The Multimedia Communication track of the Professional Writing Minor is centered around producing effective multimedia content for professional audiences. Projects, readings, and class activities give students opportunities to exercise their creativity by bringing together effective writing and design to produce media in print and online documents. Advanced computer skills are not required, but a willingness to learn new software is essential.

Visit the Multimedia Website

 

The Multimedia Communication track offers flexible projects suited to students with a variety of majors and career plans. Typical projects include:

  • Designing and redesigning professional documents including business cards, letterhead, resume, and logo - building a personal or organizational brand
  • Engaging in audience analysis, market research, and usability and accessibility studies
  • Creating effective text/image combinations for advertisements or other visual forms
  • Designing slides for a professional-quality oral presentation
  • Writing, designing, and coding a professional online portfolio

Through tutorials, individualized help, and hands-on practice - often in collaboration with classmates - students learn to identify and use the right software for each project, including industry-shaping design, sound, and video editing tools. They also explore web resources for producing print and online work and build their own professional website to showcase their strongest projects.

 

RECOMMENDED PREPARATION COURSES FOR THE MULTIMEDIA TRACK: 

Any course in the Writing 105, Writing 107, and Writing 109 series fulfills a prerequisite for the Minor. Writing 20, Writing 124, Writing 131, and Writing 160 are also acceptable as prerequisites. For this track, the following courses are most closely aligned:

  • WRIT 105M: Multimedia Writing
  • WRIT 105PS: Writing for Public Speaking
  • WRIT 107B: Business and Administrative Writing
  • WRIT 107M: Magazine Writing for Publication
  • WRIT 107P: Writing for Public Relations

 

About the Capstones for this Track

 

WRIT 155A: DOCUMENT DESIGN AND PRODUCTION (Winter)

This capstone is a project-based course with a focus on understanding the intersection of writing and visual design. The assignments in the course ask you to refine your writing style, compose in multiple media, design documents effectively, and use a variety of software programs. Students will learn about brand elements such as typography, logos, icons, and more that culminate in the major Brand Style Guide project. See student examples of brand style guides from this capstone:

 

WRIT 155B: DIGITAL PORTFOLIO (Spring)

The class will introduce you to principles of design thinking that can be applied to various contexts and careers. Thinking like a designer, students will feel empowered to solve real-world problems through design. Students will also create their own digital portfolio to showcase their work.

 

About the Internship for this Track 

 

WRIT 150: INTERNSHIP (Spring) and/or WRIT 162: ADVANCED PUBLIC SPEAKING or WRIT 161: DIGITAL STORY (Spring - depending on which course is offered that year) 

Writing, design, and software skills are important in a wide range of professional fields. Students do internships with a variety of local publications, businesses, non-profits, and campus organizations; some students also pursue online internships.

Here are a few of the places where Multimedia Communication students have had internships: American Lung Association, The Independent, Isla Vista Arts, Lynda.com, MediaTrust, QAD, Santa Barbara Magazine, Santa Barbara Natural History Museum, UCSB Alumni Association.

 

Interest in this Track? Email the Track Director

 

We recommend expressing your interest to the director(s) of the track or tracks you are interested in. They will know more in depth details regarding their specific track.

Director

  • Madeleine Sorapure,  sorapure@writing.ucsb.edu
  • Trish Fancher,  pfancher@writing.ucsb.edu