M07-04 · AI + Creative Production & Design

Digital Design Tools Proficiency

Develops professional fluency across the core digital design tool stack used in creative production. Students build working proficiency in Figma (design systems, components, variants, auto layout, dev mode, prototyping), Adobe Photoshop (compositing, mockups, photo editing), Adobe Illustrator (vector design, logo production, print-ready output), Adobe InDesign (multi-page document layout), Adobe After Effects (motion graphics and animation), Adobe Premiere Pro (video editing), and Blender basics (3D modeling and rendering). Emphasis is on tool selection — knowing which tool is right for which task — and efficient professional workflows.

40 Hours

8 Learning objectives

Create Bloom's ceiling (?)

6 Competencies

What You'll Be Able To Do

Learning Objectives

Objectives

Depth

Demonstrate professional Figma proficiency: building pages from components, applying variants and auto layout constraints, creating prototyping interactions, and using dev mode for developer collaboration Apply
Create photo composites and product mockups in Adobe Photoshop using layers, masks, adjustment layers, and smart objects Create
Produce vector artwork in Adobe Illustrator for logos, icons, and print-ready production files with properly structured layers and artboards Create
Design multi-page documents in Adobe InDesign using master pages, paragraph/character styles, linked assets, and the packaging function for file handoff Create
Create motion graphics sequences in Adobe After Effects including keyframe animation, text animation, and basic expressions for social media and presentation use Create
Edit video projects in Adobe Premiere Pro including multi-track editing, transitions, titles, color grading, and export for web and social delivery Apply
Analyze which design tool is optimal for a given task based on output type, file format requirements, collaboration needs, and production context Analyze
Create basic 3D product renders in Blender for use in mockups and social media content Create

Levels: Remember · Understand · Apply · Analyze · Evaluate · Create — highest demands most original thinking.

Core Competencies

What You'll Master

Figma Mastery

Design systems, component architecture (variants, auto layout, nested components), prototyping (interactions, transitions, smart animate), dev mode and inspect, version history, collaboration workflows.

Adobe Photoshop Production

Photo editing, compositing, mockup creation, batch processing with actions, layer management, non-destructive editing with adjustment layers and smart objects.

Adobe Illustrator Vector Production

Logo creation, icon sets, print-ready vector artwork, pen tool proficiency, pathfinder operations, artboard management, SVG/EPS/AI export.

Adobe InDesign Layout

Multi-page documents, master pages, styles, linked images, preflight, packaging for handoff, long-document features (TOC, cross-references).

Motion and Video

After Effects keyframe animation, text and shape layer animation, basic expressions, Premiere Pro editing workflows, export settings for web/social delivery.

Tool Selection Judgment

Choosing the right tool for the task (Figma for UI/collaboration, Illustrator for vector/print, Photoshop for raster/composite, InDesign for multi-page, After Effects for motion, Blender for 3D) and transferring work between tools efficiently.

Portfolio Artifact

What You'll Build

Cross-Tool Campaign Production — Student produces a complete campaign across all tools: brand identity elements in Illustrator (logo, icons), social media layouts in Figma (6 templates with components), photo composite hero image in Photoshop, 4-page brochure in InDesign, 15-second animated social post in After Effects, 30-second promo video in Premiere Pro, and a 3D product render in Blender. Includes a process document explaining tool selection rationale for each deliverable.

Tools You'll Use

Industry Tools, Not Toy Projects

Figma

Collaborative design tool for UI, components, prototyping, design systems, and developer handoff.

Adobe Photoshop

Raster image editing, photo compositing, product mockups, and batch processing with actions.

Adobe Illustrator

Vector design for logos, icons, and print-ready production files with multi-format export.

Adobe InDesign

Multi-page document layout with master pages, styles, and professional file packaging.

Adobe After Effects

Motion graphics, keyframe animation, text animation, and expressions for social media content.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Video editing with multi-track editing, transitions, titles, color grading, and web export.

Blender

Open-source 3D modeling and rendering for product visualization and social media content.