September 27, 2021Students Learn to Think and Design in 4D
First-year students in our School of Design are thinking beyond a two-dimensional world. They are even designing beyond 3D. Our students are learning to incorporate 4D in their innovative designs.
In 2020, assistant professor Kimberly Mitchell and lecturers Christopher Cote and Timothy Arment created a new course for students in the School of Design Foundations program that introduces the principles, processes and applications of design through a unique lens: Multiple dimensions.
“Students explore the language of design, how it is influenced by form, content, audience, message and context in two-, three- and four-dimensional forms,” said Arment, who is teaching the class in fall 2021.
Once students have conquered the principles of design in a 3D environment using framing, lighting, photographing and curating, they launch into 4D animation. Through this, students are translating and simulating physical motion in digital space and learning how motion can be used to enhance and create meaning in design.
The 4D skills are not just innovative and interesting; they can be used in many professions. “Animation is a lucrative skill set that can be applied to a wide range of professions, from graphic design, web design and film, even engineering and medical sciences,” Arment said.
Arment received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he focused on digital art, 3D animation and VR game design. Arment’s fine art practice typically uses software and cutting-edge technology to investigate the boundaries of reality and perception.
