DES225 Concept and Critical Thinking

Create an Animation

2010-03-30T12:12:00.007-06:00

Due at 8:00 pm on Tues. April 6, 2010

Option 1
Animate a title sequence (opening or closing) with 8 unique transitions. Don't just show me one shot of one title and another shot of another title. Show me how we proceed through the sequence. Animate this in Flash, Photoshop, AfterEffects, or GoogleDocs. You will probably need to have about 25 or so frames (maybe more!) to make this work. The timing of the transitions isn't that important to me. I simply want to see your storyboard in moving format.

Here are the films you can use:

The Lord of the Rings
Star Wars: A New Hope
You've Got Mail
Hook
Aladdin
Citizen Kane
Night at the Museum
Runaway Bride
The Sixth Sense

I would recommend checking out IMDB and looking at the film credits found there. That should help you out in creating your work. You can use any style, you can use images, video, pictures--whatever--to pitch your idea.

Here is what you will turn in:

Thumbnail sketches of your sequence
Give me the file in a viewable format so we can all see it. A .flv, .mov, .pdf, or other playable media format is acceptable. Separate jpegs are not acceptable.

Grading criteria:

8 unique transitions (show me the actual transition)
creativity
good design: font choice, color, balance, contrast, etc...
you will pitch the idea to the class on screen

Check out The Art of the Title Sequence to get some inspiration.

Assignment 6: Threadless Assignment

2010-03-23T10:31:00.012-06:00

Create a t-shirt design of any type for Threadless.com.

You will need to follow the directions closely for this assignment:

If you haven't downloaded the submission packet from Threadless, you can download it from our class site here.
Unzip the files and make sure you have the t-shirt template, which is a .psd file that looks like this
Create your design following the specifications listed on the Threadless website. The biggest thing to remember is that you may only use 8 colors.
Complete your design in your preferred program--Illustrator, Photoshop, Flash, InDesign, etc.
When you are entirely finished with your design, place the design you have created inside the Threadless template. Remove all of the layers from the template except the cutout of the design. Now your template will look like this (only with your design, of course)

You will also place an image of the t-shirt into the photographs of people wearing the t-shirt. This is what some of those look like

So, here's what you will turn in to me, mounted on a piece of 8"x10" (or larger) board:

Your original design
Your design on the Threadless t-shirt template
Your design superimposed on one of the Threadless model photos
You will also submit this design to Threadless and give me some sort of proof that you have submitted the design (a screenshot of your submission acceptance, an email from Threadless verifying submission, etc.)

This will be due on Thursday March 25 at the end of class.

Assignment 5: Create An Online Presence

2010-03-09T09:56:00.007-07:00

Create a blog using any of the popular blogging platforms. (WordPress, Blogger, TypePad, etc.) An online presence is key in selling your skills as a designer. One of the ways you can show off your pizazz is through a blog. Here are the specifications:

You should personalize your blog so that it is entirely yours. Change out photographs, add new sidebar links, and make it look cool. Remember, this is what you will be showing the world, so make it look good.
You should have at least one post per week for the rest of the class. You can post sketches, your assignments, your progress on assignments, and/or about design in general.
Comment on at least one other class member's blog every week.
You can post images and animations from other classes. It doesn't have to just be stuff from our class.
Send me and the rest of the class the link to the blog by Thurs. March 18.

You will be graded on whether or not you do the above. If you do it, you will receive full points for the assignment.

If you already have an online presence or if you have a specific vision of how you want your online portfolio to look, we can discuss other ways to fulfill the requirements for the assignment.

Blog link due: March 18 before class begins. You will only need to have one post completed by that time.

Assignment 4: Gig Poster

2010-03-09T09:38:00.006-07:00

Create a poster for a band, solo artist, or group's "gig". Here are some posters to give you inspiration. Remember that a gig poster will usually have the name of the band, perhaps the name of the tour they are doing, and some of the bands who are opening ahead of the main band. The date, time, and location of the event will also be included. This is not a poster listing all of the band's tour dates, so you do not need to include all of that information; you can if you want, though.

Here are the specifications for the poster:

It should be designed at 18" x 24". We will see if we decide to print it at that size or not.
It should be a poster for a real band. The name of the tour can be invented, but the band itself should actually exist.
Keep in mind the style of the band when you make the poster. A Coldplay poster will look different than a poster for Enya, for example. The poster should fit with the style of music and the image of the band.
Try to focus a lot on the concept behind the poster. Notice in the examples that there is a strong thought process behind them. Don't just throw images onto a background and call it good. Put some thought into it.
Focus on the typography, as well. Notice the lettering in the examples I've provided. Type often forms the most important part of the posters. As graphic designers, type is one of your strongest allies. Use it wisely. Download new and interesting fonts if you need to. Don't restrict yourself to the fonts already installed on your system.

You will have ample time in class to work on this assignment.

Rough draft due: Thurs. March 11
Final image due: Tues. March 16

Kuler

2010-03-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

Assignment 3: Guidelines for Final File

2010-02-23T21:30:00.006-07:00

Guidelines for Final Design

Design must include at least the following text: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
When I say cover, I mean the back, spine, and front cover. I want the whole cover.
Dimensions are your choice. Be creative!
You can use any images you’d like, any program you’d like, any medium you’d like. It doesn’t matter to me.
Be creative!

Assignment 3.4

2010-02-23T21:30:00.005-07:00

Part 4 Final Book Cover |50 pts. | DUE AT BEGINNING OF CLASS 3.4

Turn in your revamped book cover design. I would like the design to be mounted on board and printed to the largest size you can achieve.

Assignment 3.3

2010-02-23T21:00:00.001-07:00

Part 3 Create 3 Distinct, Fully-Designed Mockups |50 pts. | DUE AT BEGINNING OF CLASS 3.2

FOR BEGINNING OF 2.25 CLASS - Send me jpeg mockups of the 3 designs you are planning on doing. We will critique these ideas in class, so make them good. After we discuss your ideas in class, we will have the rest of the class to work on your designs.

FOR BEGINNING OF 3.2 CLASS - I want 3, fully-developed design ideas for your book. The design ideas should be as distinct as you can make them. They should also be as good as you can make them. Send the ideas to me in either .pdf or .jpeg format before class begins. We will review these designs on screen. We will talk about your best design and critique it.

Assignment 3.2

2010-02-23T20:30:00.003-07:00

Part 2 Research | COMPLETED IN CLASS

Spend 45 minutes researching Huckleberry Finn. Look for illustrations and photos you might use for the cover. You can use The Library of Congress website, stockxchng, flickr, Google Images, and other sites to find useful pictures. Keep in mind that any images you use should be of a high enough resolution to be used for a book cover of your size. You may also decide to do research on:

• Typefaces--will you use a typeface from the period or do something more modern?
• Previous book covers of Huck Finn--What have other people already done?
• Costumes
• Famous lines/quotes from the book
• Interesting themes from the book

Assignment 3.1

2010-02-23T20:00:00.002-07:00

Part 1 Thumbnails | 25 pts. | DUE IN CLASS 2.23

Create 15 thumbnails for a book cover of the novel, Huckleberry Finn, in 30 minutes. If you can create more, great! Thumbnail specs:

• Thumbnail must be enclosed in a frame
• I must be able to see at least the basics of your design
• I do not have to be able to read the lettering for the book in the thumbnail
• Book dimensions, binding, etc. are your choice
• Keep in mind that the following text (at least) must be included on your cover:
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
You may also include an illustrator’s information

Assignment 2: Personal Logo

2010-02-16T16:23:00.001-07:00

Here's what I'll be grading the logos on:

Concept/Creativity-Is the idea behind your logo clear? How do the type and the logo combine to create meaning, and do they convey the meaning you intended? Also, is it a new, fresh idea, or is it old hat?
Color/Contrast-Do the colors work well together? Do the colors convey the meaning you want them to? Additionally, would the logo work without color?
Usability-Can this logo work in a variety of formats? Letterheads, banners, posters, bus decals, coffee mugs, etc...
Type-Do the typefaces you've selected work well together? Are they appropriate to the feel you are attempting?
Execution/Cleanliness-Did you use the software appropriately? Are there errors in the way you created the curves in Illustrator, for example?

Be Inspired

2010-02-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

Check out this great post on places to look for inspiration.

Idea Dissemination

2010-02-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Art Materials

2010-02-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

Sandy asked if I'd talk a little bit more about art materials I'd recommend for the class. Like I mentioned before, the only thing I really want people in class to come to class with is a rolling ball pen and a pencil. Still, there are a few things I find helpful when I'm sketching and planning things out, and I thought I'd share. All of these things are pretty common materials, so you should be able to find them at most art and even at craft stores. Michaels, Provo Art and Frame, and the BYU Bookstore all have a pretty good selection of stuff. I've provided links to the materials on Blick. Some other online stores to check out are Utrecht and even Amazon. Amazon isn't as comprehensive as some other stores, but if you're used to shopping with Amazon, you might check it out. Here goes:

1. Rolling ball pen. Something like this works well. Pilot's sort of the leader of these products. Here's their website link. If you're really interested, here's a definition of rolling ball pens. You can get these at Walmart for less than anywhere else.

2. Faber Castell Brush Pens. Love these. I'd recommend getting all the warm gray colors and a black. They're marked III, IV, V, and black. Good for shading and pretty fun to use. Of course, if you've got the $, there are more than 100 other colors to choose from, too.

3. Col-erase pencils. Great for sketching. Great variation in color. Fun to use. Highly recommended. The erasers on them are terrible, though, so I'd make sure and get a separate eraser. Some places make these look like you have to buy them in a set. You don't. You can just buy one at a time and pick and choose the colors you like. I'm a Tuscan Red, Brown, and Indigo Blue fan, but there are a lot of different colors.

4. Erasers. I prefer to use a hard eraser and a kneaded rubber one. Here's a link to a good eraser. The kneaded rubber erasers are excellent for cleaning drawings up and for subtle shading (not when you're using a pen, of course).

So those are a few things I like to use when I'm sketching and planning out drawings. Again, I'm not asking you to go and raid an art store. But if you're interested and want to give these materials a try, you might enjoy them. Cheers!

Seize the Day!

2010-02-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

This whole class is about thinking differently; about taking a fresh look at things; about how to be a designer, not just a CS4 guru. Let's take some advice from Mr. Keating and make our lives (and our designs) extraordinary.

Brad Bird and Fostering Creativity

2010-02-04T09:40:00.001-07:00

Brad Bird, director of Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille, spoke with The McKinsey Quarterly about how he fosters creativity in the workplace. Check out the free version of the article here.