DESIGN CONCEPTS
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i-dtp MASTER COURSE
Course Guidelines Introduction The International Academy of Computer Training (IACT) is a specialist computer training company founded in 1993. We are Ireland’s largest and most experienced IT Training company. We provide classroom IT training, blended online learning as well as multimedia CD training materials and training guides. Throughout its history IACT has enjoyed tremendous success boasting an enviable client list featuring both large and small companies and Government agencies. Our clients include many Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Intel, Dell, Ericsson, Citigroup, Hewlett-Packard, GE and many others. All our training materials are developed by in-house experts with practical real world experience. All our tutors have extensive qualifications in the IT field with degrees in Computer Science and Business Management with many having Masters and PhDs. Our product designers and trainers are highly qualified academically but also have practical real world experience from working with our clients on a day-to-day basis.
Course Overview Desktop Publishing (or DTP) incorporates a huge variety of skills dating back from the first printing presses. Modern DTP requires a detailed knowledge of many related pieces of applications software as well as a thorough understanding of the print processes involved in the final printing of documents. IACT’s i-dtp Master course teaches the tools and skills needed to work in a modern DTP environment, providing the language of DTP and the skills needed to create a range of professional documents from business cards and letter heads to brochures and newsletters. Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress are the most popular DTP applications for the production of newsletters, magazines and books. Available on both PC and Apple platforms these products are an essential tool for modern DTP. Adobe’s Photoshop and Illustrator are the standard tools for the production and scanning of images for brochure and logo design. Adobe Acrobat is now the DTP standard for document dissemination and prepress production. An understanding of Acrobat and other graphics formats (postscript, TIFF etc.) is crucial for every successful graphic designer.
Course Content
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DTP and Graphic Design Concepts / Prepress and print Adobe InDesign or QuarkXpress Adobe Photoshop Adobe Illustrator Adobe Acrobat
(content drawn from full course outlines)
Course Objectives On completion of the course attendees should be competent Desktop Publishers comfortable in maintaining and developing a wide range of publications and document types.
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MODULE 1: Adobe Illustrator Overview This module is designed to lead you through the design process following a series of projects. Working in the context of real world projects you’ll learn a variety of ways to produce artwork and learn to understand the issues involved with professional graphic design. By the end of the course you’ll be fully capable of creating shapes, patterns, layouts and special effects suitable for conventional printing as well as for electronic publishing.
Content
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Overview of Illustrator Toolbox and windows
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Working with preferences
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Navigation
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Creating paths and drawings Open vs. closed paths Combining and grouping Line and fill tools
Working with raster objects
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Exporting raster files
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Text and layout Using type tools Creating point text Formatting text Text effects
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Page layout
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Working with perspective
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Masks compound paths and blends
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Using special effects Adobe and 3rd party filters
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Printing Preparing for print Selecting a PPD Separations Trapping
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Introduction to working with the Web
Working with views Rulers and guides
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Working with paintbrush and fill tools
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Editing graphics Working with selection tools Grouping locking and hiding Transforming objects Editing paths
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Layers The layers palette Moving and duplications
Objectives
Course Samples
To be able to edit anchor points and paths. To paint with gradient fills and styles. To work with special effects and work with masks and imported photographs. To use the graphics filters and plugins. To work with custom graphs. To understand the concepts and problems involved with trapping, knockouts and overprinting. Some of the projects attendees will work on include the design of logo and stationery, production of a full size poster, design of magazine advertisements, a three-fold brochure and a layout and design of a tabloid newsletter and other practical projects.
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i-dtp MASTER COURSE
MODULE 2: Adobe Photoshop Overview Adobe Photoshop is the DTP standard for editing photographic elements and images. This course takes new users through the Photoshop application with a series of practical exercises to explore the full power of this legendary application and workflow between the Adobe suite of applications. The course covers all aspects of the design process from importing images from Adobe Bridge (from scanners and digital cameras) right through to the final production considerations for finished art.
Content
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Vector images formats Bitmap image formats Masking and selecting areas Layers Transparency Blending modes Adjusting layers Grouping Filters, plugins and special effects Working with channels Image adjustments Correcting images Image repairs Text special effects
Working with colour Colour formats (Pantone etc.) Colour correction tools Working with palettes
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Publishing Preparing for publishing Sending files to a bureau
Working with text Text effects and Anti-aliasing Graphic File formats
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Photoshop and the web Automating Photoshop Professional examples
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Photoshop Toolbox
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Acquiring Images Importing & exporting images Scanning images Digital cameras
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Creating and touching up images Drawing, painting and editing Selecting objects in Photoshop Working with layers Drawing and editing paths Working with masks
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Course Samples
Objectives To understand the form of a bitmap image, its colour depth, resolution and file formats. To be able to use colour in bitmap images and understand colour models and the implications of working in specific colour modes. To work with text and overlayed images in Photoshop. To understand the use of layers and masks. To effectively use the plugins and filters.
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i-dtp MASTER COURSE
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MODULE 3: Adobe Indesign Overview Adobe Indesign is becoming established as one of the leading Desktop Publishing tools for the Apple and Windows environments replacing QuarkXpress as the designers tool. This Module will teach users how to harness the power of Indesign to develop different types of documents. Attendees will learn to create documents from simple fliers to newsletters and advertisements. Users will incorporate graphics created in Photoshop and Illustrator into different document types. Learn how to package your document for print to get the most from the final design.
Content
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Page and document layout Configuring preferences View modes Importing text Creating a text frame Defining a text path Type styles and fonts Type options Character and Paragraph styles Bulleting and numbering text Using Tabs and indents Graphics formats Working with Photoshop and Illustrator files Importing graphics Lines, circles, boxes and curves Scanning images Transparency Working with graphic objects Grouping graphics
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Rotating, scaling, skewing and reflecting images Wrapping text Creating watermarks Document templates Numbering sections and pages Generating tables of contents Bookmarking for PDF Multi-column documents Linking text frames Creating Tables Borders and shading Document headers and footers Using master pages Creating Styles Dealing with colour Graduated fountain fills Swatches Special effects with text Colour separated printing Finishing the document Trapping colours Preparing for final output
Course Samples
Objectives This course teaches through a series of practical exercises how to create professional documents using this powerful DTP tool. Users take home work created during the class on disk and are able to use classes to explore new possibilities for design in their own businesses.
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i-dtp MASTER COURSE
Course Guidelines i-dtp Master Projects and Exams This handout will provide you with: • Exam Details • How to register for Exams • Project Outline and Details Please read this handout carefully and if you have any queries please contact, info@iactonline.com or +353 1 4347600
GENERAL INFO All students attending the i-dtp Master course are required to sit three exams and to submit a final project. The maximum score in each of the exams gives you 20% of the final mark. Exam and Project breakdown PHOTOSHOP INDESIGN / QUARK ILLUSTRATOR PROJECT
max 20% max 20% max 20% max 40%
Your final grade will be included on your Diploma:
• • •
Distinction (93% - 100%) Merit (86% - 92%) Pass (70% - 85%)
Everyone attending the i-dtp Master course must attain at least 70% in each of the three examinations. The exams run at IACT and you can register online through the IACT website. To register for exams, please go to www.iactonline.com, go to register and choose exams. Results of these exams will be e-mailed as soon as they are available.
Exam
Duration
Details
Adobe Indesign / Quark
2 hours
Definitions of key DTP terms / Master pages / Templates / Page layout / Using Tabs and Rules / Using Style Sheets / Working with images – resizing, positioning etc.
Adobe Photoshop
2 hours
Definitions / Understanding resolution / Using masks / Using layers / Working with text / Applying Gradients / Applying the Layer Styles - shadow, emboss, glow / Image improvement / Clone Tool
2 hours
Definitions / Facility with points, curves, open and closed shapes / Tracing an image / Using layers/ Working with solid colors and gradients / Working with text
Written & Practical test
Written & Practical test
Adobe Illustrator Written & Practical test
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i-dtp MASTER COURSE
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Course Guidelines i-dtp Master Projects and Exams Exam and Project tips
Attention to detail is crucial to success in DTP. It is important therefore in completing the exercises and examinations that your results are as CLOSE as possible to those shown. Key mistakes in the past include but aren’t limited to:
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ALIGNMENT – you MUST use your grids and guides and measurements toolbar to accurately position items. SPACING – DON’T risk inaccurate spacing techniques (e.g. return on blank lines). OVERALL POSITIONING – Ensure the document’s shape and size is right. FONT TYPE and SIZE – if it’s not specified in the exam which font type or font size to use, find something that looks similar. COLOURS ensure consistent and accurate use of colour. RESOLUTION (for imported and exported images) should suit the destination. EXPORTING created document using various different file formats.
Project Outline This project is your chance to show what you are capable of creating and to put into practice what you have been learning. Try to assemble as much information as you can in advance of starting to work.You will work principally with InDesign / QuarkXpress, Illustrator & Photoshop in completing this project although other applications are allowed. You will find it useful to play with different designs until you find one you are happy with.
Deliverables Please supply:
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Your source files and any support files; eg linked Images (on CD or DVD). Adobe Acrobat PDF files of your work for print. An A4 page description of how the work was completed and thinking behind it. A Presentation of your work. Printouts of your sample work (use glue and cut paper as required to give accurate results of intended design). Presentation of these printouts will be taken into account when marking.
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i-dtp MASTER COURSE
Student Guidelines i-dtp Master Projects and Exams Your marks are broken down as follows: Quality of design. Does the logo represent the company’s business? The color scheme.The overall look of the design.
40%
Positioning, alignment, margins, sizes and scaling.
20%
Accuracy in font typeface, styles, and font size, graphic resolution etc. Are fonts mixed or are they used consistently throughout the documents. Were graphic files incorporated at the correct resolutions?
20%
Presentation of the project.
10%
Submitting all the required elements: hard copy of the Adobe Acrobat files, printouts, description.
10%
Project Briefs Choose one of the two below: Option1: You have a client who requires new stationery including:
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Corporate brochure - Folded A4 / A4 Compliment slips Letterheaded paper Envelopes Business cards
The client is an online training company specialising in delivering training over the internet for busy people on the move.You have a free reign to design a logo and layout for the items required.You are required to get two quotes for the printing of 1000 of each of these items. Details of the client requiring the business card and the company details are as follows: LearnOnline, Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2 Tel.: +353-1-2302520, Fax.: +353-1-2302521 e-mail: info@learnonline.com, Web: www.learnonline.com
Option 2: The marketing director of Star Markets has asked you
to re-brand their stock Orange & Apple Juice, making the packaging more desirable and look more relevant to an Irish middle class market of mothers buying juices in bulk for their children. Giving it a more upmarket feel as opposed to a generic euro packaging that already exists. They hope this will increase the sale of the product.
As well as the design they will you require you to lay out the artwork for print so your design needs to be laid out flat so when it is folded and glued it is assembled as a finished carton.You will need to take an existing carton of whatever shape you choose to use to create this cutter guide for your design.
Project Submission
Projects must be submitted to IACT (in person or by post) on or before the deadline date. The deadline date is three weeks from your final exam. Please send all projects to: Neil Gordon, i-dtp Master Course Project, IACT, 97-98 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2.
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