At Full Sail, our art and design degrees are designed to equip artists with a comprehensive toolbox, combining traditional skills like drawing with digital techniques like motion graphics and 3D arts. To help better equip students for careers in design-related industries, Full Sail is adding new courses to its art and design areas of study, diving deeper into topics including 2D animation and product design.

We recently sat down with Program Director Eric Rosenfeld to discuss these two new courses and how they provide exciting new opportunities for students studying in graphic design and digital arts and design.

“They're both sort of traditional concepts in their industries. 2D animation is something that has been around for a long time. Package design is something that's been around here for a long time, but we’re approaching it with really fresh, modern perspectives.”

2D Animation Techniques (Digital Arts & Design)

In 2D Animation Techniques, students will explore motion graphics and motion design by utilizing traditional animation techniques and concepts and combining them with modern technologies. The course focuses on applying the principles of animation to original designs while exploring two-dimensional cartooning styles, including the animation of characters in a variety of motion graphic settings.

“We're doing more character work in that class, exploring walk cycles, and just anything that can extend the students' already pretty in-depth knowledge of motion graphics into new areas,” says Eric. “I'm excited just to see where the student projects go. The students will continuously surprise us. They are immersed in the culture of design and the culture of animation. They are exploring it in ways that I didn't even consider.”

Utilizing programs including Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D, students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to produce high-quality animations for a variety of digital mediums including, film and video, live events, web design, and more.

Packaging and Prototypes (Graphic Design)

In Packaging and Prototypes, students explore an age-old aspect of the design industry: package design. In the four-week course, students will take a packaging concept from idea to reality, producing a portfolio-ready prototype that meets industry standards and elicits their creative resourcefulness and craftsmanship.

“Even if you're a designer who's not focusing so much on the packaging, the creative process and the effort to do these projects are a great way to demonstrate not only your creativity but your imagination and your technical prowess. Any art director looking at these types of work will understand the time and skill that it took to create them.”

Instructors cover the spectrum of manufacturing from food packaging and pharmaceuticals to entertainment. Students will explore paper engineering, dieline construction, and best practices in prototyping and modeling as they work to complete their finished designs. The course also includes a focus on utilizing and designing with sustainable materials, an important factor in the industry’s future.