DSGN 212

• Purchase course supplies (syllabus): sketchbook, pencil / eraser, black ink pens of varying widths, tracing paper, scissors, x-acto or utility knife, self-healing cutting mat, straight edge, black and white paper, glue stick, double-sided tape, magazines for cutting
• Find the primary classroom, FA 101 (Mac Lab), and the secondary classroom, AA 254 (Arts Annex Critique Room)
• Sign in to Canvas (opens in new tab)

• Step 1 · Design abstract compositions within a 10 in. x 10 in. frame using a single 5 in. x 5 in. black circle and square or parts of each on a white background. Each shape may be cut or folded in straight lines; shapes may overlap or be omitted. You may use less than all the pieces of each shape, but not more. In general, seek to make successful compositions with as few shapes as possible rather than as many shapes as possible. Consider the relationship of the space around the shapes as well as the shapes themselves. Experiment with multiple compositions for each principle / attribute for a total of at least 12 (see template next page). Scan process; upload to Canvas and bring physical materials to class for critique and further refinement. (Project 1 brief)

Updated Thu, Oct. 1: read the Step 1 clarification. Use this checklist to make sure you bring all 12 paper compositions, one showcasing each principle, and upload both completed Part 1 templates to Canvas.

• 1 of 12 · Principle · Proximity & grouping
• 2 of 12 · Principle · Contrast of scale
• 3 of 12 · Principle · Positive & negative space
• 4 of 12 · Principle · Balance: symmetry & asymmetry
• 5 of 12 · Principle · Rhythm: repetition with variation
• 6 of 12 · Principle · Combination of design principles
• 7 of 12 · Attribute · Tension / harmony
• 8 of 12 · Attribute · Active / static
• 9 of 12 · Attribute · Open / closed
• 10 of 12 · Attribute · Dominance / submission
• 11 of 12 · Attribute · Quiet / loud
• 12 of 12 · Attribute · Foreground / background
• Download the Project 1 templates (PDF). Part 1 uses page 1 (the six principles) and page 2 (the six attributes). Page 3 is the color template; you will use it later in Project 1.
• Scan all 12 compositions. Place each scan in the box labeled with its principle or attribute, and replace FIRST LAST NAME with your name on both pages.
• Upload both completed Part 1 templates (page 1 and page 2) to Canvas before your section meets on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

• Step 2 · Refine and curate your experiments to create 3 refined 10 in. x 10 in. paper compositions. Upload a scan to Canvas; bring the completed physical versions to class for critique. (Project 1 brief)

• Step 3 · Recreate each of your three refined compositions from Part 1 in Adobe Illustrator, following the paper versions precisely. Set the document to CMYK before you choose any color. (Project 1 brief)

• Tools for building each color scheme and for testing every version. Illustrator has two of its own: Window → Color Guide generates the harmony rules from whatever color is selected, and Edit → Edit Colors → Recolor Artwork swaps a whole color group across a composition. Then use these in the browser:

  • Adobe Color (opens in new tab) Build a scheme on the wheel with the harmony rules from the lecture (complementary, split complementary, analogous, triad), pull a palette from a photograph, and check contrast under the Accessibility tools. Sign in with your Adobe ID and the palette saves to a Creative Cloud library, which opens directly in Illustrator.
  • Paletton (opens in new tab) A scheme designer built on the painter's red-yellow-blue wheel, the same wheel as the lecture. Set one to four hues, see five tints and shades of each, and preview the result on sample layouts before you commit.
  • Coolors (opens in new tab) The fastest way to try many palettes: press the spacebar for a new set, lock the hues you want to keep, and adjust the rest. It also has a palette visualizer, a contrast checker and a color-blindness view.
  • color.review (opens in new tab) Paste a foreground and a background color and read the contrast ratio while you adjust them. Use it on every text-on-color pair; aim for 4.5 : 1 or better for text and 3 : 1 for large type and shapes.
  • Who Can Use (opens in new tab) Test one color pair and see how it reads for people with each kind of color vision deficiency, cataracts and low vision, and in direct sunlight, with the share of the population each affects.
  • Coblis (opens in new tab) Upload an exported image of your page and view it as eight types of color vision would see it. The quickest way to find a pair that disappears for one viewer in twenty-five.
• Step 4 · Use the color template (brief page 4) once for each composition: three 11 in. x 17 in. pages, one per composition, each holding that composition's six versions in a 2-column, 3-row grid, labeled as on the template. (Project 1 brief)
• Step 5 · Version 1: black and white, the recreation of the paper composition. (Project 1 brief)
• Step 6 · Version 2: inverted; what was black becomes white and what was white becomes black. (Project 1 brief)
• Step 7 · Version 3: a complementary color scheme using exactly two hues. (Project 1 brief)
• Step 8 · Version 4: a split complementary color scheme using exactly three hues. (Project 1 brief)
• Step 9 · Version 5: an analogous color scheme using exactly three hues. (Project 1 brief)
• Step 10 · Version 6: a combination color scheme using no more than five hues. Bring all three pages as a digital file for review. Tints, shades and tones of one hue count as a single hue. (Project 1 brief)

• Step 11 · Print your final. Center your strongest color version at 10 in. x 10 in. on an 11 in. x 17 in. page, save it as a PDF, and print it at 100% on 11 in. x 17 in. cardstock. Bring the printed copy to class on Thursday. (Project 1 brief)

• Step 1 · Select a non-display serif or sans-serif typeface. Choose 2-3 characters to use throughout the project. Avoid symbols; only !, &, ? and the period (.) are allowed. Research the history behind your typeface, including who designed it, when they lived and examples of it in use. Note anything in that history that could inform your process or your monogram. (Project 2 brief)
• Step 2 · Sketch 24 unique monogram ideas using your typeface’s letterforms. Treat these sketches as a brain dump that gives you a strong foundation to work from. Research monogram logo designs online for inspiration. Aim for about 60% fidelity, where the letters are recognizable and filled in, how they combine is clear, and the edges can stay rough. Place one sketch in each cell of the two pages titled “Monogram Process” (pages 2 and 3) in the Project 2 Brief PDF. Either print the two “Monogram Process” pages, sketch on them and scan them, or sketch on paper or in a sketchbook, then scan your sketches and arrange them on the two “Monogram Process” pages. Before class on Tue, Oct. 20, upload your 24 sketches to Canvas, formatted as a PDF using the two “Monogram Process” pages. Bring a copy of your 24 sketches on the two “Monogram Process” pages, printed on 8.5 in. x 11 in. paper. If you sketched on printed “Monogram Process” pages, bring those instead. (Project 2 brief)

• Step 3 · Select 3 sketches for further refinement and sketch again at least 3 times each with more detail and accuracy on the third template provided as a matrix contrasting properties. (Project 2 brief)

• Step 4 · Sketch your monogram one last time, bringing it to 97% fidelity. Do this on a printed copy of the final page of the Project 2 Brief PDF, then upload a scan of it to Canvas as a PDF before class. (Project 2 brief)

• Step 4 · Design your final monogram as a vector in Adobe Illustrator. On a copy of page 5, add your monogram into the 6 in. x 6 in. square, scale it to be as large as it can be within that square, and remove all formatting. Print it in black ink on white letter-size (8.5 in. x 11 in.) paper, optically centered and with no border. (Project 2 brief)

• Step 1 · Choose a photograph of an animal with distinct features and a clear silhouette as a reference. Using cut paper, construct the animal using only black or white cut paper shapes. Create 10 variations and scan them. Place your reference photograph and the scans on the page titled “Icon Process · Cut Paper” (page 3) in the Project 3 Brief PDF. Before class on Tue, Nov. 3, upload the completed “Icon Process · Cut Paper” page to Canvas as a PDF. (Project 3 brief)

• Step 2 · Sketching with black marker on a grid, create 20 more variations of your animal focusing on simplicity as well as distinctiveness. The forms should be composed of masses, not lines, as if you were still composing with cut paper. Print the page titled “Icon Process · Sketches” (page 4) in the Project 3 Brief PDF, draw one variation in each of its 20 cells and scan the completed page. (Project 3 brief)
• Step 2, continued · Together with your 10 cut-paper variations from Step 1, you now have 30 variations. Open the page titled “Icon Process · 30 Variations” (page 5) in the Project 3 Brief PDF, which shows a grid of 6 rows and 5 columns. Place the scans of your 10 cut-paper variations in cells 1 – 10 and the scans of your 20 black-marker variations in cells 11 – 30. Print the “Icon Process · 30 Variations” page in black and white on an 11 in. x 17 in. sheet of paper for review in class. (Project 3 brief)

• Step 3 · Select the three strongest variations from the previous step. Refine your icon set based on feedback from instructor and peers. Draw at least four more variations of each for a total of 12 with more consistency and simplicity, emphasizing focal points, balance and other design principles. Arrange these variations on a single 11 in. x 17 in. sheet of paper in a grid of 4 rows and 3 columns. Print in black and white for review in class. (Project 3 brief)

• Step 4 · Select your strongest icon from the previous step and reconstruct it with Adobe Illustrator using shapes (see this example). Do not include colors, tints or shades beyond black and white. Do not use badges or framing shapes (circles, squares, etc.) to contain the icon. Repeat the process to create 5 additional animal icons as a set. (Project 3 brief)
• Step 5 · For the set of six animal icons, apply no more than 3 distinct hues and create a unified palette across the grid (see example). Tints, shades and tones of one hue count as a single hue. Print in color on a landscape 11 in. x 17 in. sheet of paper with your icons in a grid of 2 rows and 3 columns. (Project 3 brief)

• Step 1 · Read your assigned article and brainstorm possible visual concepts based on the content with in-class exercises and sketching. Select the three strongest concepts to move forward to the next step. — alphabetical list (ideas based on as many letters of the alphabet as possible); mashup list: word lists for two or more contrasting categories; idiom/metaphor list: lists of relevant expressions or metaphors; mind map: visually organized word list; crazy 8’s: 8 ideas in 8 minutes. (Project 4 brief)

• Step 2 · Collect and/or print source photos to create a physical collage, 9 in. x 6 in., for each of your 3 concepts. You may cut, tear or otherwise manipulate the images in any way as long as it is analog for this step (done outside the computer). (Project 4 brief)

• Step 3 · Further develop and refine your collage, now including digital tools. Consider design principles as well as experimenting with visual styles appropriate to your topic and audience. Continue refining your collage digitally, including editing or adding color. Review digital file during class. (Project 4 brief)

• Step 4 · Print your final collage in color on 11 in. x 8.5 in. cardstock. Present during class for formal critique. (Project 4 brief)