Here is the final semester wrap up and course completion information in advance:
Please read this information carefully and mark your calendars accordingly.
Please reach out with any questions here – rseslow@bmcc.cuny.edu
1. Wednesday May 15th is our last regular class / lab working session. As promised we will use this class session to discuss and share a demonstration on how you can create a final portfolio with Adobe Illustrator (saved as a single file PDF) the portfolio will display and organize all of your completed works (the final portfolio is mandatory and serves as Assignment #5 )- it is not mandatory to replicate my exact example, but I highly recommend it as the skill that can be applied to other courses and projects. I will also show you how to organize your google drive assignment folders (as a review) as well.
2. Wednesday – May 22nd (final exams week) is our last and final meeting for the semester – It is mandatory to attend – We will have a pizza party in our classroom and present our favorite / strongest work from our final portfolios of completed work – please join us at 5:30pm! You can choose to show your work on the big screen!
****All students will need to have all completed work added to their folders in our google drive no later than May 23rd at 6pm.
3. Submitting your completed assignments – I know I have mentioned this many many times through out the semester, but all student work needs to be submitted via our shared Google Drive Folder – the link to the shared folder is located on Blackboard – You must share all production files that include the adobe photoshop file – .psd and all illustrator files – .ai – you can also share your illustrator work as a PDF. (Please do not save your adobe illustrator work as a png or jpg.)
Please reach out with any questions here – rseslow@bmcc.cuny.edu
Assignment #3 & Assignment #4are now in full effect. We are becoming versed in Adobe Illustrator – and will continue to do so.
***Don’t forget to add your works in progress to our shared google drive folder.
Discussion – Continued class exercises :: Adobe Illustrator. Creating shapes with the pen tool, the pathfinder tools and the shape builder tool.
Simplifying and reducing shapes and forms, working with color, locating color books, pantone colors, making patterns, repetition as a design element and more!
This project contributes to “flat design” which is a popular application and style used in the daily UX / UI interfaces and experiences we have each and everyday. What happens when we click on that link above?
We will begin project #4 by experimenting with creating shapes and forms – composition, as well as building “things” with those basic forms that we make. What are the potentials of working with the seemingly simple shapes and forms that you create?
*The class tutorials will place an emphasis on various digital art & design making techniques with illustrator. The techniques will support all 3 parts of assignment #4 (and beyond!)
Lab Tutorial – This week we will take another tour of Adobe Illustrator and practice creating new documents and setting up our art boards for production. Tonight’ class demonstrations we be recorded and placed here after class, as well as on the assignment #4 page.
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Color Theory Continued!
Adobes awesome Color Wheel Simulator (must see) – If you sign into your Adobe ID on the color picker website you can use the web application and save your discoveries directly to your adobe Library – this will allow you to apply those things into the adobe software that you are working with. (illustrator for this project)
Please keep in mind, there is a lot to see here below, take your time through out each week to explore what is shared, if you have any questions or reactions please add them to the comments section. The comments section is helpful for extending our in class dialogs and gaining clarity by organizing your thoughts in a written format.
*Did you miss the content / post from weeks 4-7?Go Here <—
During weeks #8-11 we will take another class tour of Adobe Illustrator and get talking about Assignment #3
Let’s jump back in and start with some NYC Design History!! Behold, the NYC Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual. See below
The link above will you take you to a page with an active full PDF version of the manual. If you wish, leave a comment at the bottom of this page after exploring the manual and answering the questions below (you can work on this outside of class over this week or next)
Designed by Massimo Vignelli and Bob Noorda, Unimark, 1970
Some Questions to ponder and react to:
What is your general feedback on the manual? Do you like it? Dislike it? Please Explain. Do you find it to be well designed, illustrated and clear in its application?
2. The manual was published in 1970. Does it still hold up for today’s world? Why or Why not?
3. What is missing or should be added for today’s world to help and expand the NYC Transit System?
Imagine being offered the opportunity to visually solve, design and illustrate the entire NYC transit system!? And then organize it into a concise application procedure? What goes into this process and research? How much does the designer charge for a project of such scale? Let’s discuss.
Forward motion from Assignment #2 —> Assignment #3 –>
Last week we continued talking about Assignment #2 – The Post Card project ! Let’s look at student work and talk about your progress and the potentials of the project. There is a lot of room for image manipulation and creating aesthetics with your work. Discussions about presentation methods and why presentation is so important.
More Photoshop Masking Video Tutorials ->
Creating Layer Masks / Photo Composites – The video below is great example – click here or the image below to view it.
2. Double Expose Technique – Click here or the image below to get started
Photoshop continued –Introduction to Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Firefly – workflow from firefly to illustrator and photoshop – lay out, typography and more filter application:
The Elements of Design – A Video Description: Enjoy! See the Elements in action in this great lil’ video.
This post will reflect a 4-week time frame as we delve into assignment #1 part 2 and assignment #2 – The Post-Card Design Adventure Series!
First things first though, let’s see how everyone is doing.
Lets jump in and take a look at some student work in progress during our class-time – Would you like to share your progress? I will always encourage students to share their progress so that we can engage in dialog about the works and how we can make improvements and iterations. Learning how to discuss your work in progress takes practice. Learning how to discuss the works of others also takes practice and develops a “troubleshooting / solution focused mindset”. If you choose to opt out of sharing your work in class, thats also OK – please save your work in progress files to your Google drive folder and let me know when things have been placed there via e-mail (rseslow@bmcc.cuny.edu)
*Remember, you can always find a class recording for each Assignment’s tutorial under the Assignment page for that individual assignment, the process for Assignment #1 – parts 1 & 2 are on the Assignment #1 page
I will be introducing Assignment #2 – AKA – “the Postcard Project” on 2/28. A class video recording for Assignment 2’s tutorial will be placed under the Assignment #2 page for that individual assignment along with the assignment specifications.
***please don’t move on to assignment #2 until all aspects of assignment #1 are completed..
We will get well versed working with the photoshop pen tool, electronic imaging, cutting out images, compositing and creating graphic assets. We will also be creating and working with various file types and bringing our ideas into photoshop to produce the finished designs.
Im a big fan of iterations and revisions! We will discuss using multiple art boards and the iteration process while our work flow is in process.
*This Week’s Exercise – Cutting out Images in Photoshop / Making Graphic Assets: Cutting out images in various fragments is a task that all graphic designers will face on a regular basis. Learning various methods for cutting out images is a necessity. We will explore, experiment and share a few methods on how.
Practice practice! As practice for the week of 2/27 while working on the postcard project – you may wish to find 3-5 images that you would like to cut out / extract from existing images, look for various curves and edges that are both attractive and challenging.
Video Screening Tutorials: Cutting out images in Photoshop (Pen Tool examples)
These tutorials above will help get you started with our class exercise, but ultimately, you will need to master the pen tool in both photoshop and illustrator for the cleanest vector cut-outs.
**Are you looking for a photoshop psd. file template example to create along with, format and submit your postcard? (Photoshop newbies can edit and change the layers as you need to) Those with experience should make the template themselves – Click HERE
(Is there a specific tutorial that you learned from recently or over time? Share the URL link with a description of your experience in the comments section below)
The link above is super important as that is where all of the course content will be published each week. I’m not a big fan of using blackboard – so only password sensitive things (like the shared google drive folder link) will be placed there. Only the minimum info needed will be placed there mainly as reminders. I will go over this in full during our 1st class.
The Class Structure – MMA100 will be taught in person synchronously on Wednesdays at 5:30pm in room 706 (Fiterman building) and also via this website. I am here to help you be the best that you can be in our course. And we are all here to do the same for each other. A big part of our class is learning new skills, being experimental with design and seeing how it forms a relationship with “how” you solve problems and revise them. We will cover the many tools that are available to us. (Adobe and beyond) We do quite a bit of the fun and creative work from our own personal work spaces as we integrate the class work into our lives.
Please know, I will screen record each and every class sessions “how-tos” and “assignment tutorials” for all assignments and share those videos here on our class website. (I said that twice, haha, just want you to know again) 🙂
The Class Website – Our class website takes place here on the BMCC OpenLab! You will soon discover that the OpenLab is a huge resource and regular source of inspiration!
ClassTime: 5:30 PM – 9:10 PM – USA Eastern Time
Meeting Day & Dates: Every Wednesday, as per the CUNY academic calendar (please be aware of the cuny calendar for this semester)
If you have questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to me here – rseslow@bmcc.cuny.edu
Everything that we cover this semester will be posted and published to this website as a weekly blog post (much like this one) and as individual pages that host specific content (like assignments and their details). You will be asked to visit this website each week. At the bottom of each page and post there is a section for comments, please feel free to use it to ask any questions that you may have.
What is Graphic Design? Design Solutions: Strategy, Concept, Design, Execution & Production Exploring the Design Process.
Software skillsthis semester will focus on– Adobe Photoshop & Adobe Illustrator as well as a few other apps and non-conventional methods of image-making.
Logos by Paul Rand
What is Graphic Design?
“Graphic design, also known as communication design, is the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual and textual content. The form it takes can be physical or virtual and can include images, words, or graphics. The experience can take place in an instant or over a long period of time. The work can happen at any scale, from the design of a single postage stamp to a national postal signage system. It can be intended for a small number of people, such as a one-off or limited-edition book or exhibition design, or can be seen by millions, as with the interlinked digital and physical content of an international news organization. It can also be for any purpose, whether commercial, educational, cultural, or political.” (Via – Juliette Cezzar)
The History of Graphic Design – We will be exploring and referencing Design history in our class. Lets explore these two references below over the course of this week.
Lets talk a bit about assignments – Most assignments are broken down into 2-3 parts. For example, assignment #1 has 3 parts. For each assignment, I will be sharing a series of video tutorials during our class time. Each assignment has its own page with all of the details and specifications needed to work on, complete and submit the assignment. The Assignments page is here
Becoming familiar with terms and items like: “design briefs, project sheets and project specifications” are essential to the design industry. We will become familiar with this process and following a simulation like experience 🙂
We will discuss the progress and submissions process of your finished assignments and how to send and share them via google drive. We will discuss the maintaining of your files and data and how to keep it safe and easy to access.
Assignment Submission guidelines:
When your assignment / assignments have been completed please add them to our class google drive shared folder (the google drive link is located on blackboard)
Please create a folder for yourself with your first and last name. And, please name your files with your name, assignment# & assignment status – here are a few Example file names – they may looks like this:
Ryan_Seslow_Assignment#2_progress.psd
Ryan_Seslow_Assignment#2_FInal.JPG
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Tutorials – I will always share a few video tutorials each week that coincide with our assignments. This one below is about getting further acquainted with Photoshop – (Terry White is one of my favorite Adobe evangelists!)
I’ll also share Designer Inspiration each week? Let’s be inspired and see Who’s Who in the field? There are so many great designers out there to follow these days! Each week, let’s showcase one and talk about how their work functions.
Who is Aaron Draplin? Surely by now you have heard of Aaron Draplin?
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Assignment #1 will introduce you to Adobe Photoshop, working with and finding images, and the Elements & Principles of Design, (vocabulary), thats the language of design.
(please note, there are several variations of these definitions that can be found across the web and through out the design world, its ok to mix and mingle variations from other sources to help expand your knowledge)
The Elements & Principles of Design are the governing vocabulary that define, illustrate and communicate how Graphic Design functions all around us. These terms are of great value and importance and should be understood and applied by designers.
