I'm sick! :(

January 30, 2013
schedule update


I'm very sorry to miss this week's class on 1/31, but I'm incapacitated with the flu.  I'm also contagious and I'm sure you don't want to catch it.  I hope you haven't already.


I'm rescheduling the logo critique for 2/12.  That will allow me to give the related demonstrations before you prepare your final logos.

The extra week isn't free, however.  I would like to bump up the card schedule slightly.  The first 13 revised sketches were originally due 2/7, but I would now like you to finish them by 2/5.  The second 13 revised sketches will be due on 2/7.  Please post them to your blogs on their respective due dates.


Don't hesitate to email me with any questions.


-Shane

Logo Groups

Project 3 - Logo design

Original Company Creator is responsible for completing their own logo for the company that they created.

Rival Company Creator is responsible for creating a company that competes with the corresponding original company for the same clients.  They conceive the rival company and act as an art director to the logo designer.  They may provide as little as a rough idea to their logo designer or they may provide sketches of their own.

Logo Designer is responsible for creating the logo for the Rival Company Creator and is required to treat this as a paying job and adhere to their art director’s instructions and vision.

Groups

Original                                               Rival                                     

Company                                              Company              Logo

Creator                                                Creator                 Designer                                              

Colton                                                    Luke                       Maysa

Mim                                                       Trista                      Emily

Kayla                                                     Colton                    Mary

Stephanie                                              Chris                       April

Chris                                                       Jason                      Rob

Luke                                                       Terri                        Anthony

Rob                                                        Kayla                     Stephanie

Emily                                                     Maysa                   Trista

Jason                                                      Mary                      Luke

Aubrey                                                  April                       Mim

Anthony                                                Aubrey                   Kayla

April                                                       Rob                        Chris

Terri                                                        Emily                     Aubrey

Maysa                                                   Anthony               Jason

Mary                                                      Mim                       Terri

Trista                                                      Stephanie              Colton

Schedule

1/24                        Rival Company outlines are due at the beginning of class.  Rival Company Creators and their Logo Designers will meet during class to exchange ideas and schedule meeting times for their project.  It is the responsibility of both the rival company creator and the logo designer to exchange contact information and to proceed professionally toward project completion.

1/29                        Work in class on logos.  (52 card thumbnail sketches due also)

2/5                          Critique all logos.

Project Schedule

1/15        Projects 1-5 assigned.  Begin gathering visual reference and inspiration for card deck.

Homework:  Write (type) a ½ page to 2-page proposal outlining the concept for your card deck.  Make sure to include your visual and conceptual inspiration.  (Stapled and presented neatly)

1/17        Project 1: Proposal packets due posted on blog and printed for the instructor.

               

                Project 2: Presentation questionnaire due.

1/22        Project 3: Company outline and logo sketches due.

Basic PS and IL demo for color comps and text

1/24        Project 2: Rival company outlines due.  Director/artist teams assigned.

                Work in class.

1/29        Project 1: 52 card thumbs with package design thumbs due

                PS and IL demo.  Work in class.

1/31        Project 1: 78 tarot card thumbs with package design thumbs due.

                Project 2: Work in class.

2/5          Project 2: Critique logos (digital).

2/7          Project 1: First 13 revised card sketches due for review.

2/12        Project 1: Next 26 revised card sketches due (includes back)

2.14        Project 1: Final 13 revised car sketches due with revised package design sketch.

                Project 4: Assigned.

2/19        Project 1: Last 26 tarot card revised sketches due.

2/21        Project 4: Travel poster and postcard thumbs due for review.

2/26        Project 1: 13 cards finished front and back.

2/28        Project 4: Revised travel poster and postcard sketches and color compos due.

3/5          Project 1: 13 cards finished front and back.

3/7          Project 4: Critique travel poster and postcard (digital).

                Project 5: Assigned.

3-12        Spring Break

3/14        Spring Break

3/19        Project 1: 13 cards finished front and back.  26 for tarot.

3/21        Project 4: Travel poster and postcard printed for instructor.

                Project 5: Illustration and text writings and thumbs due.

3/26        Project 1: 13 cards finished front and back.  26 for tarot.

3/28        Project 5: Illustration and text sketches due.

4/2          Project 5: Critique Illustration and text (digital).

4/4          Project 5: Illustration and text printed for instructor.

                Project 1: Work in class.

4/9          Project 1: Work in class.

4/11        Project 1: Work in class.

4/16        Project 2: Presentations due.

4/18        Project 2: Presentations due.

4/23        Project 1: Critique Deck of Cards (digital).

4/25        Project 1: Critique Deck of Cards (digital).

4/30        Project 1: Correct mistakes and finalize digital files for print.

5/2          Project 1: Printed Deck of Cards due.

                Last day of class.  Group lunch.

Project 5 - Illustration and Text

Illustrations aren’t just pretty pictures on a page and they do not have to be created as such.  Illustrators can (and should) be designers who craft an image that activates a page and interacts with text.  Avoid lazy, ineffective pictures and ILLUSTRATE images that engage the viewer.

Your assignment is to choose one of the options listed below and design a page that uses text and image to communicate the content.  This work will be presented and critiqued digitally, but a printed version will be submitted at the end of the semester.

1.)  Book Cover Illustration and Interior Illustrations

Pick a book you love or would love to read (quickly) and illustrate a full-color cover and at least one black and white interior illustration for it.  You are required to include the title, the author, and any other publication information that appears on your source material.  Your interior illustration or illustrations will sit on a page or pages that you design by incorporating the existing text.  (In other words you will be retyping or MAYBE hand lettering a lot) 

The front and back covers are each 8 x 5.25 inches and the spine should be .1/2 inch.  A full interior page is 8 x 5.25 inches with a bleed area of 8.5 x 5.75 inches.  (I’ll explain this in class)  Illustrated at 150% will be 12 x 8 with a full bleed area of 12.75 x 9 inches.

2)  Newspaper Broadsheet or Magazine Spread

Find a newspaper or magazine article that interests you and create an illustration that interacts with the text.  Full-color is preferred, but black and white concepts may be submitted to the instructor for approval. Design either a vertical newspaper broadsheet or a horizontal, 2-page magazine spread.  This could be a singular illustration or multiple illustrations and must incorporate at least 75% of the original source text.  Headlines, writer/reporter credits, page numbers, and spacing for newspaper mastheads must also be included.

Newspaper broadsheet is 10.5 inches wide by 22.75 inches long. 

Magazine Spread consists of 2 pages that are each 7.5 x 10.5 inches.

1 and 2:  Do not include text that appears before or after the page or pages you have chosen to illustrate.  (for example the jump page information)  If your illustration takes up significant space then it is acceptable to cull some of the text, but only as little as possible.

3.)  Movie Poster or Play Poster

Choose a movie or play of which the subject matter interests you rather than simply choosing your favorite movie or play.  Be aware that sometimes you can be so in love with existing imagery that it’s impossible to reinvent it.    Illustrate brand new imagery for the poster and include all the original text including the title, the actors, directors, and/or the production location if it’s a play.  EVERYTHING.  This type can be recreated in Illustrator or hand beautifully hand written if that fits conceptually with your material or imagery.

Posters can be 18 x 24, 24 x 36, or a special size if submitted for approval.

4.)  CD Jacket or LP Jacket

Choose a CD or record that interests you rather than simply choosing your favorite CD because you may find it impossible to recreate imagery for material with which you’re already in love.  Illustrate brand new imagery for the CD jacket or LP Jacket and include all of the existing text.  The dimensions for these jackets can be either standard or of your own design.  CD jackets can simply be sleeves or they can consist of lower tray inserts, and multi-fold covers.  Circular record labels and CD art are required.

Standard LP dimensions are 12” and standards LP jackets are 12.75” x 12.75”

Various CD jacket templates and sizes can be found online

3/7          Assign Project 5

               

Homework:  Find content and develop 10 to 15 thumbnails.

3/21        Content and thumbnails due.

3/28        Revised sketches and color comps due

4/2          Critique Illustration and text (digital)

4/4          Printed Illustration and text project due.

Project 4 - Imaginary Travel Poster and Postcard

Begin by writing a 1-page paper describing a travel destination that doesn’t exist.  Have humans in the future finally invented time travel and established a tourist resort in the Cretaceous period?  Maybe Victorian era scientists and engineers managed to successfully reach and colonize the moon?   What would their vessels look like?  Would people vacation “a la Lune” for fun?  Gather visual reference and examples of both vintage and contemporary travel posters and postcards.

Now, hit the drawing board and create 20 thumbnail sketches for a travel poster and 10 thumbnail sketches for a postcard.  The poster and postcard can be standard or non-standard dimensions.

2/21        Printed copy of paper, blog post containing reference and paper, and thumbnails are due.

2/28        Poster and Postcard revised sketches along with 5 small color studies of each are due.

3/7          Poster and postcard digital files are due for critique.

3/21        Printed poster and postcard are due.

Project 3 - Logo design

Part 1.

Begin by creating a company that provides a unique service.  Create a brief mission statement for the company, develop their identity, and then establish their target audience.  Your task is to design an eye-catching logo that sells your company and incorporates their name as well as an iconic element that is easily recognizable.

Gather 10 to 15 examples of creative logos in your sketchbook or post them to your blog.  Make sure to record your thoughts about the logos.  Is the design effective?  Is the concept clear or confusing?  Can improvements be made?  How would you approach the same concept?

Then create 15 to 20 sketches for your company’s logo.  They may be created in Photoshop or illustrator if you are already familiar with those programs.

1/22        Your company outline and logo sketches are due for review.

Part 2.

On 1/24 another student will develop a rival company targeting the same audience.  Their task is to act as “art director” and “contract” a third classmate to design the logo for their company.   The rival company should work in secrecy because your task is to create a competing logo.

1/24        Rival company outlines are due.  Art director and artist teams will be chosen at random.

                In class:  Illustrator demo on working with type and creating vector shapes

The art directors and artists are responsible for establishing their own deadlines for sketches and revisions, but all final logos are due on the same date for a side-by-side critique of company and rival company.

1/29        Work in class on logos.

1/31        Work in class on logos.

Label the final file for your own company with your name, the number 1, and the file extension.  Label the final file for the logo you created for their rival company with your name, the number 2, and the file extension.  Always save an editable PSD version and a jpg version for critique.  Either .AI or .EPS is fine for Illustrator files, but make sure that you create outlines for your text if you use your own fonts. 

Example: McDermott1.eps and McDermott2.eps

2/5          Critique logos!

Project 2 - Illustration Research Presentation

This Illustrator Research Presentation will be unlike those you have given in previous semesters because this one will be about you.  Answer the following questionnaire and use it as a foundation for building a 10 minute presentation in which you speak about your illustration work.

1)       List 10 of your favorite illustrators.  Briefly describe why each one makes the list, and dissect their work.  Be as clear and articulate as possible.  Be descriptive!

2)       Now, describe YOUR work.  What are your interests and why do they interest you?  Who and What are your influences, and why?

3)       Describe your work space.  Now, describe your IDEAL work space.

4)       What are your work habits?  List the good and the bad.  Now, describe the work habits you want to have and why you think they’ll help you.

5)       What are your strengths and weaknesses?

6)       What motivates you?  What excites you?

7)       Describe your ideal day as an illustrator.  Does it involve specific clients, specific media, or specific subject matter?

8)       Where do you want to be in 5 years?  10 years?  15 years? 

1/17        Questionnaire answers due.

Now, whip this into a 10 minute Power Point presentation full of information, character, and visual reference.  Be charismatic, but not too informal.  Know the material.  Be confident.  Make constant eye contact and be engaging.  Smile.  Be honest.

4/16        Presentations due.

4/18        Presentations due.