INTERMEDIATE DESIGN
genevieve williams summer 2009
egenevievewilliams@gmail.com
ta: yutt wattanapanich wattanapanich@gmail.com
Intermediate course requirements:
in this course you will receive a letter grade based on:
1) your concept, content, form, presentation, and execution of projects
2) your ability to present your projects logically and concisely, both visually and orally a) you will design and use a template (name, date, client, typefaces used—keep it subtle) for presenting your work b) bring work printed to size (you may print b&w for initial crits) to class for critiques c) be prepared to make a three to five minute oral presentation of
your work each week
3) the quality (and quantity) of your work both technical and conceptual
4) your participation in critiques
5) your blog (including commentary on classmates blogs) as
representative of your ongoing participation in the course
6) your perceived (by me) aptitude/skills/talent and whether your work
reflects your best efforts
7) your improvement during the course
8) your attitude in class 9) attendance
projects expected for this course semester are:
1) type specimen book, final due 6.16
2) tba 6.30
3) tba 7.14
4) tba 7.28
5) process book, final due 8.11
Jun 8, 2009
May 21, 2009
May 15, 2009
May 12, 2009
All Things Typographic 5/09
Q. When I reopen a document in InDesign, I get a missing font alert that says that the Times (TT) font is missing and a substitute font will be used. I don't even use Times, so why is this happening? Check it out...
Q. Is it ok to use greek text in a preliminary layout? I've heard both yes and no. Check it out...
Q.What are Stylistic Sets in OpenType fonts? Check it out...
Q.How to pronounce the 12 most mispronounced typeface names. Check it out...
Q.How can we get copywriters to stop using dumb quotes, hyphens, and double word-spaces between sentences? Check it out...
Q. Is it ok to use greek text in a preliminary layout? I've heard both yes and no. Check it out...
Q.What are Stylistic Sets in OpenType fonts? Check it out...
Q.How to pronounce the 12 most mispronounced typeface names. Check it out...
Q.How can we get copywriters to stop using dumb quotes, hyphens, and double word-spaces between sentences? Check it out...
Apr 18, 2009
Apr 16, 2009
Recommendation sites
Here are two interesting sites for image and typography inspiration. Go to the site, please click on the picture.
Apr 12, 2009
Ten Graphic Design Paradoxes
I’ve just finished writing a book about graphic design. Yep, just what the world needs — another graphic design book. In my defence, the book is about the stuff that doesn't get written about much. It deals with subjects like rejection, envy, and plagiarism. There are also entries on kerning, the wisdom of using only lowercase letters, and the merits of Univers. But mostly it’s a book about the soft stuff — the stuff that we deal with every day and tend to take for granted.
In writing this book I discovered that many aspects of graphic design are paradoxical. I’m using the word paradox here to mean an opinion or statement contrary to commonly accepted wisdom. And while there are many others, here are my top ten everyday graphic design paradoxes.
01: There’s no such thing as bad clients: only bad designers.
02: The best way to learn how to become a better graphic designer is to become a client.
03: If we want to educate our clients about design, we must first educate ourselves about our clients.
04: If we want to make money as a graphic designer, we must concentrate on the work — not the money.
05: For designers, verbal skills are as important as visual skills.
06: Ideas usually fail not because they're bad ideas, but because they're badly presented.
07: “I’m a professional: I know best.”
08: “All the good jobs go to other designers.”
09: The best way to run a studio is to be domineering and forceful.
10: If we believe in nothing, we shouldn’t wonder why no one believes in us.
From Design Observer Read more....
01: There’s no such thing as bad clients: only bad designers.
02: The best way to learn how to become a better graphic designer is to become a client.
03: If we want to educate our clients about design, we must first educate ourselves about our clients.
04: If we want to make money as a graphic designer, we must concentrate on the work — not the money.
05: For designers, verbal skills are as important as visual skills.
06: Ideas usually fail not because they're bad ideas, but because they're badly presented.
07: “I’m a professional: I know best.”
08: “All the good jobs go to other designers.”
09: The best way to run a studio is to be domineering and forceful.
10: If we believe in nothing, we shouldn’t wonder why no one believes in us.
From Design Observer Read more....
Apr 5, 2009
Microsoft Sustainability
It's not about the graphic design, but it might inspire you to do something for the graphic design in the future. Please take a look Microsoft Sustainability.Interview with Director: Mason Nicoll
New Assignment for Apr 6
create a zine:
using the many bits and pieces of great work you have lying around—
ideas that didn’t make it into a formal piece: drawings, poetry, writing, computer
mess ups that you saved for a rainy day—
today is the day.
compile them together based on a theme, topic, subject—
something you feel passionate about.
cut and paste or tape them on four 8 ½” x 11” pieces of paper.
make great compositions and interesting subject matter.
then copy on a copy machine.
make the copy machine work for you.
use both sides of the paper.
fold in half.
rethink the layout if needed and recopy.
then saddle stitch bind with a card stock cover.
use whatever paper stocks you find interesting and relate to your piece.
I’m thinking you can do this fast (3‐5 hours) and still create a strong portfolio piece.
it’s all in the swipe, due april 6th & 8th.
using the many bits and pieces of great work you have lying around—
ideas that didn’t make it into a formal piece: drawings, poetry, writing, computer
mess ups that you saved for a rainy day—
today is the day.
compile them together based on a theme, topic, subject—
something you feel passionate about.
cut and paste or tape them on four 8 ½” x 11” pieces of paper.
make great compositions and interesting subject matter.
then copy on a copy machine.
make the copy machine work for you.
use both sides of the paper.
fold in half.
rethink the layout if needed and recopy.
then saddle stitch bind with a card stock cover.
use whatever paper stocks you find interesting and relate to your piece.
I’m thinking you can do this fast (3‐5 hours) and still create a strong portfolio piece.
it’s all in the swipe, due april 6th & 8th.
Apr 1, 2009
Face Out Books
This is a great resource for book cover design. This venue has been created to appreciate the practice of book cover design. This is not a blog to rip apart what we dislike—everyone has a different aesthetic. This is a blog about the challenges and outcomes of a project We are here to teach and be taught by one another. More at FaceOut Books
All Things Typographic 4/09
1. What is a font manager? Do I really need to buy one, since my Mac came with Font Book? Check it out...
2. How do I stroke text (for example, give type a yellow outline and a black fill) in QuarkXPress? Check it out...
3. When starting a paragraph with a quotation, should the opening quotation marks sit outside the text so that it doesn't appear to be indented? Or can the opening quotation marks align with the line below? Check it out...
4. Why is there such a big space between the r and t in some typefaces, and what should be done about it? Check it out...
2. How do I stroke text (for example, give type a yellow outline and a black fill) in QuarkXPress? Check it out...
3. When starting a paragraph with a quotation, should the opening quotation marks sit outside the text so that it doesn't appear to be indented? Or can the opening quotation marks align with the line below? Check it out...
4. Why is there such a big space between the r and t in some typefaces, and what should be done about it? Check it out...
Mar 23, 2009
Mar 21, 2009
Is it time to retire the black and white logo?
I'm working on a couple of identities at the moment where their primary usage is online. You could call them digital identities.
Sure, they will be used offline at some point, people still have business cards, but the over riding majority of times they will be seen online. At least 95% of the time.
A couple of times whist working on these identities we've discussed a black and white version, that's a normal thing to do. And every time someone has asked, why?. Every time it's been a struggle to answer that question.
Lots of you will be horrified by that, but most of the time, I think I'm a pretty traditional designer. Function before form, ideas will always win, etc etc. And I can put together a decent case for a black and white version of a logo. But if you start to look at the evidence it becomes harder and harder to defend. We need to be clear that in the example above I'm specifically talking about digital companies that operate in the digital world. They don't have shops or vans. I don't know if you've noticed, but there's some pretty big money in this arena these days, Amazon, Facebook, Skype, Yahoo! et al. Do they need b+w versions of their logo? Read More...
Mar 5, 2009
15 tips to choose a good text type
Many people have asked me which text type is best for a magazine, a newspaper, a poster, a newsletter, a publication, etc. In general, I tell them which to use, but I know that this is not the best answer, because they won't learn to do this by themselves.
Today, I want to take time to analyze how to choose correct text typography design in different cases. It is very important to understand that these tips are not final word, but they can be good help at the moment of choosing a text type. In any case, it depends on what do you want to convey with this type, because many times legibility is as important as the character of the type. Try to be very careful and take in account the following points:
1. The Letterform
The ‘ductus’ represents the framework of a type. It is very important. For legible text we need typographies with a simple ductus without complex details. Those details distract from the reading process and we need the reader to pay attention to the content and not the text.
2. The Weight
When we discuss the ‘weight’ of a type, we refer to a consistent relationship between the characters themselves, and the light of the page that flows around them. If you use a light version of a type for a lot of text, reading of this text will probably become tiring and nobody will want to read it. More....
Today, I want to take time to analyze how to choose correct text typography design in different cases. It is very important to understand that these tips are not final word, but they can be good help at the moment of choosing a text type. In any case, it depends on what do you want to convey with this type, because many times legibility is as important as the character of the type. Try to be very careful and take in account the following points:
1. The Letterform
The ‘ductus’ represents the framework of a type. It is very important. For legible text we need typographies with a simple ductus without complex details. Those details distract from the reading process and we need the reader to pay attention to the content and not the text.
2. The Weight
When we discuss the ‘weight’ of a type, we refer to a consistent relationship between the characters themselves, and the light of the page that flows around them. If you use a light version of a type for a lot of text, reading of this text will probably become tiring and nobody will want to read it. More....
Free symbols!!! from AIGA
The complete set of 50 passenger/pedestrian symbols developed by AIGA is now available on the web, free of charge. Signs are available in EPS and GIF formats. Link!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)