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å August 2015
B Get Course Materials…
Available at the KSC book store
All materials must be brought to class by Wednesday, September 9.
Thumb Drive or External Hard Drive
3-ring binder for process materials
Small Aluminum triangle with measurements
Steel ruler (15″ or18″) (no wooden or plastic rulers, please)
X-acto knife
X-acto replacement blades (box of 40+ blades)
Standard Metal Utility knife (+ spare blades)
Cutting matte (12″ x 18″ min.)
Black sharpie markers (one thin, .01-.03 & one thick + various sizes)
w Design Resources at MichelleBowers.com August 31, 2015
Neula Ha í Response / What are you interested in?
Write a post on this site.
Talk about why you are interested in graphic design. Do you want to be a designer or just use these skills for another passion? Write about two areas of graphic design discussed in the readings that interest you. What is it about that area that excites you?
Talk about what interest you in those areas of design. What is it about your personality and abilities that would be a good fit for corporate identity work, motion graphics, web design or other areas.
No book reports please! I don’t want you to regurgitate the reading all over me (eew). Your perspective and opinions. A true ‘response’ from your brain to mine.
Provide a link or two for each area of interest.
Write 2-3 concise paragraphs. Correct spelling and grammar please 🙂
Due 9pm Tuesday September 1
4 responses to “Response / What are you interested in?”
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Natalie Cartier says:
I am interested in graphic design because it is a unique and bold way to communicate, express ideas/thoughts, and solutions. Graphic design can turn boring information into something eye catching which can make it more meaningful and significant to the audience. For me personally, I do not want to be a designer. Although, I know the complex thinking involved with being a designer would help me with what I am pursuing to be, an investigator. I believe that an investigator must have an open mind, much like a designer. Investigators develop ideas, questions, and solutions. Similar to designers. Investigators have to look for what others cannot see or overlook, which relates to how designers have to find ways to reveal the beauty and meaning in something that not everyone sees. I’m hoping the skills I learn in graphic design will be very beneficial for what I am pursuing.
An area of graphic design that interests me is voice and vision design. What excites me about this area is that own experiences can be used to approach the project in a unique way. The influences of your experiences will give the design a certain identity because everyone has different experiences. Voice and vision design gives the opportunity to make a meaningful concept by taking advantage of being who you are. My personality and abilities would be a good fit for voice and vision design because of the unusual/unique experiences that I have gone through and my passion for a lot of things, could help create unique designs.
Another area of graphic design that interests me would be corporate design. What excites me about corporate design is that the design(s) created are going to be a certain corporations visual identity for the general public and I would have the opportunity/ability to create that design. Seems like that would be a fulfilling accomplishment. I believe that my personality and abilities would be a good fit for corporate design because I would want to please the client with the design they are looking for and make sure they get that. -
Julia Peet says:
I am interested in Graphic design because I love being able to edit photos and videos and draw attention to certain details within them. Recently this summer I started hiking and exploring many of the mountains here in good old New Hampshire, and some of the sights that I saw were incredible. I loved tinkering in Photoshop with these photos and cropping them, burning the edges, changing and altering the exposure and doing things to them that distorted what the viewer saw. I also love to draw and I would take a sketchbook up on top of those mountains and sketch the areas around me so that I could later bring it back down and create something on my computer.
I love the power and the influence that graphic design has over viewers. It can reach an incredible amount of people. Part of the reason I love Graphic Design so much is because the possibilities are endless. The term “Graphic Design” covers such a wide arrange of areas itself and there is a vast array of concepts. I’m looking forward to what this class has to offer and the different things I have to learn. -
Kelsey Rogers says:
I am interested in graphic design because it is something new to me. I have always been interested in art and been fairly descent at it. I normally do fine art, yet I was intrigued with the idea of doing it on the computer. I am not fully sure with what I want to do in this class because I have never taken a class on it before. I also do not normally play around with programs like photoshop. This past year in high school I took AP art, my concentration was 3D and my medium was clay. I chose 3D because I enjoy working with my hands.
I took many art classes in high school. I also took a CAD class and I like the idea of mixing those things together as a way of self expression. I love doing art it is my escape from reality and i want to see if graphic design can do the same thing for me. My dad went to school for graphic design and unfortunately did not get to get a degree in the profession. I like the idea of following the path he started himself. I also like the idea that graphic design impacts our lives and the future. -
Sean Kiziltan says:
For a majority of my High school years, I have placed Graphic design as a future study for me. All at the same time, Architecture has always been there for me also. I had these majors in mind because they seemed fit for my interests in anything related to traditional art and computer work. I seemed interested in anything technical. Although I haven’t worked as much as I would have wanted with computer programs, programming and editing software, I always knew I had a certain talent for such things. So far, I took some introductory work which kept my interest afloat.
I started to place other demands, bringing up questions like: “What can graphic design do for me to stretch out to other careers?” I love art, technology, technical work, I love working with people. And things like communicating through this kind of art I see through the packet’s examples, I see much more potential in pursuing the major. I took essentials such as the foundations class, drawing, and tech workshop for last semester. up till the end of Summer, I brought together my first few art classes and my passions into the idea of keeping this path! I want learn more about 3D art, sound work and overall editing softwares.
Everything from publication/book design to advertising and interaction design looked great to me, they all expand to many specializations. I feel that I will be able to give myself the opportunity of trying different things and choosing a path that will potentially help or interact with people. I always had the first rule I put out, that whatever I choose for a career, I want it to impact people’s lives in some positive way. And this reading has given me a better comprehension on how I could do such things.
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B Set up class site with Gravitar
Design your Gravitar
You’ll need to set up a wordpress.com account at gravatar.com.
Use whatever image you would like for your avatar.
Once you’re set-up, add a nickname (case sensitive), an optional bio and URL.
B Required Book
Required Text
Please get this book by September 2.
Graphic Design Thinking
by Ellen Lupton, Jennifer Cole Phillips
B Course Overview
Graphic Design
This course is an investigation of the role of graphic design in the visual environment. Students explore a variety of conceptual and production methodologies to create effective visual communication.
Course summary
The world in which we live is populated by myriad printed and screen-based messages of information and entertainment. We position ourselves in this visual landscape by creating visual presentations of themselves in various forms through social media profiles, personal web sites, class projects, and so much more. Since elementary school we have been asked to create digital presentations to demonstrate their command of class material, but in what way have we been prepared to do so? While many secondary schools teach technology, very few offer a concerted education on the fundamentals of graphic design outside of exclusive art classes. It is fair to say that the vast majority of people have no real understanding of how to create effective messages in a world that increasing uses visual perception to judge them. This course addresses these issues by providing students with fundamental critical thinking and creative making skills that will increase the effectiveness of their visual communications.
Graphic design has a formative role in the production of visual messages in contemporary culture. Everything we do to share our ideas in academic presentations, resumes, political messages, corporate communications, email and social profile construction is visually articulated through a variety of conceptual and formal decisions that make up the graphic form of the message. Everyone is a publisher today, and the success of any communication often rests upon how it is visually perceived by the audience long before it is read and digested. The course positions graphic design as both a formal tool and conceptual device by instructing students to skillfully and intelligently manipulate graphic form to communicate information effectively.
This course addresses the core proficiency of crafting strong and visually persuasive messages, and is designed to help students understand how the ideas they are continually charged with presenting in academic and professional contexts are dependent upon clear visual structure and coherent graphic expression. This course will provide a critical environment for examining visual communications with current and historical examples. The skills development aspect of this course will directly address practical aesthetic methodologies for developing and producing visual communication artifacts in a series of practical and conceptual projects.
Course Requirements
- Attend class each week, as assignments will draw upon topics covered in readings, projects and discussions.
- Collect all readings, sketches, prints, versions, ideas and other process materials in a 3-ring process journal.
- Read the assigned texts by the next class meeting.
- Comment on class readings on the class web site.
- Participate fully in class activities.
- Complete all projects in a timely manner to the best of your ability.
Electronic Communication Policy
- Facebook: A class Facebook group will be used for general questions about assignments as well as a place to post interesting links to topics related to this class. The group is called FALL 2015 GD and can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1632949843650096/ - Email: Use email to communicate questions and comments that pertain only to you. If the question is about the class in general, please use the Facebook group.
- Texting: You may text me in extremely urgent situations. My mobile number is in my email signature. Please try the Facebook group first.
Craft
Presentation is a critical part of graphic design. Poorly presented work handicaps the effective communication of ideas. Badly made work will not be accepted.
Reading/Writing
The ability to articulate oneself well in written and spoken words is crucial to you professional success. Readings from contemporary and historical design topics will be assigned in this course on a regular basis.
Equipment List
This course has a considerable supply list available at the KSC Book Store. We also use computers in addition to one of your most valuable tools — your mind — please remember to bring it to class. You will need:
- Thumb Drive (min. 8GB, 16-32GB preferred) or external hard drive
- 3-ring binder for process materials
- Small Aluminum triangle with measurements
- Steel ruler (15″ or18″) (no wooden or plastic rulers, please)
- X-acto knife
- X-acto replacement blades (box of 40+ blades)
- Standard Metal Utility knife (+ spare blades)
- Cutting matte (12″ x 18″ min.)
- Black sharpie markers (one thin, .01-.03 & one thick + various sizes)
Process notes
You will keep an ongoing and detailed record of all work, readings, and other visual inspiration and influence throughout the term in dedicated 3-ring binder. All drawings, notes and other materials will be uploaded on a project by project basis to the class blog.
Submitted Work
All work should be submitted according to medium. Digital files will be uploaded to class site and/or DropBox. Printed work will be submitted in clean and organized envelopes with your name written clearly in the upper right corner. No exceptions or alternatives will be accepted.
Assignment due dates
- Complete the assigned reading prior to the next week’s class meeting.
- You will not receive credit for any assignment passed in after the due date. If illness or other personal issues are keeping you from fulfilling an assignment, you must contact me before the assignment is due, or you will receive a zero (0%) for the missed assignment.
- Students are responsible for handing in any assignments due on the day of an absence.
Attendance policy
The Keene State College attendance policy emphasizes the correlation between attendance and academic achievement. A student is expected to attend all class meetings of courses in which he or she is enrolled.
- Keene State policy: A student who misses more than 6 classes in the first 10 weeks of the semester (for any reason whatsoever, including excused absences and emergencies) must withdraw from the course. The student must follow the regular withdrawal procedure. The complete KSC attendance policy can be viewed at http://www.keene.edu/administration/policy/detail/attendance/
- Class policy: students may take 2 unexcused absences. Students will lose a half letter off their final grade (A to A/B, A/B to B, B to B/C, etc.) for every non-excused absence thereafter. Students must provide documentation for any excused absence (doctor’s note or proof of other emergency).
- Students are responsible for handing in any assignments due on the day of an absence.
- You must actively seek out the information from any class you might miss from a fellow student in the class, or from me.
- Please consult the KSC Academic Calendar for non-class days and other notable events.
Electronic devices in the classroom
Unless otherwise stated, students may not use any personal electronic devices during class meetings. Texting or any other type of cell phone or electronic device use during class will count as an unexcused absence and you will be asked to leave the class. And remember, more than 6 absences and you will have to drop the class.
Disabilities
Any student with a documented disability should see me as soon as possible so that we can make the appropriate accommodations. Students with disabilities can register with the Keene State College Office of Disability Services on the first floor of the Elliot Center (358-2353).
Academic honesty
- All students are expected to hand in original written work. Using other people’s words without proper attribution constitutes plagiarism.
- Plagiarism and any other forms of cheating will result in an F for the assignment and may include further College sanctions. In this class, every student must be aware of and adhere to the college’s policy on academic honesty. Detailed procedures and processes pertaining to the Policy on Academic Honesty can be viewed at http://www.keene.edu/policy/academichonesty.cfm
Evaluation
Grades are based on your performance on Participation, Website Posts, Quizzes, Exercises, and Projects as follows:
Participation / 10%
Website Posts / 15%
Quizzes / 15%
Exercises / 20%
Projects / 40%
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Classroom
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I am interested in Graphic design because I love being able to edit photos and videos and draw attention to certain details within them. Recently this summer I started hiking and exploring many of the mountains here in good old New Hampshire, and some of the sights that I saw were incredible. I loved tinkering in Photoshop with these photos and cropping them, burning the edges, changing and altering the exposure and doing things to them that distorted what the viewer saw. I also love to draw and I would take a sketchbook up on top of those mountains and sketch the areas around me so that I could later bring it back down and create something on my computer. Part of the reason I love Graphic Design so much is because the possibilities are literally endless. The term “Graphic Design” covers such a wide arrange of areas itself and there is a vast array of concepts. I’m looking forward to what this class has to offer and the different things I have to learn.
This reading opened my eyes truly to the vast extent of the amount of graphic design majors that there could be out there. I never really knew how general the term “graphic designer” really was. I always just assumed that graphic design was used to describe someone who played with photoshop or adobe products, but now I think I understand how ignorant I was.
There is so many out there for Graphic Designers to do and my previous knowledge only scratched at the surface. I am starting to believe that Graphic Designers are the new age. I think that they have the power to not only influence the world, but change the world. They are the thinkers at Apple, or Android, and who work at Twitter and Facebook and Google and anywhere where there is technology. The world is an evolving place and it needs graphic designers to pave the way.