AI Tools for Digital Content Design

Instructor
Spencer Striker, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Residence | Digital Media Design
Specialist in AI-Driven Creative Design & Digital Media Production

● 5 days, Sunday–Thursday (April 27th to May 1st 2025)

● 3 hours daily (9:00am–12:00pm)

● Total: 15 hours of immersive instruction

In a rapidly shifting media landscape, professionals and organizations must stay ahead by leveraging Artificial Intelligence to create impactful digital media content at scale. This hands-on, introductory-level masterclass provides a crash course in the latest AI tools and techniques for text, image, animation, video, music, and voice generation.

Participants will discover how cutting-edge solutions like MidJourney, Runway, ElevenLabs, and Udio can streamline their creative processes—unlocking new levels of speed, quality, and cost-efficiency. Drawing on Dr. Striker’s extensive teaching experience (including NU-Q’s undergraduate Digital Media Design sequence), the course highlights best practices for prompt engineering, iterative prototyping, and ethical considerations in AI-assisted production. By week’s end, participants will have developed, refined, and presented an original AI-driven digital media project, ready for real-world application in marketing, communications, entertainment, or personal creative endeavors.

This masterclass is ideal for:

● Corporate and Public Sector Communication Professionals seeking AI-powered content strategies.

● Marketing & Branding Teams looking to generate engaging multimedia assets on tight timelines.

● Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners eager to produce high-quality, low-cost digital media campaigns.

● Creative Enthusiasts & Beginners exploring AI tools to spark new levels of innovation.

No prior knowledge of AI, production software, or programming is required.

● Hands-On Proficiency: Gain practical skills in AI-driven content creation (images, animation, music, and voice).

● Prompt Engineering: Understand how to craft clear, powerful prompts for superior generative results.

● Creative Workflow: Learn how to combine multiple AI tools into a streamlined production pipeline.

● Ethical & Technical Insights: Grasp the ethical considerations and technical fundamentals underlying AI media creation.

● Real-World Deliverables: Imagine and complete a final AI-based media project aligned with your personal or organizational goals.

Format: Interactive seminars + workshop-style labs each day.

● 9:00am–11:00am: Live demos, interactive lectures, and guided practice.

● 11:00am–12:00pm: Open studio lab time for hands-on project work, with one-on-one coaching, feedback, and creative critique.

Day 1 (Foundations & Ideation) April 27th, 2025

● Overview of AI in creative production: Key trends and capabilities

● Introduction to prompt engineering principles

● Ethical considerations in generative AI

● Hands-on with MidJourney for image generation

Day 2 (Animation & Video) April 28th, 2025

● Exploring Runway’s AI video editing and animation features

● Integrating text-to-image workflows into short video segments

● Open lab challenge: Animate a short concept sequence

Day 3 (Voice & Audio) April 29th, 2025

● AI-generated voice acting with ElevenLabs

● Introduction to AI music composition using Udio

● Mixing voice and music in simple video editing software

● Open lab challenge: Synthesize an audio-rich micro-story

Day 4 (Refinement & Advanced Techniques) April 30th, 2025

● Deepening proficiency in selected AI tools

● Strategies for maintaining brand consistency, style guides

● Exploration of advanced or emerging AI platforms (e.g. 3D)

● Iterative feedback sessions on individual/team projects

Day 5 (Final Production & Showcase) May 1st, 2025

● Finalizing the AI-driven media project

● Presentation and critique of group or individual deliverables

● Discussion of next steps, trends, and continuous learning

● MidJourney (subscription approx. $10/month)

● Runway ML (create a free account)

● ElevenLabs (AI-generated voice)

● Udio (AI music generation)

● A modern computer with webcam, mic, reliable internet, and a preferred video editing software (e.g., Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or iMovie).

We offer pre-course support to help participants create accounts and install the necessary tools, helping make sure everyone starts Day 1 ready to experiment.

Upon successful completion, participants will:

● Confidently leverage AI for producing professional-quality digital media assets.

● Develop repeatable workflows to generate cost-effective, on-demand creative content.

● Stay current on emerging AI developments and best practices for ethical, responsible use.

● Take away a portfolio-ready final project that demonstrates real-world AI application.

The course fee is $1,400 USD (QAR 5,096.00) per participant. The fee includes hospitality service. Participation requires payment in full via Eventbrite at the time of registration. Alternatively, payment can be made at the NU-Q bookstore. Please contact [email protected] to arrange for the payment at the NU-Q bookstore.

Refunds are provided on the following basis:

• 100% refund or postponement if cancelled/notified 28 days prior to course commencement.
• 75% refund or postponement if cancelled/notified 14 days prior to course commencement.
• 50% refund if cancelled 7 days prior to course commencement.
• 25% refund if cancelled 48 hours prior to course commencement.
• 0% refund if cancelled less than 48 prior to course commencement or no show.

Participants who cancel enrolment can choose to transfer the paid fee to a future masterclass rather than receive a refund. Should the course fees differ, participants will receive a refund on the difference or make an additional ‘top-up’ payment.

A 15% discount is offered for Qatar Foundation and university employees in Education City, as well as EC alumni. Northwestern Qatar Executive Education required participants to attend 90% of the course to get a certificate of participation/completion.

Host or Publisher Northwestern University in Qatar