ratio in headings, descriptors, commands, etc.
- Methods of overlaying text on images
- How to reduce visual clutter using modularity and affordance
- Interface design process from sketch to high-fidelity product


2. User Experience and Strategy

- Rapid prototyping processes and workflow
- User research and creation of personas
- Data-driven design and experiential praxis
- User-centered design that considers empathy and psychology
- Screen sizes and performance / task hierarchy
- Gestalt theory for functional elements

3. Animation and Motion Graphics

- Motion design principles
- 2D animation in 3D space
- Five basic transformations
- Pacing, audio integration, and transitions
- Digital storytelling as an emotionally compelling and engaging format
- Uses and final output for animation and motion graphics

4. Interaction Design

- IxD’s relationship to UI
- Extending animation for user-interfaces
- Microinteraction description and process
- Delighting users through perceived tactile experiences
- Intuitive systems and patterns
- Various methods for prototyping interactions

5. Design for the Web

- Layout strategy for various viewport widths
- Important takeaways in quickly learning HTML (structure) and CSS (styling)
- The concept of semantic mark-up, and how it bolsters visual design
- Creative coding and how to quickly iterate “in the browser”
- How to design in chunks using the sandwich technique
- Tips for designing something that’s actually possible to build with code

6. Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality

- Conceptualizing virtual experiences for brand / business objectives
- Calculating field of motion and periphery
- Designing UI with proximity in mind
- Workflow beginning from a popular design software
- Overview of 3D development platform
- Outline of ARkit and Swift technologies

Epilogue: Standing on the precipice

- Recap the tenets of working in a multidisciplinary way
- Predictions for the next 10-15 years
- Wrap-up