The Design Studio

About this class

What you’ll learn

By the end of the term, learners will be able to:

• Identify and apply the core principles of visual design — typography, color, hierarchy, balance, contrast, and visual rhythm
• Navigate the Canva interface confidently and use templates as starting points for original work
• Build and refine multi-element designs across formats including cards, invitations, flyers, photo layouts, and social media graphics
• Edit and integrate photographs into composed designs, including basic color correction and cropping
• Choose typeface pairings that establish clear hierarchy and tone
• Prepare finished designs for print, digital sharing, and personal use

Topics covered

• Foundations of visual design: color, typography, hierarchy, balance, and rhythm
• The Canva interface: tools, templates, and the layered design workflow
• Working with templates: adapting, customizing, and going beyond starting points
• Photographs in design: cropping, color correction, and integration
• Typography pairing: building hierarchy and matching tone to purpose
• Designing for real-world use: cards, invitations, flyers, photo books, and personal projects
• Developing personal style: making consistent choices across projects
• Output and distribution: preparing files for print and digital sharing

How the class works

The course follows a practice-based studio model. Each session pairs short instruction with extended hands-on production, and learners build a working portfolio across the series. Critique is structured to develop both technical and aesthetic judgment.

Who it’s for

For adults who want to build a working command of visual design — both the principles and the practical software skills — and produce finished design work for personal and community use. If you can use a smartphone or tablet, you can do this. No prior design experience required.

What the term may include

These are intentions for the term, not guarantees. Excursions and guests depend on scheduling and on the group — what happens in class every week is the part you can count on.

• In classMake something every session: a real design project, start to finish
• In classStructured critique: share your work and get feedback from the group
• In classA personal project of your choosing, carried across several sessions
• In classEnd-of-term share: present your portfolio to the group
• Possible excursionA local print studio, to see how designs get printed professionally
• Possible excursionA gallery or creative space, to see design in the real world
• Possible guestLocal designers and artists on how they do what they do

Your instructor

Joseph Amodeo

Founder and lead instructor at The Grove. Doctoral student in education policy at the University of Illinois with master's degrees in rehabilitation counseling, public administration, political science, and religious studies, plus eight professional credentials and over a decade of teaching experience at the college and professional level.

Education

• Doctoral student, Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — concentrations in Human Resource Development and in Diversity and Equity in Education
• M.S., Rehabilitation Counseling, University at Buffalo
• M.P.A., Public Administration, Marist College
• M.A., Political Science, University at Albany
• B.A., Religious Studies (summa cum laude), University at Albany

Credentials

• Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC)
• Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD)
• Certified Case Manager (CCM)
• Board Certified Coach (BCC)
• Certified Career Counselor (CCC)
• Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP)
• Certified Vocational Evaluation Specialist (CVE)
• Senior Certified Professional, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP)

Professional Experience

Joseph is the founder of The Grove and CEO of Lincoln Square Coaching, a New York provider of workforce development and vocational rehabilitation services. From 2014 to 2016, he served as adjunct professor of political science at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, where he taught state and local government and comparative metropolitan politics — an examination of how urban politics unfolds across metropolitan areas internationally. Earlier in his career, he spent more than 14 years at a major New York City human services nonprofit with an annual budget exceeding $125 million, where he led all marketing and communications and designed professional development and e-learning programs reaching more than 1,400 employees per year. He has also built faculty development programs that help college educators bring fresh, practical approaches into their classrooms.

His research examines how career practitioners in vocational rehabilitation and workforce development make sense of their role and the people they serve, and how that sense-making either supports or stands in the way of person-centered practice. He has presented at the Commission for Case Manager Certification Symposium, the Academy of Human Resource Development International Conference, Applied Behavior Analysis New York City, the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting, and the Law and Society Association Annual Meeting. His work in political science has been published in World Medical & Health Policy, a peer-reviewed journal.

Teaching Approach

Joseph's classroom practice reflects his research interest in person-centered learning: instructors plan and adjust to how each learner actually thinks, and treat every learner as a capable adult with something to bring to the room. In Fall 2026 he teaches both Grove classes — How America Works and The Design Studio — which reflect lifelong interests in civics and creative design.