Friday, April 5, 2013

Project 3



Product Invention – Package Design

Professor Groat | Art 125

Your assignment is to invent a new type of product and package. This hypothetical product may range from consumable goods, cosmetics or electronics to clothing, jewelry or garden supplies.   You decide! The package design must be visually engaging, legible and make use of the principles: emphasis, alignment, contrast, balance, flow and repetition.


LEARNING OUTCOMES
·       Create a unified, balanced and visually appealing package design including both typography and images geared towards particular demographics.
·       Articulate verbally and in writing how the design principles: emphasis, alignment, contrast, balance, scale, flow and repetition have been used to create a unified and balanced design that visually communicates the subject of the poster.

DUE DATES
·        4/15                 Branding Your Idea: Product/Package Concept &
                       10 Logotype Thumbnails – FIRST ROUND
·        4/17                5 Logotype Thumbnails – SECOND ROUND
·        4/22                3 Existing Packages from your recycling bin to analyze in class.
·        4/24               10 Package design thumbnails & Package Shell  (basic form of package)
·        4/29                5 Package design thumbnails & All relevant Textual Information for package posted on your   
                                blog  (listed below)
·        5/1                 Design Briefs, Share concept development in progress
·        5/6                 Fieldtrip to Student art show at Roberson
·        5/8                 Designing in Photoshop and Illustrator
·        5/13               Preliminary Critique – Digital Version on Blog
·        5/15               Refinement of Design Concept
·        5/20               Final Critique - Turn in Project – physical three-dimensional version

CREATIVE PROCESS
Your entire creative process, including all digital thumbnails must be archived on your blog!
1. Logo Design- Including, tagline (anchor phrase), unique typographic and graphic
                                   icon (pictograph /image/symbol)

You must “brand” your new product invention, meaning you will invent a name and logo {trademark} for your concept. What makes your product unique, setting you apart from the competition? 

2. Market Analysis and Brainstorming
 Collect examples of existing product packaging that are similar to what you plan to create. It’s important to study the types of information that is included in particular types of packaging. For example, the information included on cereal boxes is very different from what’s noted on hair shampoo containers.


3. Visual Identity Development
The outward expression of the brand, including its name and visual appearance. The brand's identity is its fundamental means of consumer recognition and symbolizes the brand's differentiation from competitors.

The chosen colors, shapes and styles of font must visually communicate the essence of your product concept.  The overall “look of the design” must visually express the product concept.

Information Required within Package Design
·       Logo and product name
·       Manufacturing Address, Corporate Headquarters
·       Web address for consumer inquiries
·       Basic information regarding product
·       Barcode

Possible Additional Information
·       Ingredients
·       Nutritional facts
·       Corporate History – Personal narrative
·       Environmental statement – sustainability
·       Net Weight in Ounces and Grams
·       Quality Guarantee
·       Directions
·       Quantity in package
·       Warning label
·       Uses

What’s Required:
Ø  Original Product/Package Invention
Ø  Creative Process Documented on Blog
Ø  Full Color
Ø  Original Logotype
Ø  Full Color
Ø  Thumbnails, Textual product information, Comprehensive and Essay presented on blog!

Graded On:
How well you address the needs of the assignment, craftsmanship, creativity, posting creative process on blog, essay and meeting due dates.

Essay Outline:
The project essay must outline the following:
1. How does your package design visually communicate the concept of the product invention?
2. How does your design conform to the "rule of thirds"?
3. How have the principles: emphasis, alignment, contrast, scale, balance, flow and repetition been implemented within your design?
4. In what ways do color, imagery and typography work together to communicate the message of your design?

Brand: A brand is a mixture of attributes, tangible and intangible, symbolized in a trademark, which, if managed properly, creates value and influence.
"Value" has different interpretations: from a marketing or consumer perspective it is "the promise and delivery of an experience"; from a business perspective it is "the security of future earnings"; from a legal perspective it is "a separable piece of intellectual property." Brands offer customers a means to choose and enable recognition within cluttered markets.

Branding: Selecting and blending tangible and intangible attributes to differentiate the product, service or corporation in an attractive, meaningful and compelling way.

Brand Identity: The outward expression of the brand, including its name and visual appearance. The brand's identity is its fundamental means of consumer recognition and symbolizes the brand's differentiation from competitors.

Brand Essence: The brand's promise expressed in the simplest, most single-minded terms. For example, Volvo = safety; AA = Fourth Emergency Service. The most powerful brand essences are rooted in a fundamental customer need.

Trademark (commonly referred to as logo) "Any sign capable of being represented graphically, which is capable of distinguishing goods or services of one undertaking from those of another undertaking" (UK Trade Marks Act 1994).

Visual Identity: What a brand looks like - including, among other things, its logo, typography, packaging and literature systems.

Demographics: The description of outward traits that characterize a group of people, such as age, sex, nationality, marital status, education, occupation or income. Decisions on market segmentation are often based on demographic data.
Definition Source: http://www.brandchannel.com/education_glossary.asp#Top





Friday, March 1, 2013

Project 2


 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER GRAPHICS ART 125  | Professor Groat
Commemorative Stamp Design
This project will require you to create one original stamp design that commemorates a subject with social significance that has personal meaning to you. The stamp that you create must be based a design style from the past, and include distinguishing design characteristics reflective of the chosen style. The stamp will be designed and composed within a philatelic page layout that includes both an actual scale and oversized rendition of the stamp design, accompanied by descriptive text.

DESIGN CONCEPT
Stamp Theme: Commemorative design subject with social significance that has personal meaning to you.

Possible subjects:  Important inventions, Iconic people from history, Popular culture possessing essential social substance, Social and political movements in history, Historic architecture.
LEARNING OUTCOMES

Ø  Creative an original commemorative stamp design.

 
Ø  Articulate how the design principles emphasis, contrast, balance, flow, alignment and repetition have been used to create a unified and balanced design.

 
Ø  Articulate how distinguishing design elements from a historic design movement have been applied to the stamp design.

 

DUE DATES

3/6          Collage of 20-30 of your favorite stamp designs: Step #1

3/11      Analysis of your favorite three stamps: Step #2

3/13      Stamp examples in each of the seven (7) design styles Step #3

3/18      Central Image Design/Illustration Step #4

3/20      10 Thumbnails – FIRST ROUND Step #5

3/25      5 Thumbnails – SECOND ROUND Step #6

3/27      Philatelic Page Layout with all required information

4/10      Full Size comprehensive (final digital rendition posted on blog with essay)

4/15      Final digital comp. printed and mounted on black foam board

 DESIGN MOVEMENTS
Design Styles: Art Nouveau (Late 19th Century to Early 20th Century)
Bauhaus (1920’s)
Constructivism (1913-1920's)
Art Deco (1920-1930)
International Typographic Style (Also referred to as the Swiss School of Design 1950-1970)
Modernism / Modern Movement/New York School (1940’s)
Post-Modern Design (Current)

 CREATIVE PROCESS
1. Collect visual examples of (20) twenty to (30) thirty stamp designs that are visually engaging to you, and place digital renditions of what you have researched on your blog.

2. Choose your three (3) favorite designs. Make a descriptive list (in bullet form) referencing the specific informational elements and design elements/principles that are contained within the three chosen stamps. Both the informational stamp elements, along with the design elements and principles are outlined below.
3. Collect three to five (3-5) examples of the historic design style that your stamp will be based upon. Make a descriptive list (in bullet form) outlining the distinguishing design characteristics of each stamp example.
The design characteristics should be unique to the historic style.

4. Create Illustration that presents your subject, using a traditional medium such as, watercolor, acrylic or oil paint, colored pencil, graphite, etc. The illustration can either be completed from direct observation or from a digital image.  If you chose not to create an illustration you may create an original stylized facsimile (or tracing) in Photoshop of a digital image. You may also integrate two or more original digital photographs together into an inventive montage.  However, the digital images must be taken with your own camera.

 5. Thumbnail Sketches Work on 10 (ten) thumbnail sketches that explore design concepts.
6. Chose strongest thumbnail concept and complete 5 (five) more thumbnail sketches that explore variations on a single design theme.

 7. Comprehensive created in Photoshop – Scanning and Designing
SIZE
Size: 11”x8-1/2”  |   Media: digital  | Color: Full color | Printed: on gloss or matt photo paper

 INFORMATIONAL ELEMENTS
§ Central Image based on an original illustration.
§ Denomination of stamp (Example: 37 cents, $1)
§ Country of Origin (Example: USA)
§ Reference to subject/theme
§ Date of subject/theme
§ Date (year) Stamp was Designed (The year ―2011 must be typeset in 7 or 8 points)
§ Other information that you feel is appropriate (and represented on stamp designs that you have researched)

 DESIGN ATTRIBUTES
When identifying the attributes, ask yourself: “How do these design attributes work together to visually communicate both the commemorative message and historic design sensibility?
§ Shape of Postage Stamp: Proportion of Stamp / Horizontal or vertical

§ Colors: Colors that enhance both the message and design.

§ Type of Central Image: Original illustration, photography or Photoshop artwork

§ Line Detailing: Borders

§ Interpretive Dimension of Type: Type style that expresses both the subject and historic design style

§ Typographical Layout: Vertical Type, Horizontal Type, Type on a curve

§ Hierarchical arrangement of elements, visual and informational flow from the most to least important.

§ Position (proximity) of all informational elements / Symmetrical/Asymmetrical

§ Compositional Devices: Use of alignment within the grid

§ Type of Visual Balance: Symmetrical or Asymmetrical

§ Illusion of Space and  Depth

§ Relationship of Positive and Negative Space

PHILATELIC PAGE LAYOUT DESIGN

The stamp will be both designed and composed within a philatelic page layout that includes both an actual scale and oversized rendition of the stamp design, accompanied by descriptive text.

What to include:

1. Your name and Title Design

2. Name of Software Used and Date of design.

3.  Paragraph specifically describing how your stamp visually communicates the subject that you have chosen to commemorate and historic style you had chosen to model your design after.

 
DESIGN TECHNIQUES TO CONSIDER

1. Contrasting Scale of Images

2. Contrasting Scale of Type

3. Typographical Variation:  a.) Upper Case / Lower Case  b.) Weight of Text / Bold / Italic

c.) Varied Letter Spacing

4. Considering the amount of Negative Space left in design

5. Clustering of Text Into Units Based On Content

6. Nesting Text

7. Overlapping of Images and Text To Create Unity

8. Typographical Harmony – Family of Font, Style of Font

9. Color Harmony – Relationship of Text Color with Image Color

 
PHILATELIC RESOURCES

United States Postal Service commemorative stamps


 United States Postal Museum


 History

http://www.usps.com/history/anrpt04/stamps.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postage_stamp#History

 STUDENT STAMP DESIGN BLOG EXAMPLES:




 

Friday, February 1, 2013

Project #1


Art 125- Groat | Introduction to Computer Graphics


FORM & CONTENT

TYPOGRAPHICAL DESIGN


 
You are to create a grayscale or monochromatic typographical design within Adobe Photoshop involving the six words: emphasis, contrast, balance, alignment, flow and repetition.  The forms that are designed for each of these six words must reflect their content, (which means the typographical design of each term must visually express the meaning of the word itself.)  Additionally, the design as a whole must conform to the “rule of thirds” within the grid, and include all six words in a unified composition through the implementation of each of these six design principles. The design must have an area that is emphasized, appear visually balanced, shows evidence of contrast, alignment, and repetition and contain an overall sense of rhythmic visual flow.  Finally, the design must be based on a visual (and informational) hierarchy where one is visually directed to look at the terms “emphasis” first, “balance” second and “contrast” third. The remaining three words may be organized into any visual hierarchy the student chooses.

Emphasis | Contrast | Repetition


Alignment | Balance | Flow


 
Learning Outcomes:

Ø  Create a unified and balanced typographical design consisting of various forms that express content.

 

Ø  Articulate how the design principles emphasis, contrast, balance, flow, alignment and repetition have been used to create a unified and balanced design.

Size:


11”x8-1/2”  |   Media: digital  | Grayscale or Monochromatic | Printed on Gloss Photo Paper

 

What’s Due:

2/4       30 Thumbnails, 5 for each of the six words

2/6       5 Thumbnails with shapes – FIRST ROUND

2/11      5 Thumbnails with words – FIRST ROUND

2/13      5 Thumbnails exploring variations of the best design concept – SECOND ROUND

2/27      Full Size comprehensive (digital – posted on blog with essay)

3/4       Final Digital Printed and mounted on black foam board

 

What’s Required:

Ø  Mounted Comprehensive on black foam board. 2.5 inches all around, 3 inches on the bottom.

 

Ø  Items Outlined within Project Assessment

 
Grading and Project Assessment

Overall Grade

60 points ..........Project criteria: five areas noted below

10 points .......... Attendance / Class Participation

10 points .......... Printed and Mounted Digital Comprehensive

10 points .......... Digital Thumbnails and Final Design Blog Postings

10 points ..........  Essay Posted On Blog

Each student will be required to describe verbally their creative process, and how their design specifically reflects the project criteria. The instructor will also critique the students’ designs and assess each student’s ability to create an original design that visually communicates the particular typographical layout that is outlined within the criteria of the learning activity. Students are also free to critique on another’s designs. Lastly, each student will be required to write brief essay that articulates these two areas:

1. Describe how the design principles: emphasis, contrast, balance, flow, alignment and repetition have specifically been implemented to create a single unified design conforming to the rule of thirds.

 

2. Describe how the typographical forms of the words: emphasis, contrast, balance, flow, alignment and repetition have been altered in order to visually communicate (or express non-verbally) the content (what the word actually means.)

 
Criteria for Success

#1-#4 design rating system

Each of the five assessment areas will be given a rating between 1 and 4,

with a maximum score of 20.


#1 not meeting standard

#2 approaching standard,

#3 meeting standard,

#4 exceeding the standard

 

Project Assessment Areas

  1. The Design includes all six words (design principles).
  2. The forms of each word reflect their meanings.
  3. The design as a whole (“the gestalt”) is based on the “rule of thirds”.
  4. Each of the six design principles themselves have been implemented into organizing the overall composition.
  5. The design includes a clear visual (and informational) hierarchy (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary), beginning with “Emphasis”, to “Balance” and then “Contrast”.

Monday, January 28, 2013


Introduction to

Computer Graphics   

Art/Com 125-01  |  Professor Hall Groat | Spring 2013

Course Blog: http://www.bccgraphics.blogspot.com/

Meeting Times and Days: Monday and Wednesday, 1-2:50 | Location: AT 217

Office Hours:  Monday & Wednesday 3-4PM |

Office Location: Applied Technology, Rm.#217A
Phone: 778- 5313|  E-mail: Groat_H@sunybroome.edu

Course Description
The study of Visual Communication theory connected with applied arts fields such as, advertising, editorial design, animation, motion graphics, gaming, and web design.  Students are introduced to Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator on Machintosh Computers, and learn how to develop initial thumbnail sketches into final digital comprehensives. Other topics include digital photography, scanning, image manipulation, color correction, basic design theory, typography, blogging and graphic design history.

Learning Outcomes
Art/Com 125
Introduction to Computer Graphics
Students will be able to:

  • Apply classical design theory to combining images with typography to communicate a message visually.

  • Employ knowledge of raster digital software to classical design.

  • Articulate the inherent process for conceiving a visual communication piece, such as a poster, print media advertisement or program cover. 

  • Recognize significant cotemporary and historic graphic designers that were integral to the development of several design movements.

  • Describe verbally and in written form distinguishing characteristics relating to several design movements.

  • Investigate various professions relating to various visual communication fields, such as editorial design, advertising design, corporate design, book design, music/record design, information design and animation. 

Time Frame
January 28                        Introduction / Course Overview / Requirements / Biographies / Course Supplies
__________________________________________________________________
January 30                        Project #1
                                             Form & Content: Typographical Design
__________________________________________________________________
February 4                        Project #1
__________________________________________________________________
February 6                        Project #1
___________________________________________________________________
February 11                     Project #1
___________________________________________________________________
February 13                     Project #1
___________________________________________________________________
February 20                     Project #1
___________________________________________________________________
February 25                     Project #1
___________________________________________________________________
February 27                     Project #1 Due | Critic #1
___________________________________________________________________
March 4                             Project #2 Begin    
                                             Stamp Design
_________________________________________________________________
March 6                             Project #2
__________________________________________________________________
March 11                           Project #2
__________________________________________________________________
March 13                           Project #2
___________________________________________________________________
March 18                           Project #2
________________________________________________________________
March 20                           Project #2
________________________________________________________________
March 25                           Project #2
________________________________________________________________
March 27                           Project #2
________________________________________________________________
April 8                                Project #2
________________________________________________________________
April 10                              Project #2 Due  |  Critic #2
________________________________________________________________                      
April 15                              Project #3 Begin 
Poster Design – 24x18 in.
________________________________________________________________
April 17                              Project #3
________________________________________________________________
April 22                              Project #3         
_______________________________________________________________
April 24                                             Project #3
________________________________________________________________
April 29                                             Project #3
_________________________________________________________________
May 1                                                Project #3
_________________________________________________________________
May 6                                                Project #3
_________________________________________________________________
May 8                                                Project #3
_________________________________________________________________
May 13                                              Project #3
                                                           
_________________________________________________________________
May 15                                              Project #3
                                                            Project #3 Due | Critic #3
_________________________________________________________________

May 20                                              FINAL CRITIQUE 
              
Course Format
The course will be comprised of demonstrations, discussions, digital studio work, blogging, and critiques. 

Assessment and Grading
25 %    Critiques & Class Participation
            (Contributing thoughts during class discussions & critiques)
75 %    Projects / Digital Portfolio on Blog

Attendance
Attendance is mandatory.   If you miss more than three classes your grade will be dropped one half a letter grade—unless you have a written medical excuse.  (Attendance will be taken each time class meets)
Materials and Supplies
Purchased at Office Max, Ames, AC Moore
  • Digital Camera with USB Cable
  • Ruler with metal edge
  • Sketch Pad (for sketches and roughs)
  • 8.5”x11” Graph Paper
  • Mounting Tape (preferably acid free type)
  • Flash Storage Disk / Jump Drive 1 Gigabyte or greater
  • Black Ink Felt Tip Pen & Soft Lead Pencil
  • Black Foam Board 18”x24” – Two Sheets