Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Junior/Senior Design Studio (Face-to-Face)

ART 4240-01

Course: ART 4240-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ARTD
CRN: 10444

Course Description

This course will operate as a supervised in-house design studio for students to gain practical experience. Professional practices are stressed; students assume responsibility for scheduling, budgeting, sourcing, client communications, and product supervision. (Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): ART 3240 and ART 4230 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C Registration Restriction(s): Art Foundation Review required

Required Texts

There are no required textbooks for this course.

However, there is required equipment:

  • Laptop computer (Mac or PC)

  • Adobe Creative Cloud Required (Free access is available to all design majors)

Students are expected to arrive prepared to work during scheduled studio time.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate professional design studio practices
    Apply industry-standard workflows for client communication, scheduling, time tracking, and deliverable management.

  2. Produce effective design solutions for real clients
    Create visual communication work that addresses client needs, constraints, and audiences.

  3. Collaborate effectively within a team
    Contribute meaningfully to group projects through communication, reliability, and shared responsibility.

  4. Present and defend design work professionally
    Articulate design decisions through presentations, critiques, and written rationale.

  5. Demonstrate technical proficiency
    Apply appropriate tools and software to execute professional-quality design work.

Course Requirements

Professional Readiness

During the first full week of class, students are required to participate in an individual interview and submit:

  • A current résumé (PDF)

  • A portfolio (website preferred; PDF acceptable)

Students will also complete baseline skills demonstrations in:

  • Adobe Photoshop

  • Adobe Illustrator

  • Adobe InDesign

These skills checks are used for project placement and team roles.

Grading Categories

1. Attendance & Time Tracking — 25%

This course operates like a professional design studio. Attendance and time accountability are mandatory.

  • Students must submit a weekly time log documenting hours worked by project.

  • Time logs must be submitted by the stated deadline each week.

  • Failure to submit a weekly time log results in a 0% for that week, regardless of attendance or work completed.

  • Time cannot be approved retroactively.

Each weekly time log accounts for approximately 2% of the final course grade.

2. Participation & Teamwork — 15%

Students are expected to actively contribute to studio work and team projects.

Evaluation is based on:

  • Professional conduct

  • Communication

  • Reliability

  • Initiative

  • Contribution quality

Peer evaluations will be conducted during the semester and used to inform this grade.

3. Design Work & Deliverables — 35%

This category evaluates:

  • Conceptual strength and problem-solving

  • Craft and execution

  • Responsiveness to feedback

  • Completion of assigned deliverables

  • Professional file preparation

Grades are based on milestone reviews and final project outcomes.

4. Presentation & Client Communication — 15%

Students are evaluated on:

  • Client presentations

  • In-class critiques

  • Written and verbal rationale

  • Professional communication standards

5. Skills Checks & Professional Conduct — 10%

Includes:

  • Software skills demonstrations

  • Adherence to studio expectations

  • Professional behavior

This category may also reflect exceptional leadership or persistent professionalism concerns.

CategoryWeightAttendance & Time Tracking | 25%
Participation & Teamwork | 15%
Design Work & Deliverables | 35%
Presentation & Communication | 15%
Skills & Professional Conduct | 10%
Total | 100%

Course Outline

Week | 1 | Course introduction; studio expectations; resume & portfolio preparation; interviews begin
Week | 2 | Student interviews; skills checks (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign); team organization
Week | 3 | Finalize interviews; establish teams; studio workflow setup; project onboarding
Week | 4 | Design Project Set 1: Research, discovery, and concept development
Week | 5 | Design Project Set 1: Design development; internal critiques
Week | 6 | Design Project Set 1: Refinement and production
Week | 7 | Design Project Set 1: Client presentations and feedback
Week | 8 | Design Project Set 2: Research and concept development
Week | 9 | Design Project Set 2: Design development; internal critiques
Week | 10 | Design Project Set 2: Refinement and production
Week | 11 | Design Project Set 2: Client presentations and revisions
Week | 12 | Design Project Set 3 or extended client work: Production
Week | 13 | Design Project Set 3 or extended client work: Final client presentations
Week | 14 | Portfolio updates; documentation; final peer presentations and reflection

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Meeting deadlines is essential in a client-based studio environment.

  • Missed deadlines may impact both individual and team grades.

  • Late work will only be accepted with prior communication and instructor approval.

  • Approved late work may be penalized up to 25%.

  • Work submitted after critiques or client presentations without approval will receive a grade of zero.

Attendance Policy

Studio attendance is mandatory and will be verified through a student-submitted weekly time sheet.
  • Students missing more than 25% of scheduled studio time may receive a final grade no higher than a C– and may fail the course regardless of project performance.
  • Excused absences require documentation and prior communication when possible.
  • Each missing weekly timesheet will reduce the student's grade by 2%


Course Fees

This is a 3-credit course with a $19.00 per credit program fee, totaling $57.00.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.