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Last updated: 02.12.06
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Shawn M. McKinney / E-mail: smckinney@mail.utexas.edu
Office: by appointment only | Phone: 791.8937 (cell)
Brandon Bollom | E-mail: bwbollom@yahoo.com
Software training is NOT the focus of this course. Students
are expected to utilize Lab and Open Lab hours in the 4th floor Mac labs, as
needed, to complete assignments and projects. Open Lab sessions will be held
regularly in either CMA 4.308 or 4.316. Hours will be posted soon after a new
semester begins.
Previous completion of J336 Visual Design (with a grade of
at least B), or equivalent course (or professional) work. Otherwise, admission
is by instructor permission only.
This graduate seminar focuses on advanced principles and
processes associated with visual design and visual communication. We will
examine and discuss the significance of visual design, as both a tool and a
medium of cultural production. Students will complete a series of design
projects, exploring themes such as identity, persuasion, promotion and
authorship. Students will utilize computers, images, texts and hand skills to
produce work of an experimental, complex and professional nature.
We will discuss design theory, practice, trends, products
and themes. Assignments will involve creating, altering, and processing images;
formulating, analyzing and refining letterforms; and preparing materials for
production and publication. The course will employ lectures, readings,
exercises, projects and brief written assignments. Regular attendance is
essential. A group of supplies and a few (small) books are required. No exams
will be given.
Recommended Reading
The following books are recommended (but not required), to
further supplement and inform some of the issues and concepts we address in
this course:
Magazines and journals that may also prove of interest
include: Eye, Communication Arts, Emigre (back issues), Print, I.D., Step, HOW,
Baseline and VOICE: AIGA Journal (online).
Regularly scheduled lab sessions provide students with
access to computer hardware and software typically employed in this course.
They provide students with both the time and the means to complete most of the
required projects and assignments. While software training is not the focus of
this course, specific software and/or design skills may be introduced and/or
supplemented during lab sessions.
Open Lab hours will also be made available, enabling
students to work on projects and assignments outside of class. A teaching
assistant will monitor Open Lab hours for this course, and will be available to
answer questions and/or provide assistance.
Students with an IF account may also use the Communications
lab on the 3rd floor. This lab provides access to Macintosh hardware and
software, but may not match facilities, software, or fonts available in our
fourth floor labs.
A basic Supply Kit is required in this course. Total cost of
supplies for this course ranges from $50 to $75 U.S. dollars (closer to $50 if
purchased as a Supply Kit from the University Coop).
The Supply Kit for this course is a simpler version of one
formerly used in J336 Visual Design. Some students may already possess some of
the required supplies, and only need to replenish a few.
Click on Supplies, on the course website, for a current
list.
Each studentŐs final grade (GPA) is based on how many points
they earned during the course; they can earn a maximum of 1,000 total points.
Items are tabulated as follows:
This course uses the 10-point grading scale, as follows: A =
90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 60-69; F = 59 or less. Thus, final point
totals = final grades, as follows: A = 900-1000; B = 800-899; C=700-799; D =
600-699; F = 599 or less.
Lecture attendance (Please Ask Questions!) is essential. A
student can earn as many as 200 total points for lecture attendance and
participation. Important information and updates are often delivered during
lectures. Please follow the lecture attendance guidelines listed below. No
absences will be excused. (A student can miss two or three classes and still
achieve the final grade they desire.)
This semester, lab may often be simply a continuation of
lecture; attendance and participation are essential. Knowledge of computer
software applications is solely the responsibility of the individual student in
this course; however, additional software and/or design skills may be
introduced and/or supplemented during lab sessions. Each time a student misses
lab the student is responsible to find out what they missed.
Lecture attendance guidelines also apply during lab
sessions, with these additional points:
A student can earn as many as 700 total points by completing
a series of design projects in this course. Projects are due at the beginning
of lecture, unless otherwise indicated by the instructor. Project briefs and
examples of student work may be available for viewing on the course website.
Student work must be original work. Although students are encouraged
to discuss their work with others, students may only submit their own, original
work for evaluation.
Student work may be exhibited. Projects and assignments
submitted for evaluation in this course are subject to being exhibited,
published or reproduced, on the course website or elsewhere, in print or
digital form, for educational purposes only.
FOLLOW THE RULES. Read project briefs carefully. Design
projects (and other works of art), are inherently subjective. They resist
attempts to evaluate them on a purely quantitative basis. Thus, neither hard
work nor a record of high achievement in previous courses of study will
guarantee any student a high grade on any project in this course.
In order to be fair, the instructor emphasizes quantitative
aspects, such as attention to detail (e.g., following instructions and
specifications) and pride of craft (e.g., precise trimming, mounting), often at
the expense of qualitative aspects (e.g., creativity, exertion). Thus, a
studentŐs ability to FOLLOW THE RULES is weighed more heavily than anything
else, when evaluating student work in this course.
The use of found images is permitted. This is an educational
environment; therefore, students are permitted to use found images as part of
design projects they create in this course, unless otherwise specified by the
instructor. However, the use of original, student-generated images is typically
encouraged and preferred.
A student can earn up to 100 total points by completing
Class Exercises and/or Writing Assignments (also referred to as Response
Papers). These will be assigned periodically as a means of responding to
specific reading topics, field trips, lecture topics, and so forth. (Note:
Content of any writing assignment must be a studentŐs original work.) Topics,
focus and length to be determined by the instructor. Class exercises may include
surveys, creative exercises, field trips, and so forth. Critical thinking is
required.
Written assignments must be typed and printed from a
computer. They must be neatly printed on good quality, clean white paper. They
should be succinct, error-free and carefully edited. Accuracy is required.
Points may be deducted for spelling, grammar or punctuation errors, or sloppy
appearance. Students should proofread all written materials before submission.
Creativity is an inherent component of visual design.
However, students who think they lack creative ability should not feel
discouraged or intimidated. Any student sincerely interested in visual design,
who consistently attends lecture and lab, pays close attention to details,
follows project rules and specifications and asks meaningful questions will
position themselves to earn the final grade they desire.
Late assignments will not be accepted or earn points. Late
assignments will receive a grade of F (zero points). Assignments are due at the
beginning of lecture, unless otherwise indicated by the instructor. Meeting
deadlines and paying attention to details are crucial aspects of visual design
practice.
Opportunities to submit extra credit assignments or to
make-up or redo assignments or projects will not be available. To earn a
satisfactory grade, a student must strive to do good work, as determined by the
instructor, on every assignment or project, the first time around.
Like writing, effective design typically depends on editing
and revision. This course will employ extensive discussions and critiques
focused on student work-in-progress and/or finished work. The intention is to identify
strengths and weaknesses, provide positive feedback and make suggestions for
improvement. All criticism is intended to be constructive; the aim is to
develop and improve individual design skills.
Submission of a paper (i.e., writing assignment) does not
constitute public disclosure of ideas. Graded papers may be kept by the
instructor, or they may be returned to students.
Students enrolled in this course are individually
responsible for learning how to use a Macintosh computer and relevant software
programs. Resources are available in this building and/or elsewhere on campus
to assist students in achieving the level of computing proficiency they desire.
The instructor is available to meet, briefly, by
appointment. Contact the instructor by e-mail to schedule an appointment.
Students are welcome to discuss any issue, as long as they do so in a
respectful manner.
Early in the semester, students with disabilities who need
special accommodations should notify the instructor by presenting a letter
prepared by the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office. To ensure
that the most appropriate accommodations can be provided, contact the SSD
Office at 471-6259, or 471-4641 TTY, or visit Services for Students with
Disabilities, at: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ssd/.
The University defines academic dishonesty as cheating,
plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, falsifying academic records
and any act designed to avoid participating honestly in the learning process.
Scholastic dishonesty also includes, but is not limited to, providing false
or misleading information to receive a postponement or an extension on a test,
quiz, or other assignment, and submission of essentially the same written
assignment (or creative project) for two courses without the prior permission
of faculty members.
By accepting this syllabus and participating in the course,
you have agreed to these guidelines and must adhere to them. Scholastic
dishonesty damages both the studentŐs learning experience and readiness for the
future demands of work and career. Students who violate University rules on
scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the
possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from The University. For
more info, visit Student Judicial Services at: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/.
The instructor reserves the right to include written, visual
and/or audio content, as course material, that some students may find
disturbing or offensive. Such materials will only be utilized for educational
purposes. For instance, the nude human form, slang or swear words, song lyrics,
lines of prose or poetry, or images related to controversial topics will be
considered, in the context of this course, as Fair Use, both as elements of
visual communication and as part of our visual environment.
Precise and consistent alignment, mounting and printing
results are among the fundamental principles by which visual design
presentations and products are defined and evaluated. The instructor reserves
the right to deduct points, on any assignment or project, for alignment,
mounting or printing errors, even if such details appear insignificant to some
students. This is a Journalism class; the instructor also reserves the right to
deduct points for spelling, grammar or punctuation errors.
Educational psychologist Carl Rogers noted: ŇYou cannot
teach anyone anything, you can only facilitate their learning.Ó The purpose of
this course is to assist students who want or need to learn about visual design
and visual communication. What a student gets out of this course depends, in
large part, on what they put into it. Visual design principles and practices
are learned by discussing, making and evaluating things. Lectures, projects,
readings and other course materials provide students with learning
opportunities; it is up to each student to make these count.
© 2006 Shawn M. McKinney