MCOM 204 - Beginning Publication Design

Spring 2005  - TH 1:30 Ð 2:50 p.m.  -  Room 4, Byars Hall (Mac Lab)

 

Instructor

Dr. Tracy Lauder                                              Office Hours

216 Miller                                                         MW 12:30-1:30 p.m.

944-6152                                                         (and by appointment)

tlauder@ehc.edu                                            

 

Student Instructors

Becca Boney & Kendall Walter

kwalter03@ehc.edu & rboney03@ehc.edu

At least one of the student instructors (SI) will attend most class sessions, particularly those in the lab. The SIs will conduct short lessons and provide one-on-one assistance during lab time. In addition, the SIs is available outside of class to provide short tutorials and assist students who encounter difficulty in out-of-class assignments. You must arrange out-of-class meetings with the SIs; preset appointments are required. Students who schedule appointments with an SI and fail to attend or otherwise notify the instructor may lose future out-of-class privileges with an SI.

 

Course Objectives

The purpose of this laboratory class is to acquaint students with basic design and typographic principles, as well as InDesign software. Upon completion of the course, students should be able to apply these design principles, while utilizing InDesign software, to a variety of basic publication design projects.

 

Required Texts

The Newspaper DesignerÕs Handbook, 5th ed., by Tim Harrower (McGraw-Hill, 2002).

The Non-DesignerÕs Design Book, 2^nd ed.,  by Robin Williams (Peachpit Press, 2004)

Recommended: InDesign for Macintosh & Windows, A Visual QuickStart Guide by Sandee Cohen (Peachpit Press 2004)

Also required: 128mb or higher flash drive

 

Course Requirements

A variety of assignments will be utilized in this course, including

- readings

- reading quizzes

- design critiques

- design projects

In addition unit exams will test accumulated knowledge. Classroom attendance and participation are necessary for successful completion of the course. The instructor will make every effort to explain the process, expectations, and grading criteria for each assignment. Clarification about assignments should be sought from the instructor as soon as questions arise.

 

Grading

The final grade for this course will be computed in the following manner:

            Short assignments/quizzes       15 percent

            Design projects                        30 percent

            Unit One Exam             15 percent

            Unit Two Exam             15 percent

            Final Project                             20 percent

Participation/attendance          5 percent

 

Writing & Editing Skills

As in any mass communication course, students must exhibit strong writing and editing skills. While this class focuses on the design aspect of publications, the highest standards of writing and editing will be expected and enforced. All students, therefore, must be able to edit their work for grammar, punctuation, accuracy, clarity, conciseness, and style. No matter how strong the design, poorly written work will receive a reduced grade.

 

Attendance Policy

Dedicated class attendance is essential for learning in this course. Students are expected to attend every class meeting and arrive on time unless absolutely unable due to unusual circumstances. A student should make every effort to contact the instructor prior to the class meeting if he or she will be unable to attend; in some cases (such as the death of a family member or a serious injury to the student), makeup work may be arranged. In general, makeup work will not be allowed, and the absence of completed assignments will decrease the studentÕs final grade.

 

Students will be penalized for more than two absences in the course; five points will be deducted from the final course grade for each absence after two. If you already know that you will need to miss several classes due to extracurricular activities, a job, family responsibilities, or other obligation(s), you should consult the instructor before the course begins.

 

Attendance will be taken at the beginning of the class period. If you arrive after roll is taken, you will be counted absent. If you arrive late for class, you should verify your attendance with the instructor after class. Three tardy arrivals will count as one absence.

 

Deadlines

As in any mass communications course, students are being trained to follow the professional standards of the media industry. Deadlines, therefore, are strictly enforced.

            Out-of-class assignments must be turned in at the beginning of the class period in which they are due. Late assignments will be accepted but will receive a penalty of one letter grade for every 24-hour period past the deadline. As with class attendance, if a student encounters circumstances that prohibit him or her from completing the assignment by the deadline, he or she should contact the instructor as soon as possible, but exclusion of a late penalty is never guaranteed.

            In-class assignments must be turned in by the end of the class period. The instructor will make every effort to assign in-class projects that can be completed during the allotted time. While performance on tight deadlines is sometimes stressful, such is the nature of working in the media industry. The ability to turn a project around quickly is necessary training for mass communication careers.

 

Academic Misconduct

Representing another personÕs work as your own not only violates journalistic ethics, but it also violates the collegeÕs Honor Code. Copying homework assignments, cheating on quizzes or exams, lying about sources of information, and plagiarizing on projects all constitute academic misconduct, a serious offense with serious consequences. Cases of academic misconduct will be turned over to the DeanÕs office for investigation and disciplinary measures.

 

The House Rules

Respect for fellow students and the instructor are necessary for an enjoyable learning experience. This includes being prompt for class, turning off cellular phones before class, and participating in classroom discussions that foster a healthy exchange of ideas. Class critique sessions will offer an opportunity to exchange feedback on individual work; a spirit of balanced criticism that praises and offers suggestions is encouraged. For the protection of technology, food and drink are prohibited in the computer lab.
Tentative Course Schedule

H          8/25     Introduction

 

Unit I (Weeks 1-5) Basic Design & Typographic Principles

 

Week 1

T          8/30     Discuss Ch. 1, ÒThe Joshua Tree Epiphany,Ó and Ch. 2, ÒProximity,Ó

pages 9-30, NDDB (The Non-DesignerÕs Design Book)

Discuss ÒFlyers,Ó pages 97-100, NDDB

Begin Project: Flyer #1

           

H          9/1       Discuss Ch. 3, ÒAlignment,Ó 31-48, NDDB

                        Continue work on Flyer #1

 

Week 2

T          9/6       Discuss Ch. 4, ÒRepetition,Ó  49-62, NDDB

Critique Session: Flyer #1

                        Begin Project: Flyer #2

 

H          9/8       Due: Flyer #1

Discuss Ch. 5, ÒContrast,Ó and Ch. 6, ÒReview,Ó 3-86, NDDB

Assignment: Written Critique #1

Continue work on Flyer #2

 

Week 3

T          9/13     Discuss Ch. 8, ÒType (and Life),Ó 121-130, NDDB

Critique Session: Flyer #2

Discuss ÒCreating a Package,Ó 88, NDDB

                        Discuss ÒNewspaper Ads,Ó 113-116, NDDB

                        Begin Project: Ad package

                       

H          9/15     Due: Written Critique #1

Due: Flyer #2

Discuss Ch. 9, ÒCategories of Type,Ó 131-142, NDDB

                        Continue work on Ad package

 

Week 4

T          9/20     Discuss Ch. 10, ÒType Contrasts,Ó 143-174, NDDB

Critique Session: Ad Package

Begin Project: Quote Art

                         

H          9/22     Due: Ad package

Assignment: Written Critique #2

                        Continue work on Quote Art

 

Week 5

T          9/27     Critique Session: Quote Art

Review for Exam

                       

H          9/29     Unit I Exam

                        Due: Written Critique #2

                        Due: Quote Art

 

 

Unit II (Weeks 6-10): Newspaper Design

 

Week 6

T          10/4     Discuss ÒIntroduction,Ó 2-12, NDH (The NewspaperDesignerÕs Handbook)

 

H          10/6     Discuss fundamentals of newspaper design; read 13-39, NDH

                        Assignment: Review for Newspaper Parts Quiz

                        Assignment: Newspaper Dummies

 

Week 7

T          10/11   Newspaper Parts Quiz

                        Due: Newspaper Dummies

                        Begin Assignment: Dummies into InDesign

                        Assignment: Newspaper for ÒShow and TellÓ

                       

H          10/13   FALL BREAK

           

Week 8

T          10/18   Due: Dummies into InDesign

Due: Newspaper from Fall Break for ÒShow and TellÓ

Discuss ÒStory Design,Ó 3-68, NDH

                        Begin Project: News Page #1

 

H          10/20   Discuss ÒPage Design,Ó 71-95, NDH

Work on News Page #1

 

Week 9

T          10/25   Critique Session: News Page #1       

Begin Project: News Page #2

 

H          10/27   Due: News Page #1

                        Work on News Page #2

                        Assignment: Written Critique #3

 

Week 10

T          11/1     Critique Session: News Page #2

                        Review for exam

                       

H          11/3     Unit Two Exam

Due: News Page #2

                        Due: Written Critique #3

 

 

Unit III (Weeks 11-15):  Selected Topics in Publication Design

 

Week 11

T          11/8     Discuss ÒBrochures,Ó 105-108, NDDB

                        Assignment: Written Critique #4

                       

H          11/10   Due: Written Critique #3

Begin Project: Brochure

                       

 

Week 12

T          11/15   Critique Session: Brochure

 

H          11/17   Due: Brochure

Discuss readings on use of color (TBA)

                        Begin Project: Color Flyer

 

Week 13

T          11/22   Continue work on Color Flyer

 

H          11/24   THANKSGIVING BREAK         

 

Week 14

T          11/29   Critique Session: Color Flyer

                        Discuss readings (TBA)

                        Begin project/assignment (TBA)

 

H          12/1     Due: Color Flyer

                        In class: TBA

           

Week 15

T          12/6     In class: TBA

Assign final project

Due by the end of the final exam period: Wednesday, Dec. 14, 1:30-4:30 p.m.

 

H          12/8     No class; work day

                        Instructor available for conference

 

Review Days: Sat.-Sun., Dec. 10-11

Final Exams: Mon.-Sat., Dec. 12-17