About This Course

This course teaches the fundamental methods and processes needed to conceptualize, communicate and sell ideas in today’s business environment. Conducted in a studio context, students are exposed to various tools and techniques from social media to prototyping tools. The Fundamentals Studio will lay the framework and structure to delivering all other course work.


Core Concepts and Ideas

The importance of quick and iterative ‘making’ is critical in today’s ‘all-beta-all-the-time’ business culture. Thought leadership is a means without an end if the concept can’t be successfully visually and semantically articulated to the end audience. The ability to quickly develop and illustrate an idea is the most critical step toward its successful implementation.

In this class, you’ll learn a simple process which to follow and adopt throughout your time here at AC4D:

  • When we think, we will make.
  • When we make, we will reflect.
  • When we understand, we will iterate.
  • When we know it is ‘good enough,’ we’ll release.

Reading List
Outcomes and Competencies

The following outcome statements articulate the competencies, abilities, and skills a student will have as a result of completing this class. Students will...

  • Create and maintain a social presence that builds their personal brands online
  • Maintain a personal blog that captures their course work, grows their brand thesis, and engages the community at large
  • Be an effective communicator of ideas both visually and verbally
  • Be able to build digital prototypes that illustrate their ideas
  • Be able to select a prototyping tool and medium that is appropriate to the given situation and problem
  • Grow their understanding of the cycles of business innovation

Course Schedule

# Class Description
Before class 1 Make sure your computer is ready with the appropriate software.
1 Social Media and Personal Brand Fundamentals of social media management and setup of your AC4D workflow 9/3
2 Story Telling The key to winning any argument is the art of storytelling, we’ll explore various techniques and recipes for success 9/10
3 Visualizing Ideas We’ll work on developing fast, quick visualization techniques that help communicate ideas 9/17
4 Creating Valuable Arguments We’ll use real world examples to develop business solutions using the previous class learning 9/24
5 Digital Prototyping 1 We’ll work to develop detailed prototypes using sketch techniques 10/1
6 Digital Prototyping 2 We’ll work to develop detailed prototypes using wireframing and animation techniques 10/8
7 Marketing in the Social Age We’ll learn how to effectively market ideas to various constituents 10/15
8 Delivering a Compelling Pitch We’ll bring all the pieces together to deliver a compelling pitch deck for consumption by investors 10/22