adpr 143 marcomm design & production
ADPR 143
Fall 2008 | Monday & Wednesday | 1 - 2:15 p.m. | Johnston Hall 313 Instructor
Professor Linda E. Menck Office :) Johnston Hall 311 Phone :) 288-3649 E-mail :) linda.menck@marquette.edu Office Hours:) M&W 11 a.m. 12 noon : 4 - 5:30 p.m.
Required Text
Exploring the Elements of Design | 2nd Edition | Poppy Evans & Mark A. Thomas
Additional Tools & Materials
In addition to your textbook you are required to purchase the following materials 1 | Box of crayons, colored pencils or markers 2 | 2 DVD-R Disc 3 | Some type of device or media for project backup (USB key is recommended) 4 | Design Process Sketch Book
Course Description
In this course we will explore the fundamentals of communicating visually. Students will learn basic concepts and develop basic design skills through conceptualizing, creating and evaluating examples of good/bad/ugly visual communication. No previous knowledge of layout and typography are presumed. Fundamental design principles are introduced, explained, and learned through hands-on activities. Hands-on participation in the design process, will enhance your basic conceptual thinking and develop visual skills necessary for eventual participation in the design profession. The mix of exercises and projects are intended to present you with a realistic view of the timetables required by professional designers. This course will be quite rigorous because both print and digital design will be covered.
Course Objectives
• Learn and apply the basic principles of print and digital design, the creative process, and techniques of digital and print production. • Cultivate an appreciation for a variety of visual communication. • Analyze critically graphic design completed by peers and industry professionals. • Gain an understanding of the history and dynamics of design. • Students will develop design projects from across a range of product and service sectors. • Develop basic skills using industry standard computer design software and hardware. • Students will learn to present their work in a professional manner including physically presenting the work, (mounted on presentation boards) and verbally defending its effectiveness. • At least three pieces from this class will be portfolio ready layouts.
Instructional Method
Our class meeting time will be devoted to: lectures|discussions, creativity and computer skill building exercises, critiques, workshops and studio work time.
Course Requirements Attendance & Participation Your presence and active participation are important for your success of this class. In order to develop an understanding of design concepts and to allow you to practice your design skills, your attendance is necessary. For these reasons, attendance is mandatory and you are expected to actively participate. Attendance will be taken daily. A percentage of your grade will be earned based solely on your attendance and level of participation. If you miss more than two classes, you will be dropped from the course. If you miss class because of illness or an unexpected emergency, you must contact instructor within 24 hours of your absence either by e-mail or phone and provide written documentation of your excuse (e.g., doctor’s note) within one week of your absence in order for the absence to be considered excused. If you know in advance that you must miss class for a university related activity (e.g. athletic event, academic competition) or religious observance, you must notify instructor in writing at least one class session before you will miss class in order for it to be considered excused. Readings All class readings must be done before the class meeting. It will become quite evident during discussions if you are not completing assigned readings. In addition to your text, you should get in the habit of looking at as many examples of visual communication as possible. Look at everything including advertising of all types, billboards, signs and direct mail pieces, magazines, newspapers, menus, brochures, posters, pamphlets, newsletters, interactive multimedia, web pages, etc.. You are also encouraged to begin developing a clip file by saving “examples” of both good and bad design.
Policies on Assignments Being professional means being responsible. This means you must meet deadlines and you don’t waste time. In the real world if you waste time and money and don’t meet deadlines, you’ll be fired. This course will be conducted as close as possible to the way things work in the real world. Thus, all assignments are due on the stated due date. No late work will be accepted. No exceptions. Please note that computer problems will not be considered an acceptable excuse for late work. Assignments sent via email will NOT be accepted. Back Up Your Work It is a prudent idea to frequently back up your course work. Data loss of any type is not an excuse for missed deadlines. It is each individual student’s responsibility to ensure that they have current copies of their digital data. Flash drives or recordable CDs are relatively inexpensive and easily obtainable: there is no excuse for missing deadlines! That said: if you need assistance in backing up your data, please ask. Critiques Critiques are a vital part of learning design. There is much to be learned from reviewing the work of your colleagues: learn from their design’s strengths and weaknesses. Critiques also provide the opportunity to put your concepts to words, and to help you learn how to speak intelligently and knowledgeably about your designs (a necessary skill for survival in the professional studio). Additionally, the instructor and your classmates may bring fresh insights and perspectives to your work that provides valuable feedback. Computer Usage This course contains components of computer usage. Keep in mind, however, that the focus of this course is primarily on learning the fundamentals of typography and layout. Any computer usage is in support of that primary goal. Design Process Book During this course you are expected to follow the basic design process. This research, analysis, development, and implementation process is integral to effective and unique visual problem solving. You will need to archive your individual design process by neatly organizing and presenting your work in a Design Process Book that will be turned in along with the final project for grading. This Design Process Book may be a sketchbook or a three-ring binder. The book should be no smaller than 8 1/2” x 11”. Neatly organize this book by labeling sections for each step of the design process. Insert a copy of the problem statement at the beginning of each your project section. Label your Design Process Book with your name on the cover and spine. By the end of the semester you will have an archive record of your complete design analysis activities for each project. Academic Dishonesty Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this class. Ignorance of what academic dishonesty is not an excuse. Students who cheat will receive an “F” for the course. Students who plagiarize material – intentionally passing off the work of others as their own – will receive an “F” for the course. Students who inadequately source and attribute information in their written work will be penalized a minimum of one letter grade on that assignment, up to failure in the course, depending on the severity of the violation. In addition, you should be aware of Marquette University’s policy that provides a partial explanation of academic dishonesty: “It is not feasible to attempt to develop a list of all conceivable
examples of academic dishonesty, but it may be helpful … to note that they all involve an attempt to deceive, to distort perceptions of reality, to gain a record of academic accomplishment greater than earned. All who are parties to the deceit are involved in academic dishonesty.” (see http://www. marquette.edu/academics/regulations/acaddishonesty.html) Further, I will adhere to the College of Communication policy on academic dishonesty, which states: In accordance with the high standards of excellence set forth by, and for, all members of the Marquette University community, the College of Communication finds it imperative that each student understand that the responsibilities associated with high standards of excellence include ensuring that all class work undertaken in this College is performed in an environment that promotes serious scholarship and moral rectitude. Therefore, the College herein delineates a zero-tolerance policy for acts of academic dishonesty. All acts of suspected academic dishonesty will be thoroughly investigated in a manner that is fair, timely, and efficient and done so in a manner that protects the rights of both the faculty member and the student. Any individual that is found to have committed an act of academic dishonesty may receive a penalty, up to and including expulsion from Marquette University. Use of Technology > Desire2Learn This course will utilize the Desire2Learn program. On this website, you will find course information, any course announcements, discussion activities, and supplemental information. You are responsible for checking this website on a regular basis and will be held accountable for all information on this web page. You can access D2L at: http://d2l.mu.edu – your username and password will be the same as your checkmarq username and password. > E-mail You should note Marquette University’s policy on e-mail: “E-mail is an appropriate and preferred method for official communication by Marquette with students unless otherwise prohibited by law. The university has the right to send official communication to students by e-mail with the assumption that students will receive, read and, if necessary, act in a timely manner based upon these e-mails.” If I need to contact you outside of class, I will use your Marquette University e-mail address. I will expect that you will read and respond to this communication. Other Course Policies > Special Needs Please inform me during the first week of class if you have any conditions that may limit or affect your ability to participate in this course so that we can make necessary arrangements. You may also contact the Office of Student Educational Services for additional information. For more information see: http:// www.marquette.edu/oses/PoliciesandProcedures.html > Unacceptable Behavior The following is a list of behaviors that will not be tolerated by instructors in lectures or discussions: • disrespecting other students discourse or work • surfing the web, facebooking, online shopping, etc. while instructor is presenting material • reading the newspaper, studying or reading materials for other classes, etc. • using entertainment devices (i.e. games, music, video) • sleeping • eating in computer lab If you chose to disrespect your peers or instructor you will be asked to leave the class.
Course Evaluation & Grading Scale
Always remember ... in my design course creativity counts ! ! ! Assignments are evaluated not only on the final project, but also on the quantity and quality of creative exploration invested during the entire design process. All research materials will be neatly turned in for grading in a Design Process Book (as discussed earlier in this syllabus). Final projects will be submitted for grading as stated in the individual assignment briefs. Sloppy organization of the Design Process Book will adversely affect the overall grade. Assignment evaluations will be evaluated according to a letter scale (A, AB, B, BC, C, CD, D, F), as discussed below: A (100-94%) AB (93-89%): Excellent Well-crafted assignments that exhibit extraordinary creativity along with strong conceptual, typographic, visual, and layout solutions will be awarded this grade. All assignment requirements must be met and exceeded. B (88-84% ) BC (83-79%): Good – Work that is above average in craft, conceptual development; typographic, visual, and layout solution will be awarded this grade. All assignment requirements must be met and exceeded. C (78-74%) CD (73 - 69%): Average – Work that fulfills the basic problem requirements, but lacks strong conceptual or design development will be awarded this grade. Poor craft or sloppy presentation of assigned project components is often what contributes significantly to this grade. All assignment requirements must be met. D (68 - 64% ): Poor – Work that does not fulfill all the assignment requirements, is of extremely poor conceptual, visual, or craft quality will earn this grade. F (63% and Below): Unacceptable – Work not handed in on time, does not fulfill all assignment requirements, and or is of general poor quality will earn this grade.
Grading Sheets
Exercises and tests will be assigned a letter grade. Projects are weighted more in the final course grade, and as such, the grading sheets are broken down into categories to highlight project strengths and weaknesses. Project grading sheets will normally have the following categories: Research: This category includes all thumbnail sketches, background information gathered, concept development, and any project-related notations (1/4 of overall project grade). Both quantity and quality of sketches will be evaluated. It is possible for a student to sketch 75 thumbnails based on 3 ideas and receive a B grade while a student who sketches 25 thumbnails based on 25 good ideas receives an A in this category. Quantity and Quality. Craft | Presentation: This category places a grade on the neatness and craft in both the project and in the presentation. Good ideas shine best from a flawless setting. If your pieces look like a zoo animal put them together then you will likely earn a poor grade in this category (1/4 of overall project grade). Composition | Layout: This category gauges the effectiveness of the concept, typography, imageuse, originality, and the creativity of the visual solution in a pictorial layout space (1/2 of overall project grade).
Occasionally individual assignment grade sheets may come in a slightly different configuration, but the general categories will remain similar.
Final Course Grades
The final course grade is based on project outcomes, exercises, quiz scores, adherence to project due dates, and attendance. TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE - Fall 2008 The following is a tentative schedule for the semester. To allow for the best possible class, it is important that we remain flexible. As the course develops, I may make changes to this schedule that will better accommodate our needs and interests. Course readings are listed. You should have read what is assigned before you arrive for class. INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL QUIZZES, ASSIGNMENTS, PROJECTS, EXTRA CREDIT (IF ANY), AND ADDITIONAL READINGS WILL BE ASSIGNED SEPARATELY BY INSTRUCTOR IN CLASS. IT IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF YOUR INSTRUCTOR IF YOU’RE ABSENT WHEN ASSIGNMENTS OR ANNOUNCEMENTS RELATIVE TO THE COURSE ARE MADE, OR SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN.
WEEK 1 – Aug 25, 27 Syllabus Distribution and Review, Course Introduction Does Design Matter? The Application of Design and the Design Process READING: Evans & Thomas – Chapters 6, 8 WEEKS 2 & 3 – Sept 1, 3, 8, 10 Sept 1 – LABOR DAY - NO CLASS Media for Communication Artists, Defining the Language of Design PHUN WITH PHOTOSHOP
SEPT 10 - Quiz
READING: Evans & Thomas – Chapter 1 WEEKS 4 & 5 – Sept 15, 17, 22, 24 Typography PHUN WITH PHOTOSHOP (continues)
SEPT 24 - Quiz
READING: Evans & Thomas – Chapter 2 WEEKS 6 & 7 – Sept 29, Oct 1, 6, 8 Imagery in Design PHUN WITH PHOTOSHOP (continues)
Sept 8 – MIDTERM EXAM:
READING: Evans & Thomas – Chapter 3 WEEKS 8 & 9 – Oct 13, 15, 20, 22 Color and Design PHUN WITH PHOTOSHOP (continues)
SEPT 22 - Quiz
READING: Evans & Thomas – Chapter 4
WEEKS 10 & 11 – Oct 27, 29, Nov 3, 5 Managing Effective Design
INTRIGUE WITH INDESIGN Nov 5 - Quiz
READING: Evans & Thomas – Chapter 5 WEEKS 12 , 13, 14 – Nov 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26
Project Management & Production, Digital Portfolio Design, Studio Work Time INTRIGUE WITH INDESIGN Nov 26 – THANKSGIVING BREAK – NO CLASS WEEKS 15 – DEC 1, 3
FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATIONS