COURSE CURRICULUM

The Communication Design diploma at North Island College offers two focused streams—Design and Development, and Design and Media—each providing a comprehensive, hands-on curriculum to prepare students for careers in digital communication, web development, and visual media. In the Design and Development stream, students begin in Year 1 with foundational courses such as Digital Culture, Graphic Design Foundations, HTML and CSS, Digital Graphics, User Experience and Interface Design, Typography, and JavaScript. They also choose a programming course (such as Computer Programming I or C++), a business course (either Principles of Business or Marketing), and one English elective from a broad selection. Year 2 builds on these skills with courses in PHP, Graphic Design and Branding, Advanced CSS, WordPress Development, Project Management, Social Media, Advanced Topics in Design, a Capstone Project, and one elective from business, digital design, English, or fine arts. In the Design and Media stream, Year 1 includes many of the same digital foundations but substitutes programming with digital photography. Students choose similar business and English electives along with an additional elective from related disciplines. Year 2 focuses on creative media with courses such as Graphic Design and Branding, Advanced CSS, WordPress Development, Video and Sound 1 and 2, Project Management, Social Media, Advanced Topics in Design, a Capstone Project, and one approved elective. Both streams emphasize user experience design, multimedia storytelling, and portfolio development using industry-standard tools and practices. Students planning to transfer to Vancouver Island University’s Bachelor of Design program must select specific English courses to meet block transfer requirements. Graduates leave the program with a professional portfolio that reflects their chosen direction and skills, preparing them for employment in communication design, UX/UI design, graphic design, multimedia production, concept art, and web or application development in the creative technology industry.