Syllabus

Welcome. This is an introductory class that involves investigation into graphic design methods and the practice of graphic design as a tool for visual communication.

Specifically we will explore:

• Defining communication problems by understanding audience and context
• Applying creative problem solving processes
• Constructing visual narrative(s)
• Using visual organization structures + principles
• Developing critical thinking
• Reflecting on the graphic design profession
• Utilizing technology efficiently and appropriately

In order to prepare you for sophomore review, contemporary design practice and the need for practitioners to be able to create appropriate visual solutions to complex communication problems. The purpose of this course is for you to learn HOW to design for the effective visual communication of specific messages to specific audiences in specific contexts.

The activities in this course will center around three "challenges". And will introduce you to the many possible “roles” of a designer.

Project schedules will be fast, but realistic. Timelines will demand that you are always prepared, effective and efficient. If you miss your weekly deadlines, you may not be able to catch up. Generally the projects will take four-five weeks and will broken down into the following weekly activity:

• week 1: Generating: Getting things started
• week 2: Conceptualizing: Putting ideas together
• week 3: Optimizing: Turning abstract ideas into solutions
• week 4: Implementing: Getting things done

Additionally you will document and reflect on the process of how you arrived at each solution by creating/contributing to a blog for the semester and creating process books/presentations.

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DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY
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Projects are designed to expose you to the many roles of a graphic designer and you will be challenged to:

Create a identity mark and logo animation for the new School of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning. In this challenge you will be introduced to the role of graphic designer as:

• collaborator
• problem solver
• form and mark maker
• researcher
• storyteller

Design two posters for a client that successfully communicates their specific message to two of their different audiences. In this challenge you will be introduced to the role of graphic designer as:

• collaborator
• problem solver
• form maker
• researcher
• communicator and empathizer

Design the packaging to a hypothetical new product or service. This hypothetical new product or service must solve a problem for your room mate, family member or friend. In this challenge you will be introduced to the role of graphic designer as:

• researcher/observer
• problem finder
• diagrammer
• experience builder
• teacher
• story teller

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COURSE OUTCOMES
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Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

To be able to analyze images for meaning, particularly emotional content and
subtext (connotation and denotation).

To be able to organize a given area of two-dimensional space with respect to
some specific, clearly stated aesthetic and/or communicative purpose.

To be able to select, employ and alter images with respect to some specific,
clearly stated aesthetic and/or communicative purpose.

To be able to synthesize and deploy introductory technical/production methods
used in the creation of imagery, both static and motion, when appropriate
.
To demonstrate image sensitivity: the control of variables specifically: color,
composition, cropping, pov and mark making in achieving legible and expres-
sive visual meaning.

To demonstrate time and motion sensitivity: the control of variables specifically:
pacing, sequence, duration, montage and kinesthetics in achieving legible and
expressive visual meaning.

To have an working understanding of the creative problem solving process(es).
To develop an awareness to communication issues relevant to graphic design,
specifically, audience and context.

To establish a contemporary context for graphic design and visual communication
career opportunities.

To have an introductory understanding of communication theory.


This course will provide opportunities for students to gain design knowledge and abilities through studio projects and critique presentations. Additionally, lectures, readings, demonstrations, slide presentations, class and group discussions, and personal student meetings will be used.

The projects assigned in this course are intended to teach you to think critically about the visual world around you while building on the visual vocabulary you developed in Design 1&2 ad Visual Concepts. Beginning exercises explore the characteristics of individual design elements and principles, methods and concepts; and later exercises explore the communicative power of using these elements and principles in combination.


ASSIGNMENTS

All work will require multiple iterations in order to arrive at a final. Besides the prototypical research including information gathering and analysis, prototyping/sketching/making is a form of visual research and all steps/stages should be save and documented. You will be asked to present all process work as pdf presentations for instructor evaluation and your own personal reflection. So save everything! All versions! And be ready to explain the work: what, how and why you did what you did.

To get the most out of this class and grow as a young designer, you need to approach the class work with a serious attitude and a willingness to work beyond just doing what is asked. Push yourself. Visual Communication Design is a very competitive and challenging profession, but for those who find a way to engage with the work and enjoy being challenged, the demands are well worth meeting and the rewards are truly fulfilling. This course is taught with that philosophy as a backdrop. Students are expected to commit themselves and to work hard, every day, not just for better grades but for the enjoyment that the work brings and the growth that comes with it.



ATTENDANCE

Attendance is mandatory. Work (even when unfinished) must be displayed during critiques in order to receive a grade. Late work will be lowered one full letter grade for every day that work is not turned in. A student will be given a project grade of “F” for any project that is never submitted.

Students are required to attend class. Please be in class on time and remain for the entire period. Please turn off your pagers and mobile phones. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class period. Three “late” marks will equal one absence. A total of 1 absence will be allowed for any reason. It is your sole responsibility to discover what happened during any class you missed. If it is necessary for you to be absent from class for more than 3 days for any reason including medical condition, you should withdraw from the class.

In the event of any absence, students are still responsible for obtaining all information & materials from the class period and completing all assignments on time. It is your sole responsibility to find out about any new work assigned during your absence.



GRADING SCALE

Excellent (A+ 98–100%, A=94–97%, A– 90–93%)
Good (B+ 87–89%, B= 84–86%, B– 80–83%)
Average (C+ 77–79%, C= 74–76%, C– 70–73%)
Below Average (D+ 67–69%, D= 64–66%, D– 60–63%)
Failing (F 59% & below)

Completing the minimum requirements outlined on an assignment sheet qualify as “C” level (or average) work. The degree and quality of effort with which a student engages in the different criteria (above or below the minimum requirements) for each assignment determines how well they do.



COURSE REMINDERS

Design Process
The central factor in determining your design ability will your understanding of visual concepts as they apply to assignments. The process of designing and how you got there is as important as any final artifact you make.

Research and multiple ideations are required for every assignment. It is vital to a successful design solution, as well as your development as a design student. All work must be thoroughly documented. Note: While the computer will usually be the ultimate tool for production, preliminary work will often be done on paper. Mock-ups, thumbnails and sketches are a way of exploring relationships quickly by thinking and making simultaneously. It allows you to see multiple ideas, compare, and arrive at a point in which to select the “best” example to develop further.

Expected Workload
Throughout the semester you are required to work a minimum of seven hours per week outside of classes on your projects. (Many of you will find that you will need to spend even more time per week.) Please be aware that not all project work can be done at home or at your convenience.
Please also be aware that expecting yourself to continue to work a full-time or near full-time job (over 20 hrs. per week) will most likely have a negative impact on your grade. Studio course projects require a great deal of time in order to complete. It is very difficult to try and balance both a full-time job and a full load of studio classes.

Critiques
Visual Communication Design does not happen in a vacuum. Clear verbal skills are all important in communicating your ideas to clients and design team members. For all critiques, students are expected to come prepared to present their concepts, discuss how the form of their design supports their concept, and describe how they arrived at their ideas. Providing comment to your peers is a privilege. You will benefit from both giving and receiving feedback—you do not have to “like” another’s work, but you must provide insightful commentary in a courteous manner.

Academic Conduct
Please adhere to the rules as listed in the student disruptive conduct policy found at: http://www.studenthandbook.ku.edu/codes.shtml

Disabilities
Students needing special assistance or accommodation should contact the KU Academic Achievement & Access Center office at 864-4064. They are located in room 22 in Strong Hall.

Plagiarism
Is copying someone’s work or taking somebody’s idea and trying to pass it off as yours and will result in penalties as outlined in the KU student code of rights and responsibilities.

Hallmark symposium
You are required to have a minimum four semesters (2 credits) of VISC 520 for graduation.



EVALUATION CRITERIA

Design theories and practice-based knowledge

• applying communication design theories that respond to the cognitive, social / cultural, technological and physical characteristics of audiences and contexts.

Process and Methodology

• understanding and applying formal design process to solve communication problems, including the skills of research and information gathering, analysis, generation of alternative solutions, prototyping & testing and evaluation of outcomes.
  
  
• student demonstrated substantial engagement with the subject.
  
  
• developing an idea across time and sustaining work through progression and refinement.

Communication and Participation Skills

• student demonstrated professionalism by using class time effectively, managing time outside of class and preparing for each class period.
  
  
• professionalism in communicating effectively through oral and written presentations; communicating ideas clearly and concisely.
  
  
• student demonstrated professionalism by meeting deadlines (final and intermediate), demonstrating and communicating progress and preparing work for review.
  
  
• professionalism in discussions and critiques; providing feedback and responses to peers in a courteous manner and responding to relevant issues pro-actively.

Technology Skills

• hardware/software appropriateness: using the right tool for the job
  
  
• hardware/software: using the right tools to get the job done with quality
  
  
• hardware/software: using the right tool to get the job done efficiently

Conceptual and Creativity Skills

• goodness of fit: the appropriateness of form to content (concept) and contexts (audience + cognitive, social, cultural, physical human factors).
  
  
• inventiveness: the originality/engagement of the designed object formally.
  
  
• visual organization/principles: the relationship between elements in the composition.
  
  
• image sensitivity: the control of variables specifically: cropping, connotation, denotation, juxtaposition and fusion in achieving legible and expressive meaning.
  
  
• typographic sensitivity: the control of variables specifically: typeface, weight, spacing, proportion and size in achieving legible and expressive verbal/visual meaning
  
  
• motion sensitivity: the control of kinetic variables specifically: path, area, direction, weight and speed in achieving legible and expressive visual meaning.
  
  
• time sensitivity: the control of temporal variables specifically: pacing, duration, sequence, montage, transition, arc and proximity in achieving legible and expressive visual meaning.
  
  
• audio sensitivity: the control of sound variables specifically: choreography, synchronization: parallel/counterpoint, contrast and dominance in achieving legible and expressive visual meaning.