Intro to Graphic Design
STUDENTS: Undergraduate students with varying majors such as Graphic Design, Photography, Advertising, Public Relations, Music Industry, and Journalism.
This course introduces the principles and theories of graphic design to help students learn to connect the original concept and its final recipient, It is a required course for many undergraduate students which means that the course is tailored to teach how design applies to all fields of communication. There is an emphasis on how to communicate a message visually and to become a visual problem solver.
It is important to balance topics covered based on the projects they are working on to give them a wider range of skills and exposure to different areas of graphic design.
Project #1: Résumé and Wordmark Design.
This introduces the students to InDesign and to the use of effective typography and hierarchy.
Each students starts the semester re-designing their resume. This design is by Sarah Whaley.
Project #2: Branding project.
This project has the students select a historical or literary figure to create a branding system for. It introduces Illustrator and a bit of Photoshop as well as designing for the user and use of effective color in design.
Branding system designed for Historical and Literary figures. This design is for Mozart, created by Riva Goldberg.
Project #3: Campaign design.
Students create a poster for print and then convert it to an animated .GIF for social media. This introduces photoshop, the use of the gestalt principles, type and image relationships and campaign design and concepting.
Poster designs where students create imagery to promote events.
Creation of a social media graphic as an animated .GIF to support the still print poster.
Project #4: Magazine design.
This project really brings everything together from the whole semester. It reinforces how to use all three of the Adobe programs learned effectively and collaboratively on a project. It also allows for a more advanced look at grids, eyeflow, use of typography and hierarchy in the design
Magazine feature design spread designed by Lucy Naland. Image on top shows a variety of magazine cover design produced within the course.
Cover of SALT Magazine