More than Graphic Design: A Look into the World of Viscom

by Amelie Cox

Visual Communication, also known as Viscom, is another world in and of itself. The rabbit hole of umbrella categories and sub-disciplines can be overwhelming at first glance. However, ACC’s faculty and staff have centered the department around student success. 

With an emerging digital presence, specialized graphic skills are more prominent than ever. The ACC Visual Design program was introduced in the Fall semester of 2019 and was added to the 2020 catalog. With this, students gained access to four programs within the department that offer in-depth, experience based education to prepare them for the work field. 

Graphic Design is at the forefront of Visual Communication as it is the most common and well known discipline; however, the umbrella of visual communication encompasses many different fields and niches that are easily unrecognizable due to the more common title. Viscom breaks down these specializations into the programs: Graphic Media Production, Graphic Design, Visual Design, and User Experience Design (UX). 

These programs sit on a spectrum, with a fair amount of overlap between each discipline. “The design field isn’t as siloed as it might appear to be,” program specialist Zoe Dahmen said. 

For many, the Viscom spectrum of disciplines is a starting place when entering the program. Graphic designed by Amelie Cox.

On one end of the spectrum we have Graphic Media Production, with expertise on the technical side of software and print production. Students are equipped with a deep understanding of printers, ink and how to prepare files for press, as well as similar skills on the digital end with screen-based applications. Graphic Media Production and Graphic Design go hand in hand, sharing the same foundation classes and working side by side to produce products. 

With skills primarily focused on print, Graphic Design students learn to create through typography, visual language, color imagery, type, space, layout, and composition. This discipline has been around as long as the print industry has, and they are responsible for designing a range of products from books, magazines and posters to packaging and branding.

Visual Design encompasses almost everything on screen as its primary focus is on digital platforms. As a newer technological concept that split off from graphic design over the last 5-10 years, there is a specific set of skills centered around screen-based applications. Students “need to know about responsiveness, meaning how windows can be resized,” department chair and professor Joisah Spence said. “They understand user interface, how users interact with things and how to make that interaction easy.” All of these skills are still based on basic design concepts that the graphic design program teaches.

At the other end of the spectrum there is UX Design – completely focused on the digital side. “There is less of an emphasis on aesthetics,” Dahmen said. Courses focus on designing interfaces for user friendly access, across a plethora of platforms. 

Ultimately UX is concerned with “what it is and how it works,” think of it as the psychology of design with a focus on how users think. Within this umbrella of user experience is information architecture, where students learn how to organize in a way that users can find what they need. 

Each discipline interacts with another, with Visual Design being the overlapping point of a lot of skills. This is where some confusion arises, even within the job market – which is exactly why the Viscom team is aiming to provide more information to students upfront. 

Fortunately, part of Dahmen’s job is just this. “I primarily advise students at every stage of them moving through the program,” Dahmen said. “I make sure they’re in the right program that fits their goals, what they ultimately want to do, and ensure it is in the timeline they want to achieve them on.”

Because the Visual Design program is rather new, and the term is not well known, students may enter ACC under the Graphic Design program but really have a digital focus in mind. The department seeks to make it easier for students to understand the difference between the programs and find what fits best for them. 

“To make this all more complicated, a lot of hiring managers don’t use the terminology in the same way that has become industry standard,” Spence said. He further emphasizes that when looking at job postings it is important to read the descriptions – as they may list the job under one title such as UX Designer, but really mean Visual Designer, and so forth. 

Another lack of clarity often falls within coding. “We teach all of our students a little bit of coding,” Spence said. “It’s just enough to understand the basics and to be able to interact with coders.” As with the other programs, there is a lot of overlap, especially with UX and visual design; however, coding is a separate discipline, and department entirely – that being Computer Information Technology. 

All of this goes to show how complex the world of design is, leading individuals to wonder where they stand. 

There are a variety of things to consider when deciding which department is the best fit, starting with the question, “am I more of a visual person, or conceptual person?” Furthermore, if you are a visual person, are you drawn towards aesthetics and working through how to communicate to audiences visually, or are your interests more on the technical side of software? Another key thing to consider is if you are more interested in hands-on creation or lean towards the growth industry of technical design. 

It is a lot to consider, and that is exactly what advisors in the department are here to help with. Students are urged to meet with these specialists as soon as they can, and encouraged to reach out even before starting their journey at ACC. And alas, the overlap in each area allows for some wiggle room if students do decide to shift into a different program. You can schedule your advising appointment and get a more in-depth look at what each program offers on the Student Field Guide

Viscom programs all come together as a department for the Spring semester  Portfolio Show on May 11 at the new Make It Center in Building 2000 at the Highland campus. This gives students an opportunity to showcase their work, as well as give prospective students a look into what skills are developed in each program. 

SXSW: Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase, Unwrapped

Many projects and discussions have taken place at SXSW Festival 2023. Among them, ACCENT Reporter Marisela Perez Maita was able to cover the uprising innovation showcase that offered a glimpse into the transformative state of our future.

by Marisela Perez Maita

On March 11, 2023, 55 finalists across 14 categories presented their innovative projects at the JW Marriott Downtown conference rooms. These categories included health, design, tech, audio and AI. Here are five of the numerous stands that were present:

Musichealth

The Musichealth stand – Photos by Claudia Hinojos

Musichealth is an AI that uses music therapy to help patients with dementia and their caregivers. The software —called Vera— creates a playlist that brings nostalgia and reminiscence of the patient’s past to their present. Once the patient starts listening to a song they enjoy and remember, their mood and behaviors change, relaxing the patient’s body and mind and making it much easier for caregivers to carry them through different activities. Combining neuroscience, technology and music, Musichealth helps dementia patients reconnect with emotions and caring memories

Edubank

The Edubank stand – Photos by Claudia Hinojos

Founded in Brazil, Edubank is a bank that provides credits to schools in Latin America. The founder, Daniel Costa, started this project after realizing how the lack of financial support retains Brazilian schools for improvement. Traditional banks don’t like to give credit nor provide access to capital for education because “It’s too complicated” according to Costa. For this reason, institutions have a hard time finding resources to improve their facilities and quality of education. Edubank has helped over 400 schools in Brazilian states. They hope to reach 1 million students by 2026. 

Chptr

How a profile looks like in Chptr – Photos courtesy of Claudia Hinojos

Chptr is an app for those who want to remember relatives and friends who have passed away. The way it works is very simple. People join a “profile” which is the space created for that person, and anyone invited to that profile can add a memory or a moment. A memory is either a video or audio where the user expresses their emotions or thoughts. A moment are pictures, videos, conversations or any media that shows how that person was for those who loved them. Chptr embraces memory, grief and love through the timeless space of technology.

The app is completely free and can be downloaded from the App Store or Play Store. 

Neuralight

Reporter Marisela Perez Maita testing Neuralight technology; The Neuralight stand and demonstration data – Photos courtesy of Claudia Hinojo

Neuralight is an AI that, by capturing oculometric movements, diagnoses neuronal disorders, measures sickness progression, and allows doctors to find the best treatment for the patient. Neuralight presenters pointed out that neurological disorders are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease, nd many of them share similar symptoms, so the risk of being misdiagnosed is high. Some of the most common are Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Huntington’s Disease (HD), and Major Depressive Disorder (MD). Neuralight’s technology uses oculometric data to diagnose and predict these disorders accurately. Following a dot on a screen, gives information such as reaction time and many other complex neurological data that are useful for medical diagnosis. 

Shrimpbox 

The Shrimpbox stand – Photos courtesy of Claudia Hinojos

The company Atarraya presented Shrimpbox the first AI-powered aquaculture farm designed to allow the production of shrimp sustainably. Traditional shrimp production pollutes oceans, destroys habitats, and contributes to overfishing. For this reason, Atarraya built the technology to cultivate shrimps in a “box” that replicates the breeding environment of the shrimps, be it in urban, hot or cold areas. The box can be built anywhere in the world, making it a sustainable farm that significantly decreases the environmental impact. 

From the presented stands, Neuralight won in the category of Health and MedTech. The Finalists Showcase emboldens the importance of festivals like South by South West, where people with brilliant ideas get the opportunity to showcase their passions and innovations to others and inspire more ideas to come.

Student Organization of the Year

Photo By: Joe Van Vranken
Story By: Halie Davis

STEAM
The purpose of STEAM as a student organization is to create a a network of students entering the file of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.

Some of us may, still, be getting familiar with the education acronym for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Evolving with the world, however, many institutions are adding an “A” to make STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) a more inclusive organization. Last year, a small group of ACC students met to construct a 3D-world out of the, seemingly, one-dimensional experiences they were receiving at ACC.

Read more about the STEAM story in Life4U magazine or pick up an issue on your campus.