Spring Studio / 4 credits
Platform Aesthetics and Algorithms
A studio-and-seminar course on how platform design shapes what an image is allowed to look like. Students study feed mechanics, recommendation systems, and the visual conventions that thrive inside them.
Syllabus
- How a feed decides what you see
- Aspect ratios, crops, and the grid
- Recommender systems for non-engineers
- Aesthetic conventions — coquette, clean girl, vintage, soft
- Studio brief: design a coherent visual identity
- Final critique with portfolio defense
Assessment
30% studio briefs, 20% platform analysis paper, 20% critique participation, 30% final portfolio defense.