Graphic Design I Syllabus

                                    Syllabus

                                   AR 114 Graphic Design I
                                    Albertus Magnus College
                                     Jerry Nevins, Professor

                      Phone: 773-8546, office, 203 Aquinas Hall
                                       Spring Semester, 2012
                                                Contact

Graphic Design I Blog, ADP
Mod I, 2010

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Introduction:

Graphic Design I is intended to be a fist course in computer aided page design. The skillful combining of images and text become the core of this course. It is a working studio class and through demonstrations and hands on work you will learn to solve visual problems using Adobe Photoshop CS4 or Photoshop Elements 7/8. This "hands on" experience is the key to success in this class. In the end, you will work on traditional design problems leading to a portfolio of 10 pieces illustrating concepts learned.

From postage stamps to giant billboards, graphic design permeates our environment. Understanding how to apply basic design concepts to the presentation of informative or persuasive material is crucial to communicating with an audience. Typography, image, space, color, and form will be integrated as the term progresses. The main emphasis of the course will be on you and your work. . By actually working, taking risks, experimenting, making mistakes and creating with the computer, much is to be learned.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Technical:

Intro to Photoshop CS4
Editing photographs for use in your projects
Fonts and Typefaces
Ink Jet printing using archival materials... the fine print
Finding image resources on the web
Layers, scale
Page layout and design
Creating images for print and for web pages: managing file size.

Aesthetic: To create works that consciously use the following two dimensional design principles:

Form.
Repetition
Structure
Similarity
Gradation
Radiation
Anomaly
Contrast
Concentration
Texture
Space

Week 1 Join the class blog, post a brief autobiography and a picture of yourself if possible. Download and install Photoshop Elements 8. Watch several of the videos:

Free Video Tutorials on using Photoshop Elements 8 from Adobe. 42 short videos in all...

Master List of Graphic Designers to write about each week... (and Typographers) There are 68 and each has an article in Wikipedia to begin your research.

Design 4 variations of 2 letterforms in a square....

Warm up Exercise video:
Design a series of square letterform designs

Part I

Part II

Assignments:

4 major projects to be executed on paper. Your final portfolio will include the final, printed examples of that work as well as electronic variations and trials leading up to your finished, final solutions. For my online classes, your work will be posted online and there is no print requirement.

Week 2

Begin work on the stammp project, decide on your project,gather your images.

Video: How to gather and save your images for the stamp project

Project 1
Design U.S. Postage Stamp. Finished color output to be 7" X 9"

Guidelines for designing a U.S postal stamp

Every new stamp issued from 1997 to present

How to Find and Save Images For Your Stamp Project

Videos:

Adding Type to Stamp Project Part I

Adding Type to Stamp Project Part II

Finish Up Stamp Project Part III

Week 3

Wrap up the stamp project.... get it into its finished 4 block form.

Week 4

Begin by taking one of the posters found in the following links and "copy it" as closely as you can. This is to serve as a warm up exercise.

Video: Pick a Swiss Poster and copy it in Photoshop

Week 5

Choose your poster project and begin work on it....

Project 2
Design poster for an art or cultural event. Size: 13" X 19"

The Swiss Poster Collection at Canegie Mellon University

Armin Hoffman Poster Designs

Poster Designs using the letter "B"

The International Poster Biennale in Warsaw

September 11, 2001 poster project

Rene Warner's mega link list

Palestine Poster Project

Master List of Movie Poster Designers

30 Inspiring Poster Designs

Week 5

Finish up your poster project and begin the CD project.

Project 3
CD design

Video: How to Lay Out the Cover

In this project you will design all of the elements that go into a CD jewel case. This includes the front cover, inside the front cover, the back cover (tray card) with the two spines and inside the back cover, under the CD.

Video: How to Lay Out the Cover Part 2

Link to tray card specifications.

Start by finding a CD jewel case to measure. Set up your photoshop document as follows: Front cover and inside front cover is 1 document and will be designed together on one canvas. The inside portion is to the right and the front of the case is on the left.

The cover should include the title of the album and the name of the artist. The coice of artwork is up to you.

Inside the front cover should include a playlist of all of the tracks on the disk

The back cover should have the playlist again as well as a logo of the record label, a bar code, copyright information or legal boilerplate from the record company in small type.

Adobe tutorial for Jewel case project Although the tutorial is for using InDesign, the project is just as easy to complete in Photoshop.

Some design ideas

Eisner Museum History of Album Design, Intersting flash presentations

Wikipedia article

Museum of Bad Album Covers

Visual Encyclopedia of Symbols

Week 6

Continue to work on CD

Week 7

Begin Book cover project.

Project 4
Design book cover including front, back, spine and end flaps

Week 8

Finish up Book project, Tie up loose ends

Academic Expectations:

Attend all classes, care about your work, make progress in the medium, help and cooperate with your classmates, take risks, make mistakes. Your grade will be based on your willingness to achieve the above as well as a portfolio of the 4 major projects as well as any smaller warm up exercises due at the end of the semester. The online class also will post 8 reviews of the work and influence of graphic designers chosen from the list "Master List of Graphic Designers to write about each week... "A maximum of 3 absences is allowed, with or without a valid excuse. After that your grade will drop.

Tradition of Honor: As a member of the Albertus Magnus College Community, each student taking this course agrees to uphold the principles of honor set forth by this community, to defend these principles against abuse or misuse and to abide by the regulations of the College. To this end, every student must write and sign the following statement at the end of each examination: "I declare the Honor Pledge."

Special Needs and Accommodations: Please advise the instructor of any special problems or needs at the beginning of the semester or mod. Those students seeking accommodation based on disabilities should provide a Faculty Contact Sheet obtained through the Academic Development Center in Aquinas Hall, (203) 773-8590.

Required Reading:
Numerous Photoshop tutorials online at http://www.adobe.com

Excellent Photoshop Videos: http://lynda.com

Virtual Training Co. Photoshop CS2 Essential Training with Michael Ninness... Free

Any mass market bookstore will have numerous Photoshop titles for sale in the computer section. Although not required you may want to pick up a book that fits your budget and learning style to have as a reference.

Suggested Reading:

The Non-Designer's Design Book, Second Edition - Robin Williams (Author); Paperback

Layout Index: Brochure, Web Design, Poster, Flyer, Advertising, Page Layout, Newsletter, Stationery Index - Jim Krause; Paperback

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