ENGL 392AInformation Design
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
- Subject
- English
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
The theory and practice of design for print and digital media, including the study of design concepts such as space, colour, typography, interactivity, immersion, motion, and presence. Students produce designs using professional software tools.
Prerequisites
- Students must be in level 2B or higher
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3952 | 39 / 40 | Online or by arrangement |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3988 | 0 / 40 | Online or by arrangement |
| LEC 701 | 1559 | 19 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
100% liked it42% easy92% useful
From 7 ratings and 1 comment on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Took this course as requirement for a minor but ended up really loving it thanks to the content. Super useful for anything UI/UX-related as we discuss stuff like typeface, formatting, visual layout, and other things related to information design. Not a bird course because of the reports and the final group project, but very worth it.
Sep 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
11 posts and comments in 11 threads mention ENGL 392A, February 2017 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2023
Recommended ENGL 3xx course for completing depth requirement? 1 point, 2 comments
u/Desperate_Sea_4862: “… Currently deciding between ENGL306A and ENGL392A. Are there any other interesting options or options that don't require too much work? Thanks! Also what would you recommend for science courses to fulfill the depth requirement? …”
Spring 2023
ENGL 392A 1 point, 3 comments
u/xxJeno: “Has anyone taken ENGL 392A (Information Design) before? What was the workload and marking like?”
Winter 2022
Some “useful” arts or STEM faculty courses to take? 6 points, 12 comments
“Edit: you all have been incredibly helpful, thank you ╰(´︶)╯♡ I’m currently a 2nd yr Legal Studies and English (RMPC) student who’s about to take some courses for the first time irl this spring …”
u/Lil-Shiro: “… - ENGL 392A: Information design. Learn design principals, how to organize information, will get to do case-based final project - BET 350: Customer experience design. Really nicely designed course, you learn lots about customer interaction, design based group project final. …”
ENGL 306A - online or in-person? 2 points, 5 comments
“I'm considering taking ENGL 306A. Anyone who took it, I would love to hear your opinion about it. My main concern is workload atm. Also, would you recommend the online or in-person offering? …”
u/Lil-Shiro: “… If you do enjoy English in general tho, some fun 300 level courses to look at that I recommend are: - Creative Writing I (ENGL 335) - Information Design (ENGL 392A) - Global Asian Diasporas (ENGL 346R) There’s probably more but I’m tired, feel me to ask me any questions.”
Fall 2021
Advice for Psychology and UX Programs? 4 points, 9 comments
u/Lil-Shiro: “… offered sporadically) + a few other design courses in other majors (I recommend ones like ENGL 392A, BET 350 etc.). If you do arbus you have to take like 12-14 (I forgot the exact number) of other courses that only amount to a business specialization. …”
Fall 2020
RMPC upper years, how would you rate the program? 5 points, 4 comments
“Looking to major in Rhetoric, Media and Professional Communication. Went to UW wanting to go into psychology, realized I was barking up the wrong tree. …”
u/Lil-Shiro: “… Favourite classes so far (in terms of required courses): ENGL 200A, ENGL 392A, ENGL 393. Least favourite classes so far: ENGL 251, ENGL 306A 4. I’m doing the Digital Arts Communication (DAC) minor and a specialization in technical writing. …”
Spring 2020
Admissions Megathread (Fall 2020 Incoming Students) - 2 218 points, 7,167 comments
“Hello UW applicants, This thread is specifically for those who are applying/applied to UW to discuss different admission issues and ask current UW students for help and advice. …”
u/Cassiopeia_June: “… I was wondering if there's anyone who's taken any of the following courses: ENGL 392A, ENGL 303, FINE 228 or any of the DAC courses that I could reach out to about their experience? My understanding is that many of these require you to be an Arts/English student. …”
Spring 2018
What are your favourite and least favourite classes you've taken? 10 points, 40 comments
u/hama0n: “Looks like most people here are in CS or math... Favourites: ENGL 392A, DAC 300 [game design], ENGL 335 Least favourite: ENGL 251B, ENGL 309C”
Fall 2017
Any graphic-design based electives that do not have GBDA as antireq? 4 points, 3 comments
“I want to gain more design experience.. Apart from GBDA 101, there's no other graphic design-related course within the program. Suggestions? …”
u/TheFinnstagator: “… Engl 392A: which talks about digital design and uses photoshop Engl 392B: which focuses on print and graphic design, I haven’t taken it but is seems more lecture based Then there are a number of fine arts courses courses that cover design. …”
Any way to disable UWCourseLinker from posting? 16 points, 26 comments
“posting a reply to my comment I find the bot annoying.”
u/Jackhofmann: “PSYCH 483 PSYCH 484 PSYCH 485 PSYCH 486 PSYCH 490R PSYCH 499A PSYCH 499B PSYCH 499C PSYCH 621 PSYCH 630 PSYCH 677A PSYCH 704A PSYCH 704B PSYCH 707 PSYCH 710 PSYCH 714 PSYCH 717 PSYCH 720A PSYCH 721A …”
u/Jackhofmann: “… ENGL 309C ENGL 310B ENGL 320 ENGL 335 ENGL 347 ENGL 362 ENGL 365 ENGL 366 ENGL 371 ENGL 378 ENGL 392A ENGL 408B ENGL 430B ENGL 451B ENGL 460D ENGL 470A ENGL 485 ENGL 494 ENGL 495A ENGL 495B ENGL 700 ENGL 720 ENGL 755 ENGL 760 ENGL 785 ENGL 791 ENGL 794 ENVE 100 ENVE 223 ENVE 225 …”
Winter 2017
Any courses on graphic design, UI/UX, animation or illustration? 7 points, 9 comments
“Wanted to explore these areas more -- any courses I could take?”
u/y__tho: “You'll definitely want to look into doing a minor in Digital Arts Communication. Some sample courses you could take include DAC 309 (User Experience Design), ENGL 392A (Information Design), FINE 130 (Intro to Digital Imaging), and DAC 302 (Digital Storytelling).”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them