This course presents the fundamentals of language and graphic surface design central to the practice of interface Design. Visual fundamentals will be explored such as hierarchy, layout, grid, line, image, shape, typography and legibility, and how these interact and combine in a design that works. Students will investigate these concepts using a series of traditional design exercises and conceptual explorations using a variety of tools (e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign), with particular focus paid to how a user reads and interprets an encounter with a given design. In addition to studying the role that vision and attention span play in these situations, the course will touch upon how these concepts relate to other sensory input and feedback modalities like auditory, tactile, and motion. Projects will utilize canvases such as print, screen, web, and mobile devices, with close attention paid to their evolution, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.