Karns welcomes a brand new program to the school this year and here’s everything you need to know about it! Led by KHS teacher Steve Morrell, the Digital Arts and Design class gives students an introduction to the vast world of communications.

After many years of experience in this field working for various different companies and even starting his own, Morrell joins the Karns family to teach our students digital arts and design. Also being able to bring in other applicable aspects and skills such as photography, illustrative elements, color, typography, etc., the students are provided a perfect space to begin learning this field.

“Design is everywhere and when it’s done well, we remember the message and we act on it…It’s everywhere and it’s important,” said Morrell.

Communications overall is an incredibly huge community that many people may not realize is one of the most crucial to us, especially in this age of technology. There are so many possible jobs throughout it and by starting up a class like this we can open up a new world of career possibilities for students and can help them find a path into communications.

These students will be able to dabble in digital design and if they find in it a new interest to explore, then they can continue to broaden their knowledge by taking Digital Arts and Design Two and Three in their later high school years. Morrell details the progression of the current class, Digital Arts and Design One, and what will be to come in advanced classes here:

“We spent a couple of weeks at the beginning of the semester learning photography…we did a unit on typography…We’re getting into illustration now and they’re going to be designing some travel posters soon and doing illustrations of some famous buildings around the world,” Morrell says.

Clearly this class already has many exciting projects and lessons being worked through.

In progressing years of this course, we get a glimpse of what is to come.

“It’s just very basic this year in Digital Arts One…And then as we get into Two and Three the design becomes more complicated and in-depth and we get into branding, logos, brand awareness…and we’ll get into motion graphics also which is the highest paying field in design,” Morrell says.

All of this is very new and exciting to Karns and through this class and others, we’re building our own communications department within the school!

Not to mention the fact that our students are doing great within it, word from Morrell says that they are enjoying it and really getting excited over it.

After hearing great things about this class we can continue to watch as the students make their way through Digital Arts and Design and hope we can not only encourage them to consider some of the various careers they’re being introduced to but to push others to join this new program here at Karns!