Specializations

Culture and Digital Media I

The course focuses on basic theoretical and methodological principles of cultural representation, as a process defining the transmission/dissemination of specific elements or data in a variety of historical, economic, social and cultural settings through the creation of a “narrative”. Because every “narrative” is a form of “communication”, every narrative action can be dealt with as a “communicative action”. Based on this perspective, the theoretical aspect from which cultural representation processes are approached in the context of the course is centered on their analysis as communicational systems. Therefore the course focuses on contemporary digital forms of cultural representation interconnected with information and communication technologies (ICT) and digital media.

Mixed and Virtual Reality Games/Applications Development I

This course aims into introducing students to the basics of interactive applications/games design, along with the use of 3D Graphics for real-time interactive applications/games development. Moreover, the course focuses on Mixed and Virtual Reality applications/games design, and it provides a hands-on experience on their development.

Introduction to Graphic Design

The course introduces fundamental design elements and principles and their use for an effective communication process. The topics include basic terminology and design rules that aim to lead to the discovery and understanding of visual language. Speculate on issues such as form and composition, balance, rhythm, and harmony and their value in the design process. The basic principles of the theory of color and its semiology are also analyzed, as well as typography and the typographic grid. Finally, the course approaches the necessary graphic design applications of a promotional campaign, the strategy (branding), and the corporate identity's role in the profile of a business or organization, logo design implementation, and the corporate identity adaptation to printed and digital applications such as letterheads, brochures, and websites.

3D Graphics

3D Graphics are used for creating virtual worlds integrated into desktop computer and/or mobile applications. Moreover, 3D Graphics are commonly used into Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality applications. This course aims into providing an introduction towards 3D Graphics, while it proceeds into showcasing advanced methods and tools for their design and creation. Finally, the course focuses on 3D Graphics used in real-time interactive applications development.

Culture and Digital Media II

In this course we develop a critical and creative approach to the design of interactive multimedia applications in contemporary cultural production. In particular, we bring cultural and media theories in dialogue with basic principles of user-interface design in order to enrich meaningful cultural data and communicative modalities with stimulating interactions and experiences. In so doing, we examine and experiment on conceptual and methodological tools and methods in various media technologies and forms that foreground information, storytelling, play and navigation.

Mixed and Virtual Reality Games/Applications Development II

This course implements the design and development principles, introduced during Mixed and Virtual Reality Games/Applications Development I, to such games/applications development frameworks. During this course students have a hands-on experience on developing interactive real-time games/applications using 3D Graphics for desktop computers and mobile devices. Also, during this course students are introduced into developing Mixed and Virtual Reality games/applications. 

User Interface design for Desktop, Mobile, Mixed and Virtual Reality applications 

The course focuses on introducing students to the theoretical foundations and design principles of graphical user interfaces, while it applies them in a variety of applications developed for desktop computers, mobile devices and Mixed/Virtual Reality systems. Finally, the course showcases the methods and tools used for evaluating graphical user interfaces.

Fundamentals of Mixed and Virtual Reality Design

This course provides an extensive introduction to Virtual and Mixed Reality (VR, MR) technologies by closely examining the historical context, the cultural narratives, as well as the technological landscape that sustained the slow-burning formation of the contemporary medium for over two centuries. The three main lines of inquiry followed establish correlations between the vision that propelled VR’s development with the practical challenges of its comprising parts, their technical specifications, and the system’s formable architecture.

More specifically, this course examines:

• The essence of virtual reality through a critical and exhaustive appraisal of the prophets, visionaries, and the wide variety of artifacts that have been foretelling the arrival of the technology since the 18th century
• The virtual reality system’s structural functions and their subsequent modalities based on inductive reasoning which allows a differentiation between the process of immersion and content design for application development
• VR’s state-of-the-art both as an industry and a field of science, with some emphasis on the curation of immersive technologies in and for cultural heritage
• The theoretical background of the scientific field of Virtual Reality with emphasis on the demanding experimental design