Art Department - Fall 2009 - Digital Art - Ronaldo Kiel

48.11 Introduction to Digital Art - Desktop Publishing

section MQ9 - 2364 - M 9:30AM-1:10PM - Boylan 5102
section MQ2 - 0093 - M 2:15PM-5:35PM - Boylan 5102

Course Description Class Projects Schedule Important Dates Contact Index

 

Introduction

Design surrounds our everyday lives through television, advertisements, magazines and architecture. Underlying all of this design however, is a series of fundamental principles. In this course we will focus on graphic design. During the semester, we will analyze examples of graphic design looking for the basic rules for successful design. An understanding of the this visual vocabulary, will improve your ability to create your own pieces. You will develop your design skills while acquiring the necessary software training.

In the graphic design of today, software like Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress, among others, will place in your hands the essential tools to combine type and graphics on the printed page in less time than ever before. Your competence will accumulate in direct proportion to the amount of time you practice.

Well designed documents require many skills—including typing, proofing, typesetting, selecting images—and the expertise to organize all of these elements into a pleasing layout. Just a few years ago, these skills involved more than one person. Today, with the use of a computer and desktop publishing software, a single person is able to perform all of these tasks. Digital page designers must be able to assemble traditional skills within the computer graphics environment.

Course Objectives

Software

Every student should spend at least four hours per week practicing in the Lab (besides classes). Individual experience on the computer will be required in order to finish all course requirements.

Materials

You can purchase CD-Rs (Recordable Compact Disks) or CD-RWs. They hold 700MB and the CD-RWs let you rewrite the data. You should consider buying a Firewire drive or an USB Flash Drive. It will be useful for transferring files and backups. You are responsible for backing up your files. If your files are lost or deleted from the computers in the lab you will have to start over if you don't keep backups. Make a habit of saving copies of your work at the end of every class and taking it with you.

Note: All computers in room 5102 and 5207 can record CDs and DVDs.

Special paper for portfolio quality laser printing can be obtained from Staples or Paper Presentation , 23 West 18th Street, NY 10011. Phone: 1 800 PAPER 01.

You should also purchase some Inkjet Photo Paper for Project #5. This is the only project that you are required to print in color and I strongly recommend that you present this project on Photo Quality Paper. The Inkjet color printer will not work well with normal paper for this project.

Attendance and Grades

This course will offer training in multiple software packages in only 14 classes and a total of five projects will be required to pass the course. The material in this course is technical and specific. These projects demand a lot of work and time. At least four hours a week of independent work in the lab is required. Attendance is essential and work on the tutorial will be necessary to successfully finish all projects. Prior notification and arrangements will be necessary in the case of late work and it will be graded down at least one letter grade.

NOTE: All students will be graded on the work that they complete during the semester. No incomplete grades will be given. Projects submitted still in progress will be graded accordingly.

Online Training

QuarkXPress - http://www.quark.com/
Adobe Video Workshop - http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/
Adobe Print Tutorials - http://www.adobe.com/print/tips/main.html
Adobe Design Center - http://www.adobe.com/designcenter
Illustrator - http://www.adobe.com/products/tips/illustrator.html
Photoshop - http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html

Suggested Books

Adobe Photoshop CS Classroom in a Book - Price: $34.64
Adobe Illustrator CS Classroom in a Book - Price: $34.64
QuarkXPress for Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide - Price: $20.00

Software for Students

InDesign CS - Price: $198.95
Photoshop CS - Price: $298.95
Illustrator CS - Price: $198.95
QuarkXPress - Price: $198.95