identity design (week 2)

Students worked hard at finishing their research assignment this first week of class.  Now we are ready for our first design.  We will be discussing graphic design as visual communication, then will be learning about identity design.  We will use technology to analyze elements and principles of identity designs to communicate and express ideas.  Students will go through the design process to create a logo that they will use to brand their work for this term.  Much of the work will start off with paper and pencil sketches.  We will make small changes on our work based on feedback from our class.  We will then learn to utilize software to create our product digitally, then will upload it to a class portfolio.

Students will turn in their sketches, digital portfolio, and reflection fora a 20 point assessment.

2016/2017 School Year is Here!

Welcome to graphic design class!  This is a great class that allows you to combine art, design, and technology to change the way people look at the world around us!  Tuesday we will have incoming freshmen and will hand out our student handbooks, get familiar with the high school, get set up with our computers and will do a project where we can get to know each other.  Wednesday the upperclassmen will be back and then we will go over the syllabus and get to know our whole class.  I'm looking forward to seeing what creative ideas you come up with this term and learning new ways to create great works of art!

term 4 environmental design

Environmental design is one of my favorite topics in this class!  Students will be looking at several examples of environmental design, then will go on a photograph scavenger hunt for examples around our building.  We will put them together in a collage and will post a reflection about our definition of environmental design, and why our pictures are good examples of that definition.

Students will then find a blank area in the building, and will take a photograph.  Students will create a design for that area, then will Photoshop it into the picture they took.  We will then post the picture along with a reflection.

term 4 layout design info

We are to the point where we are ready to save our information graphics to our portfolios, and can move on to our next project, which is layout design.  As we learn about layouts and how to effectively fit design elements into a given space, we will be putting together a movie poster.  Saul Bass was a graphic designer who was also the father of animated/moving credits in films.  He also made iconic famous movie posters with his unique minimal style.  Students will be looking at some of the work of Saul Bass, then will choose a favorite movie of theirs to remake the movie poster for, but in the style of the great Saul Bass.  Projects will be 18 in by 12 in.  This will be a great project to allow kids great creativity to use appropriate space of a layout, appropriate color and type-face, as well as have exposure to a graphic design pioneer.  Some of the important terms we will discuss are layout, columns, horizon lines, gutters, margins, and grid.

Infographic

The next project for NPHS graphic design students is to create an information graphic.  Students will decide what topic they want to research, then collect their information and record their sources.  Once all of their information is assembled, they will sketch some layouts on how they wish to display the information.  Once their layout is approved, we will create them on the computer and post them to our portfolios.

Typography

Graphic Design students have been learning about typography.  Do the type-faces we use help or hurt the message we are sending with our design?  We looked at several examples, then students were to find a free-use image and put a saying or quote with it, using a minimum of 3 type-faces/fonts that are appropriate for the design.

Stationery

Now that we have finished up our logos in graphic design, we are ready to move on and apply our logos to different designs.  We will be using our logo to create an identity and apply it to the following: a business card, an envelope, and a letterhead.  The dimensions for the components are listed below.

Business card: 2 x 3.5 in.
Envelope: 9.5 x 4.125 in.
Letterhead: 8.5 x 11 in.

These three items should have similar theme and look like they match or belong together.  We also need to pay attention to function and design with these.