Welcome to MMA 100! Fall Semester 2020
Please be sure to bookmark our class website and make sure that you are properly able to access it. You can always refer to our website for the week to week calendar of classwork, video tutorials, live video class lectures, design resources, inspiration, assignments, deadlines, contact info and much more.
First and foremost, Class Introductions! Nice to Meet you! Lets connect, Im excited to get started 🙂
Who and What inspires you?
Lets us discuss the unique learning experience and platform we are about to engage in together. Lets talk about how our class will function this semester.
This course will be taught both synchronously and asynchronously for full accessibility and inclusion! Meaning, we will be using the Zoom video experience to conduct a synchronous class beginning at 5:30pm on Wednesdays (following the BMCC fall 2020 academic calendar). I will be recording and publishing the videos taken from class and posting them on this website in the week number that they co-exist with. The asynchronous method will be applied to the use and application of this website. Together we will craft and build a learning experience that helps each student both individually and as a contributer to the class as a whole.
Everything that we cover this semester will be posted and published to this website. You will be asked to visit frequently. At the bottom of each page and post there is a section for comments, please feel free to use it to ask questions.
Week 1 – Introductions & Discussion –
What is Graphic Design?
Design Solutions: Strategy, Concept, Design, Execution & Production
Exploring the Design Process: Thumbnails, Roughs & Comps.
Software skills – Adobe Photoshop and navigating around the Mac
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
Assignments:
Lets talk about Assignment #1 and how each assignment/project will be worked on, discussed and submitted for the semester.
Each assignment has its own page on this website with all of the needed information and specifications to complete them. Each week I will also publish a blog post here on our class website that has context to the assignment. This will be images, videos, article, links and other content to help inspire and expose you to useful information in relationship to the assignment. The weekly blog posts will always share the link back to the assignments page.
Assignment Submission guidelines:
When your assignment / assignments have been completed please add them to our class google drive shared folder here:Â https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1m8_39ko2CtWEyzQ9SXABM2RWfKTCsGii?usp=sharing
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.JPGÂ
Ryan_Seslow_Assignment#2_FInal.JPG
You will also keep your work in progress in this folder. I will be adding comments and feedback to your work in process. We can have a dialog through the process this way with the google drive comments section of selected parts of an image. Its handy and very easy to use.
All of our individual class assignments can be found on the Assignments page here
*Watch this Video Definition – https://vimeo.com/10532686
Great explanation of Graphic Design, but what about the speed of the video??
The History of Graphic Design –Â We will be exploring and referencing Design history in our class. Lets explore these two references below over the course of this week.
Design History.org – http://www.designhistory.org
Key Moments in Graphic Design / Timeline –Â https://www.thoughtco.com/key-moments-in-graphic-design-history-1697527
Class Discussion:Â What is the Design Process?
How do designers create strategies? Move from research to sketch, roughs and comps? What do these terms mean?
Thumbnails – Simply put, thumbnails are small sketches. Projects always begin with thumbnail sketches. No matter how tempted you are to get working with the computer and its software right away, thumbnail sketch practice is essential in the design process. Each project should have thumbnail sketches. This practice will keep your idea muscles sharp!
Examples of Thumbnail Sketches
Roughs – Roughs are full scale renderings of your selected thumbnails. They are sized to the specific dimensions of your project. Roughs are about making the needed revisions and necessary decisions to meet the many challenges you may discover in the process.
Examples of Roughs & Comps – What is the visual difference between a rough and a comp? Lets find examples together.
Comps – (short for comprehensive) or a final comp, is the plan and official map that is ready for production. It is ready for publishing on the web, or print production with a printer or printing company. The comp is ready to share with your client (or your professor 🙂 as it will fully communicate all aspects of your project and assignment.
