Hello!

Inclass

Today we will pick up where we left off last week. If you did not show me sketches of your poster concept – please be sure to show my today.

Discuss principles of good poster design (see handout from week 3: ADV1162_DesignPrincipals)

Lesson in Illustrator & Photoshop
-> Review Live Trace (Illustrator)
-> Type Tool (Illustrator)
-> Cropping and transforming (Photoshop)
-> Smart Objects – Illustrator into Photosop (Photoshop)
-> Adjustment layers – brightness and contrast (Photoshop)
-> Layer Mask – blending images (Photoshop)

Class Presentation
James Victore & Deanne Cheuk

Lab time to work. Poster first draft due next week.

Here are a few related online tutorials that might help to reinforce what we look at:
Envelope Distort 1: http://layersmagazine.com/illustrator-text-envelope-distortion.html
Envelope Distort 2: http://www.ndesign-studio.com/tutorials/envelope-distort
Live trace: http://www.tutorial9.net/tutorials/illustrator-tutorials/adobe-illustrator-tip-1-intro-and-livetrace/

Homework
DUE – Poster first draft (Digital files due)
Please bring paper – we will print in class (I will post the specific paper you need to bring to class next week, perhaps you can share to save $)
Make sure to include all the required elements that go within the poster (see ProjectOverview handout from Week3)

Greetings Class!

Inclass
1. Since we ran out of time last week, we will start Monday’s class off with a critique. Please bring your sketches with you and be prepared to talk about your work.
Principals of good poster design (see handout from week 3): ADV1162_DesignPrincipals

Lesson in Illustrator & Photoshop
-> Review Live Trace (Illustrator)
-> Type Tool (Illustrator)
-> Cropping and transforming (Photoshop)
-> Smart Objects – Illustrator into Photosop (Photoshop)
-> Adjustment layers – brightness and contrast (Photoshop)
-> Layer Mask – blending images (Photoshop)

Class Presentation
Jessica Hische & Saul Bass

Lab time to work!
Set up new document with poster specifications.

Homework
Work on poster – DUE week7 (two weeks from now)
Make sure to include all the required elements that go within the poster (see ProjectOverview handout from Week3)

Hello,

Welcome to week 4!

Inclass:
Due: 3 pencil or ink sketches of your ‘Get Out the Vote’ development concept for your poster. We will review in class. I want each of you to speak about intention:
A. What is your concept (message you are conveying). You should be able to articulate this in one clear sentence for each sketch.
B. Who is your audience? Even though the campaign is geared at a very broad audience, you can focus the audience for your purposes, for example: 18 year old NYC residents.

Principals of good poster design (from last week): ADV1162_DesignPrincipals

Lesson in Illustrator
-> Review Pen tool
-> Review Compound Paths & Compound Shapes
-> Brushes
-> Type tool
-> Creating Outlines
-> Blob tool – Eraser tool
-> Masking

Class presentations David Carson & Steve Brodner

Lab time to work

Homework
We have an opportunity to purchase the FULL Adobe Suite for $175.00, including CS6.0
Deadline: March 1st
If you are interested please send an email to: Ms. Jessica Garcia at: JMGarcia@citytech.cuny.edu (please include your contact info – see Week1)

Begin Poster Design (see ProjectOverview handout from Week3)
Make sure you are working with the correct specifications.
You can work in both Illustrator and Photoshop – note: type in Illustrator, images in Photoshop

Hello. I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend.

In-class
Due: Over the break everyone was supposed to finish off their moodboard relating to the ‘Get Out the Vote’ poster campaign. (you did  not need to print, the .psd file is fine). Moodboards – also known as your research board should be made in Photoshop – import images into the document from the web, the way I showed in class: (8.5 x 8.5” – 300 dpi [high res]) See handout: ADV1162 InspirationBoard posted week2.

ADV1162-ProjectOverview

Principals of good poster design:
ADV1162_DesignPrincipals

Lesson in Illustrator
-> Pen tool
-> Compound Paths & Compound Shapes
-> Brushes
-> Type tool
-> Creating Outlines
-> Blob tool – Eraser tool
-> Masking

Class presentations: Milton Glaser & Stever Brodner

Lab time
Break into small groups to construct a 6-8 word question or statement that captures the theme of everyone’s mood board. This question or statement will become the basis for the tagline of your poster.

Homework
Poster Development – 3 pencil or ink sketches of your poster based on the tagline you came up with in class.

Strategy Develop a visual hierarchy of all the required visual elements. Create a few sketches to explore different possibilities for your layout. Think about using type as metaphor to visually communicate your analysis, or point(s) of view on the subject. Experiment with a variety of approaches. Don’t assume first ideas and solutions are the best. Take chances, you can always tighten things up later. Select a series of words from your phrases, edit the words down to a series of syllables, literal meanings have less significance here. Experiment with type and composition perhaps focus on the expression through the letterforms themselves, as well as through their arrangement on the page.

Sketches can be smaller than final poster dimensions. Vertical or horizontal layout – up to you. I will review your interim compositions (sketches) next week and from there you will begin to develop one final solution of the poster.

Next week we will review the sketches and begin poster design.

Hello – welcome to week 2.

Note: it was pointed out to me shortly after class ended today that we do not meet next week. The following week, we meet on Tuesday 02.21.12 not on Monday. Please mark your calendars!

Because of this long stretch of time before we meet again, please see the tweaks I’ve made to the homework (draft of moodboard due). See homework below.

In-class

• What it means to be a designer – visual communicator
• Design Brief: Get Out the Vote Campaign
  http://americanhistory.si.edu/vote/
  Review favorites of 2008 (homework – find one you really like from the AIGA website)

Lesson

Photoshop: Inspiration/Moodboard – see canvas dimensions here: ADV1162_InspirationBoard
More about moodboards: click here
-> Resolution 300 dpi vs 72 dpi ( Dots Per Inch = DPI  = Pixel = Raster)
-> Resampling
-> Layers
-> Copy & Paste
-> Selections
-> Scanning

Lab time Break off into teams for brainstorming secession

Emailing – be sure to include a ‘signature’ – Title/ Contact info:
Your name
Communication Design Under-Grad
Advertising Design and Graphic Arts Dept.
New York City College of Technology
CUNY

Tell:(optional)
Cell: (optional)
Email: (optional)

Homework:
1. Next class (Tuesday 02.21.12) presentations begin: Milton Glaser and Steve Brodner
2. Please work on the first draft of your ‘Get Out the Vote’ moodboard’ and bring with you to our next class (you do not need to print, the .psd file is fine). Moodboards should be made in Photoshop – import images into the document from the web, the way I showed in class today. See above for canvas dimensions. (If you have any questions or problems email me)
3. In our next class I will ask you all to construct a 6-8 word question or statement that captures the theme of your mood board.

Here is a comprehensive list of words brainstormed in class today. There are some good ones. We had a few overlap. And one group went missing – Marvin, Angel, Brieseida, and Wilson – what happened to yours?:
Action
America
Activism
Belief
Chance
Crowd
Choice
Color
Democracy
Deceived
Duty
Equality
Expression
Freedom
Heroism
Hope
Justice for all
Liberty
Nation
Opportunity
Opinion
Polls
Peaceful
Power
Protest
Persuasion
Participation
Patriotism
Promises
Races
Responsibility
Republican
Rights
Success
Test
Unity
Voice
Vote

Welcome to the first class of the semester!
Here are the handouts given in class including the course outline:

ADV1162_HitchingsSyllabus
ADV1162_Week1-Terms

Lecture Topic
Introduction to Photoshop and Illustrator

• Vector vs. bitmap, print vs. web, resolution, saving, file formats, file management
• Workspace
• Role of a designer
• Introduction to Project 1  – poster design (We will be working on the poster design over the next several weeks. We will start by researching the subject matter and exploring different possible design solutions. The assignment will take us through several stages in the design process. You will be assessed on each stage of this process – so please do not rush ahead…)

Homework

• Chose a designer for in-class presentation (ADV1160_StudentPresentations)
• Register for this blog to receive regular updates
• Send me a ‘professional’ email
• Download and read the AIGA ‘Get-Out-The-Vote’ >> AIGA-DesignBrief
• Learn more about the poster assignment here: http://www.aiga.org/get-out-the-vote/

Resources

• www.commarts.com
• www.aiga.com
• www.tdc.org
• www.adcglobal.org