the program
A history of innovation.
A spirit of adaptation.
Our origins started as the renowned 'Boulder Digital Works' in 2010 at the peak of the digital revolution... then we evolved into the 'Masters of Strategic Communication Design' and integrated more fully with CU... and now (at the peak of another tech revolution) we're becoming 'The Brand Studios at CU'. Bringing together our DNA of innovation with a graduate-level academic curiosity. Read on to learn more. (And please call us The Studios. We're friends now.)
In the Design Studio, you'll explore UX/UI design and acquire advanced Brand Design skills, with a primary focus on User Experience. This track prepares students for design roles by teaching them to bring an entrepreneur’s perspective to problem-solving. Whatever your passion—UX, brand, product, or experiential design—you’ll learn to incorporate new technologies and methods into human-centered design principles. This is not a design-for-design-sake program. It's built on strategically motivated design – Design with a purpose. Graduates of this program go on to roles in User Experience Design, Graphic Design, Brand Design, and Experiential Design, in addition to starting businesses of their own.
The User Experience Design Curriculum:
APRD 5001 Foundations of Branding *
APRD 5009 Principles of Visual Design *
APRD 5002 Foundations of Experience Design
APRD 5006 Design for Startups
APRD 5003 Advanced Brand Design *
APRD 5004 Designing the Customer Journey
APRD 5008 Designing for Scale
APRD 5018 Innovative Technologies for Design
APRD 5014 Advanced Tools for Interaction Design
APRD 5015 Brand Design for Sustainable Futures
APRD 5012 Entrepreneurial Design
APRD 5011 Digital Design Portfolio *
APRD 5020 Design Leadership *
In the Ad Studio, you will study Creative Advertising, gaining knowledge in brand storytelling, with an emphasis on Copywriting or Art Direction. Like its sister track, this graduate program teaches students to bring an entrepreneur’s perspective to problem-solving at the highest levels. In this case, to solving branding and advertising problems for clients from major corporations to small start-ups and everything in between. Graduates of this program go on to roles in Copywriting, Art Direction, Content Creation, and eventually Creative Direction, in addition to starting businesses of their own.
The Creative Advertising Curriculum:
APRD 5001 Foundations of Branding *
APRD 5009 Principles of Visual Design *
APRD 5103 Principles of Storytelling
APRD 5101 Conceptual Thinking
APRD 5003 Advanced Brand Design *
APRD 5109 Advanced Storytelling
APRD 5104 Creative Campaigns 1
APRD 5108 Social/Digital Thinking
APRD 5105 Brand Activations
APRD 5114 Creative Campaigns 2
APRD 5110 Video Storytelling
APRD 5011 Digital Design Portfolio *
APRD 5020 Design Leadership *
Curious for more?
Email the Directors.
Yes, talk directly to the director of either studio to learn more, book a visit, or schedule a video chat.
The Design Studio - Parisa Tashakori, parisa@colorado.edu
The Ad Studio - Jeff Gillette, jeff.gillette@colorado.edu