GRAPHIC DESIGN II (ART – 1310)
Instructor: Sharon Powell
Fall 2009 Semester – (9/9/09 - 12/21/09)
Section #76343
FA 167 (Mac Lab)
Monday / Wednesday 4:20 – 6:05 PM
Office Hours: Before or after class
Telephone: 301-751-8366 (Freak-out moments only please)
E-mail (preferred):
Credit Hours: 3
(Prerequisite for this class is ART – 1300 Graphic Design I)
Required Texts:
- Adobe Photoshop CS4 Classroom In A Book (w/CD), Adobe Press
Peachpit Binding: Paperback Copyright 08
- Adobe Illustrator CS4 Classroom In A Book (w/CD), Adobe Press
Peachpit Binding: Paperback Copyright 08
-Dreamweaver CS4 for WIN&MAC Visual Quickstart Guide by Weinmann
Course Materials:
-Flash storage drives (USB drives) or CD-R’s for storing data (CD-RW’s will work, but are not rewritable in the lab at this time).
-8.5 x 11 Epson Ultra Premium inkjet paper for printing projects, 4 or 5 star matte or glossy (Must be Epson paper, as we have Epson printers).
Course Description:
Students expand their knowledge of graphic design as applied to print media, including an introduction to the basics of Web design. Important applications include Adobe Photoshop CS4, Illustrator CS4, and Dreamweaver CS4.
While building on your knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator, you will be introduced to Dreamweaver and web design. Heavy emphasis will be placed on effective use of basic design principles in your work, as well as, your ability to become more independent working through challenges and troubleshooting problems. Much more will be expected of you as your level of expertise rises, be creative, think outside the box, and research your projects to draw inspiration and ideas from professionals in the field of design. Challenge yourself and have fun!
Attendance and Participation Policy:
Interaction with your instructor and your peers is crucial to the learning process, so attendance is mandatory. Students are expected to attend all classes and arrive on time and those arriving after the roll has been called will be marked absent for the day. Starting with the fourth absence, each subsequent absence will lower your final grade by one full letter. Students are also responsible for determining what they missed during any absence.
There will be scheduled group critiques for all finished assignments. DO NOT miss these scheduled critiques for any reason. Part of the learning process is participating in and discussing the work of your peers.
Behavior Policy:
Disruptions in the classroom will not be tolerated. This includes cell phone use, playing games, instant messaging, or sleeping. Mp3 player use is allowed on workdays, but must be kept at a low volume that does not encroach on your neighbors.
Grading Criteria:
A Exceptional / excellent work in both craftsmanship and ideation.
B Above average / good work, extra time spent, progress with ideas and craft.
C Average work, all work completed on time.
D Below average work, poor execution or misunderstanding of assignment, incomplete
work.
F Unacceptable work, deficient in all respects / failure to complete assignment.
There will be a total of 5 projects each worth 18% of your total grade. Combined the projects are worth a total of 90% of your final grade. The remaining 10% will be from critique participation. You should be able to average out your grades well enough to get a good idea of what your final grade will be.
What I will be looking for when grading your projects:
- Good Design. Does the work implement effective use of basic design principles?
- Artwork and photos must be original or high quality web images.
- Project parts and aspects must be unified under a cohesive theme.
- Others should easily be able to understand the intended idea and concept.
- Did the student make creative use of the learned techniques?
- The final product must be aesthetically pleasing. In other words, it has to look good.
Each grade you receive is worth the following:
A+ = 100 A = 95 A- = 90
B+ = 89 B = 85 B- = 80
C+ = 79 C = 75 C- = 70
D+ = 69 D = 65 D- = 60
F = 0
All late work will be subject to a penalty of one letter grade per class period following the original due date. If not ready for critique on the day due, project will be marked a 1/2 letter grade.
Work Days:
Most class periods will be scheduled workdays. This means that you must come to class prepared to work, NO EXCUSES! Workdays are the best opportunity for me to give you hands on, one-on-one instruction and help you troubleshoot. This is also an excellent time for you to improve your craft. If you do not come to class prepared to work you will be sent home with an absence for the day. Whether you have the software at home or not you are expected to be present in class all work days.
Lab Rules:
-The Mac lab is to be used for art department schoolwork only – No writing papers, checking email, surfing the net, watching videos, IMing etc.
-If you attempt to install/uninstall any software on a CSM computer, you will be banned from the lab.
-Personal work should be stored in folders with your name on it at your computer station, but should also be simultaneously saved on your flash drives. This is a vital precaution you need to take in case one source is erased or lost, you are ensured you have a back-up. Also, during open lab hours you may not always have access to your usual station. So, save on both!!!
-No food or drink is allowed in the lab at any time
Open Lab hours:
The Mac lab is available for student use to work on their assignments basically anytime a class isn’t being held and there is a lab assistant on duty. The lab is closed on Sunday’s.
-The photo lab assistant is also the lab assistant for the mac lab. The same lab hours apply and are posted outside of the photo lab (across the hall FA157) on the bulletin board. If the mac lab is locked go to the photo lab to have the assistant on duty let you in.
Students with Disabilities:
Students with special needs are encouraged to let me know at the beginning of the semester, so that I can accommodate you. Further information regarding compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act is available through Disabled Student Services in the Learning Assistance Department (301-934-7614).
Audit:
The Last day to withdraw without a grade or to change a credit to an audit or an audit to a credit for Full-Term classes is Fri. November 13th.
Academic Honesty:
Plagiarism and/or copying another student’s work will result in an “F” for the course and further disciplinary action by the college. Students are responsible for reading the college policy on Academic Honesty in the Student Code of Conduct section in the Student Handbook.
Unauthorized Persons:
The college-wide policy prohibiting unauthorized persons in the classrooms will be enforced in this class. Detailed information in this policy can be found in the Student Handbook.
Graphic Design II Assignments
As always, good design is based on basic elements and principles that you will be expected to put into practice in your project designs. Refer to your Principles of Design website below often to help plan and implement good design into your assignments.
Principles of Design Website:
- Original Art (w/ scanned texture) – This project is all about creative graphic design applied as an art form. You will create an 8.5x11 original art piece with some form of scanned texture as part of it. Be creative with this, but make sure the texture you choose compliments your overall design. Do research on styles and play with different effects and techniques. Good composition and color is vital. Either Photoshop or Illustrator or both can be used with this project.
***Use your books and the Adobe Video Workshop site to refresh yourself on program techniques if you need a refresher.
- CSM Theater PosterDesign – In Illustrator you will be designing an 11x17 inch poster for the theater department based on a play that will be presented to you by the CSM Art Director. View this project as an exercise of design in the real world, with the Art Director and CSM as your client and you as the designer making your client happy. Particular attention will be paid to hierarchy along with good color and design. One poster from the group will be chosen as the official poster design to be used by CSM to advertise the play. This is a great opportunity to expand your portfolio. Look at the posters hanging in the halls as a reference guide to previous designs used by the theater department, but don’t be afraid to get creative.
Visual Hierarchy With Examples:
50 Inspirational Movie Posters:
Cool Poster/Flyer Designs:
- Public Promotional Package – Using Indesign you will create an effective design that is not personal, but rather one that publicizes an event, such as an exhibit, festival, concert, or convention that will appeal to the particular audience you are attempting to attract. The promo package should include a flyer, postcard, and pass or badge that all are part of the same design scheme. The design should be well thought out, eye-catching, and professional. Think outside the box, get creative, if it doesn’t effectively promote or sell the event it is pointless.
Idea/Inspirational sites:
Indesign Tutorials:
Setting Up A New Document:
Working With Text:
Working With Objects:
Using Layers:
Using Object Styles:
Using the Text Wrap Panel:
- Animated Gif For The Web –With Photoshop you create an animated gif that simulates motion by using a technique that implements layers and animation frames. It can be of whatever you want. If you already have an idea of what your website will be about, you could create a gif that could be easily incorporated into it. Have fun!
Using the Animation Palette:
Tutorial Sites:
- Basic Promotional Website – You will build your own website with working links, buttons, web-ready images, and if it works with your site concept, you may include your animated gif. Before you begin the building process, it is essential to develop a good concept and layout plan for your site by sketching out a mock-up. From there you will use tutorials to help you navigate through Dreamweaver and create your own stylish website. Use the Adobe video workshop extensively to help you learn. I will list some below links below, but you can just bookmark or Google: Adobe Video Workshop and select Dreamweaver tutorials to go through all the ones you want to. I highly recommend this.
Tips On Designing For the Web:
Examples Of Design In Action:
Tutorial Sites:(Use Dreamweaver tutorials under the Help menu within the program for any specific how-to topics)
Adobe Video Workshop:
Defining A Site:
Creating New Pages:
Stying Text Using the Property Inspector:
Using CSS:
Creating Links:
Adding Images:
Creating Menus With Spry Widgets:
Creating Templates:
Designing Websites With Photoshop and Dreamweaver:
...Phew!!! Breathe!!!!