Page Index
Laptop Requirement
All design students are required to have a laptop by the start of Autumn quarter of their sophomore year. At a minimum, the laptop should have an Intel dual-core i5 or higher processor, 8GB of RAM (preferably 16GB), and 512GB minimum SSD in storage capacity. If possible, we recommend you purchase more storage capacity—either 1TB SSD or an external drive that can hold 2TB. Depending on your major, a Mac or a PC is recommended:
- Visual Communication Design Majors: In Visual Communication Design, the Apple platform is dominant. Specialized graphic design software (such as Glyphs and Principle) is only available on the Apple platform. The laptop should have wireless capability and be able to run a recent version of the Adobe Creative Cloud software (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, and Premiere Pro).
- Interaction Design Majors: Interaction Designers are divided between Apple and PC. Note that motion graphics, 3D animation/rendering, game design, and VR need a powerful GPU, so if your interests lie in those directions, you could consider building your own PC to meet these requirements. Additionally, a PC may be easier to work with if you plan to focus on Arduino/Raspberry Pi work and physical computing. The laptop should have wireless capability and be able to run a recent version of the Adobe Creative Cloud software (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, and Premiere Pro).
- Industrial Design Majors: The Industrial Design program recommends that all incoming ID majors purchase Windows-based PC laptops. Macbooks released after 2023 no longer support the Windows-based operating systems required to run several CAD modeling programs including SolidWorks. Basic system requirements for SolidWorks can be found here. These include a laptop running Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, Intel i7 or i9, 16 -32 GB of RAM, and 512GB—1TB SSD drive. Please note:
- SolidWorks and other 3D programs benefit from recommended graphics cards including brands like NVIDIA. A full list can be found here. In addition to CAD modeling, rendering and animation software such as KeyShot can be computer-intensive so we recommend you purchase Intel i7 or i9 chips with an increased number of cores.
- Some computers commonly recommended include the Dell XPS, Lenovo, ASUS, and Microsoft laptops. The laptop should also have wireless capability and run a recent version of the Adobe Creative Cloud software (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, and Premiere Pro) and CAD modeling programs.
Software for the Design Sophomore Year
- Sophomores entering the Design major will need to use the Adobe Creative Cloud service. Your subscription should include: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Acrobat Pro. This software is only available via subscription directly through Adobe. Adobe does offer academic pricing.
- Students, especially Visual Communication Design students, may want to use a font management program such as Font Book (free, built into OSX), or Linotype FontExplorer X. Microsoft Office is available for all UW students for free as part of the UW STF program.
First Day Attendance
- Instructors assume that, if you are not present for roll call on the first day of a studio class, you have decided not to remain enrolled. If you miss the first day without permission of the instructor, it is your responsibility to drop the course and you will be required to do so. We are reinforcing this official School policy because:
- Critical information is covered on the first day of class. Instructors and students waste valuable time repeating information to those who have missed the first day.
- Project teams are often formed on the first day. Students who miss class have difficulties joining a team and collaborating positively with their peers.
- There is very high demand by Design majors (both undergraduate and graduate) for electives within the division. For example, an IxD student might wish to take a VCD class. We also have elective agreements with selected UW units and programs.
- Students who are not present on the first day of class will have their seats given to students who are in attendance. This approach maximizes instructional resources and rewards students who attend class.
- This policy applies to all students: in-state, out-of-state, and international. Note that US visas for international students may be revoked if students are not on time for the beginning of the academic quarter.
- A delayed return from a quarter break is not considered a valid excuse. Dates of UW instruction are published well in advance each year enabling all UW students to plan their schedules accordingly.
- Students who experience travel issues beyond their control (for example, a last-minute canceled flight) will be given an excused absence. Students are required to show the instructor dated documentation that verifies the original travel schedule, which would have enabled their on-time return to the first day of class, as well as the unscheduled disruption.
Progress Requirement
Certain levels of academic and studio performance are required to continue in good standing in the Bachelor of Design program.
- Classes in the design curriculum are sequenced. Students must complete all design classes offered each quarter since those classes are the prerequisites for classes offered in subsequent quarters.
- The minimum acceptable grade for all Design courses is 2.0.
- Student progress is reviewed at the end of each quarter. Students failing to meet the grade criteria meet with faculty to discuss any issues. In the absence of compelling extenuating circumstances, a student will be placed on probation for failing to make Design Satisfactory Progress.
- Students who fail to meet the criteria for two consecutive quarters or who accumulate three separate quarters of probationary status will be dismissed from the program.
Final Day Attendance
- Students must participate in all final exam activities as described by the instructor of the course. The schedule for all UW course finals is available online.
- If the Design instructor has scheduled an in-person final critique / project turn-in, all students in the class are required to be present. An individual student will not be permitted to submit work early and skip the in-person final unless there are exceptional personal circumstances. Note that the desire to leave early for holiday travel or personal reasons does not qualify as an exceptional circumstance.
- Using the assigned finals time allows all Design students to refine their work to the highest level of excellence. This policy also prevents difficulties with group projects, where work may fall disproportionately on students who remain in-session.
- Failure to participate in the scheduled activities of a final as set forth by the Design course instructor will result in automatic failure of the course.