Always Coming Home
ART 3170 | Graphic Design: Survey
Fall 2022 | Aug. 29–Dec. 7
Mo/We: 9:05-11:50am
Bishop #208
Prof. Bianca Ibarlucea & Guests
bianca.ibarlucea@uconn.edu
Office hours by appointment

Course Description

What does it mean to be a graphic designer and media maker today? Graphic design as a profession and creative practice arose in response to specific global conditions and events and continues to evolve today. In this course you will leverage historical and contemporary contexts to investigate and understand the ways contemporary artists and designers produce and disseminate media into the world.

Key aspects of this course are; interaction—the ways you intend for people to engage with your work; audience—who your work is intended for; language—what your work is communicating; craft—the skillful creation of your work, and presentation—the way you share; and talk about your work. It is important for you to consider each of these throughout your process.

This course is organized into four sections: interactive, publishing and distribution, participation, and presentation. I will be facilitating some of these sections in collaboration with a few artists and designers who will be visiting our class. We will have weekly readings and reading discussions, as well as informal lectures and tutorials throughout the semester. In tandem, you will be responding to the prompt “home” through a series of projects where you will be editors and designers—meaning, all content for each project will be your own.

Prompt: Home

Home holds different meaning for each of us—our relationship to home is constantly shifting and being redefined. In the last couple of years our homes have become hybrid spaces—home became your university experience, and a 9-5 workplace for others—while also being where we rest our eyes at night. However, even if we examine home as a noun—each of us will have different things in mind. Home can also be associated with a feeling, a smell, a place, or a state of mind. This semester each of you will be working to develop a thesis and body of work in response to this prompt. Think about which senses are evoked when you think of home—what images come to mind? Take note of things, because it could inform or be the foundation for some of your work in this class.

Sections

Class Structure

Announcements, lectures, reading discussions, and tutorials will take place at the beginning of class. Individual or group meetings to review your progress will take place after announcements. There will be some time to work in class, however it won’t be enough for you to complete the assignments, be prepared to work for a significant amount of time outside of class.

Outcomes

Grades

15% Project 1
15% Project 2
15% Project 3
20% Project 4
25% Process Book, assesses your working process along with your craft and final execution
10% Professionalism,
assesses your:
· daily participation
· meeting daily deadlines
· preparation and use of class time
· oral/written communication skills
· regular participation in class critiques

Project Grades

Learning objectives—Each project will come with stated objectives. The successful acquisition and use of new typographic knowledge, skills and perspectives will be the primary criteria in assessing project grades.

Design craft—Your craftspersonship must show an attention to detail as well as careful consideration of how the project is turned in. The final design must show attention to detail in the smallest moments i.e. extra spaces, sloppy alignment, missing text, etc. Pieces with clean, straight, edges, no smudges, and at the right size will result in a better grade as this is professional quality.

Clarity of concept and execution—Is there an idea behind the way things look, is it an interesting one, and is it clearly communicated? Is the project well done?

Midterm Grades

Your midterm grades will be based on the projects completed by that point in the semester as well as an evaluation of your process (based on your Process PDF up to that point) and your professionalism.

Late Projects

All projects, along with the assignments and readings that pertain to that project, are due on the date that is communicated and in the condition that is requested. *Late projects will be penalized and will lower your project grade one full point.* Successful time management throughout the semester is your responsibility as a student. If you are having any difficulties (inside or outside of the classroom) that are affecting your ability to turn work in on time please meet with me during office hours or send me an email.

Revising final projects

You may refine a project after its final critique as long as the continuing process is documented and you turned in the original on time and in the required condition. Remember, if the original deadline is missed, one full point will be deducted. Any project refinements are due at the last class.

Missed class.

If you miss class, it is your responsibility to catch up. Ask your classmates to fill you in on what you missed before asking me.

✹ANNOUNCEMENTS ✹

Final P3 images need to be uploaded to this GoogleDrive folder on 11/28 by 10:30am. Make sure to delete your old images and replace with your new ones. Images must be 1000x1000px, 300 DPI, CMYK, and in JPEG/JPG or TIFF format.


In Class Project (accompanies Project 3)  |  Computational Images   |  Week of 10/24
For this exercise you will be working with DALL E, an AI system that develops realistic images from simple text inputs.

Step one:
– Make a DALL E account

– Come up with a selection of detailed prompts (relating to domestic space) based on the following characteristics: mundane, sentimental, scary, productive, indulgent, meditative, pleasurable, maintenance, and important.

– These prompts need to be descriptive, example "a comforting room with green walls and a giant teddy bear sitting in a corner."

– Begin by writing prompts on a GoogleDoc, and paste your prompts into DALL E.

– You only receive a number of free credits to use with DALLE, so be mindful of how much you search--the credits need to be enough for this project.

– Add your images to the shared Google Doc–make sure to add your prompt as a caption below the image.

In Class Exercise  |  Writing  |  8/29

Grab a pen and three pieces of paper.

(20 minutes—freewriting)
Spend 20 minutes freewriting what comes to mind when you think about "home"

(10 minutes—Nouns)
What Nouns come to mind when you think of "home?" List them out.

(10 minutes—Verbs) What verbs come to mind when you think of "home?" List them out.



In Class Exercise  |  Glitch  |  9/7

For this exercise you will be learning some basic HTML for viewing your P1 in a browser environment.

Go to Glitch.com, and create a free account.

Next, open this Glitch template, and click "remix" on the upper right hand side. You will use this copy of the template to test out your interactive story (P1)



Process Book  |  Physical Dummy Due Oct. 26

A process book is just that. An archive of your process, which displays all the work you put into our class this semester. This can include research, sketches, notes, various iterations, etc. You should create a design system for this book. Think about type treatment, grid, hierarchy.


Requirements:
  • Write a short description for each project
  • If including research, you must provide a citation, caption, image credit, etc.
  • Plan your printing in advance
  • If printing on your own, have your paper purchased by Nov. 1


Interactive
Project 1   |  Interactive Story

For this project you will be writing, and designing an interactive story using the language you generated during our in-class exercise.

Project 1A  | Due Sept. 7

Refer back to your writing from our first class and start writing a narrative (doesn’t have to be linear) for your interactive story.

Come up with two visual concepts for your story and add interaction to them using the hyperlink function within InDesign.

Deliverables:
–2 visual concepts (must be distinct)
–4 pages per concept (8 pages total)

Requirements:
–Document dimensions must be 1920px x 1080px
–Resolution must be 72 DPI
–Color mode must be RGB
–Use only one typeface per concept
–No more than two colors per concept
–Imagery must be your own (do not use images from google)

Project 1B  | Due Mon Sept. 12

For Project 1B you will be refining one concept and building it out to a minimum of 12 pages. In this version you will incorporate the feedback you received for P1A to further develop your story.
With this next version you can expand your color palette, however, this is optional. If you are expanding your color choices, do so by building on what you have already done, and choose colors that compliment (or contrast) your existing choices. If the two colors are working, you are welcome to stick with them. In addition, you will be uploading your pdf story onto a website so you can begin testing it on a browser. In class, I will show you how to use HTML and Glitch to make your story viewable on a browser.

Deliverables:
–12 pages minimum
–upload to your Glitch and add link to a Word/GoogleDoc and upload to your GDrive P1B folder.

Requirements:
–Document dimensions must be 1920px x 1080px
–Resolution must be 72 DPI
–Color mode must be RGB
–Use only one typeface per concept
–Refined color palette
–Refined typography
–Imagery must be your own (do not use images from google)

Project 1C  | Due Mon Sept. 19

For this final part of project 1 you will be implenting the feedback you received for 1B--and further refining your interactive story. By this point you should have a clear visual direction which you are finessing into its final form. It is also time to give your work a title (if you haven't done so already). Think about how you want users to read and encounter your title. For P1C you should also be thinking about how your story comes to an end, what is the conclusion like? How is it experienced? An abrupt stop might give the feeling of incompleteness, so make sure to pay attention to the pacing of how your story begins and ends.

While working, make sure to export frequently and test your PDF to make sure the interactivity is working as you intend it to.


Deliverables:
–24 pages minimum
–upload final to your Glitch and add link to a Word/GoogleDoc and upload to your GDrive P1C folder.

Requirements:
–Document dimensions must be 1920px x 1080px
–Resolution must be 72 DPI
–Color mode must be RGB
–Imagery must be your own (do not use images from google)




Project 2  |  Artifact  |  With Bryan LeBeuf
For Project Two you will choose a physical object/tool/artifact and tell its story through a 1-3 minute video and/or sound piece. Your projects should go beyond the physicality of your chosen object and shouldn’t be a didactic representation of the item. Think of this artifact as a prism through which a narrative can unfold.
Project 2A | Due Mon Sept. 26
For P2.A you will be investigating your chosen artifact and creating a concept map/diagram for organizing your findings and thoughts. After you complete your concept map, you will select create a 30 second video that speaks to the artifact and a selection of your research.

For our initial critique (9/26) we will be doing a "cold read"--meaning we will watch your video and spend time with your diagram prior to having a group discussion about what you made.

Deliverables:
–Diagram or concept map about your artifact made using a Miro board. (You will get a head start on this during class on Wednesday Sept. 21st.)
–30 second video or sound piece about your artifact. UPLOAD TO GOOGLE DRIVE
Project 2B | Due Mon Oct. 3
For Project 2B you will be making a 1-3 minute video/audio piece, building from what you’ve already made, or starting fresh. This video will be a semi-final draft and should have pacing, and transitions implemented. If incorporating sound in your video 80% of the sound should be in this draft.

Deliverables:
–1-3 minute video in mp4 format upload to Vimeo and Google Drive
–Or 1-3 minute audio in mp3 format uploaded to GoogleDrive
–If including title treatments in your videos, they should be incorporated in this semi-final draft. Include 2-3 title treatment options as image stills in a separate file. Make sure to upload your title treatments to GoogleDrive.
–Design a poster promoting your video–this poster should have a QR code that links to a Vimeo link with your video–or GoogleDrive link to your audio. Upload your poster to GoogleDrive.


Requirements:
–Video should be 1920x1080 pixels
–Video should be an .MP4 file
–Audio should be an .MP3 file
–Poster should be 11x17 (tabloid)
Project 2C (FINAL) | Due Mon Oct. 10

Project 2C is the final step in project 2. It is time to work on the final edits for your video and audio pieces. Bryan LeBeuf will be joining us for the final critique, be ready to speak about the conceptual and formal approaches involved in making your piece. Riso Printing will begin on Oct.5 for your posters, and conclude after crit on the 10th.

Deliverables:
–1-3 minute video or audio piece uploaded to Google Drive along with a Vimeo Link.
–11x17 (tabloid) grayscale poster with QR code that directs to your video. Make sure the QR code is up to date and works. (Due Thurs, Oct. 6)
–High Resolution scan of your final riso printed tabloid poster, uploaded to GoogleDrive as a PDF (Due Wed, Oct. 12)

Requirements:
–Video should be 1920x1080 pixels
–Video should be an .MP4 file
–Audio should be an .MP3 file
–Poster should be 11x17 (tabloid)



Publishing
Project 3  |  Moods  |  With Evan Chang and Steven Rodriguez (Studio Iguana)
Project 3A | Due Wed Oct. 26
Gather documentation of the following situations/spaces within your home: mundane, sentimental, scary, productive, indulgent, meditative, pleasurable, maintenance, important. (you can document additional scenarios/spaces within your home if you feel this list is not expansive)

Upload your images to the GoogleDrive.

Read: Chapter 4 "Understanding Comics" Chapter 4, time frames

Project 3B | Due Mon Oct. 31 | With Studio Iguana
3B: Expand on your collection by writing a detailed description of each space/scenario you are documenting, write captions for each image on a Google Doc. (You have time to do this in class)

Homework:
–Revise and expand on your existing documentation (photo, video, text).
–Create and design a presentation that is organized by scenario


Deliverables:
–New folder with additional images
–Presentation that is organized by scenario and is uploaded to GoogleDrive by Sunday at 5pm.
Project 3C  | Due Nov. 7, Nov. 14, and Nov. 16

For this next part of the project you will be using a selection from the images you’ve gathered to assemble a graphic novel in five frames. Using the template provided, develop a narrative and sequence that incorporates imagery, typographic symbols/glyphs, and/or uses unintelligible verbiage (made-up language). What this means is, “show it, don’t say it.”

Things to Consider:
–Think about how punctuation marks (! …. !! ? ????) can be used to express, and represent a mood.
–Think about how typographic glyphs can be used to SHOW facial expressions: :) :( ;D 8-)
–Examples: Arena Channel

Specifications:
–5 frames (1000px x 1000px)
–Use symbols from: Copy Paste Character
–Must contain a title frame and end frame
–There can be mini frames within the frames
–Export your work as a PDF and upload to your Google Drive

Deadlines:
–Mid-point crit: Monday Nov. 7
–Final DUE: Monday Nov. 14 (bianca will be printing)
–Final Crit(conversation) with IGUANA: Wednesday Nov. 16