Syllabus
When and Where
TU TH 12:30-1:45
Instructor: Nan Goggin goggin@uiuc.edu
TA: Mat Yapchaian yapchaian@gmail.com
Course Objectives
This course will provide non art students with an introductory survey of techniques and methodologies for understanding and creating visual communication.
This is not just a course in how to use software, although Photoshop and Macromedia Dreamweaver will be two of the most important tools introduced. Software will be discuss only as a tool. The course is taught as a traditional studio art course - except the material, rather than being clay or pigment, is pixels and electronic data objects. The focus is on artmaking, and the assignments reflect this mindset. Students who simply wish to construct an electronic portfolio or a personal web page will find that those interests are not addressed and they will be strongly discouraged from taking the class.
There will be four graded projects, all created for the World Wide Web. There will also be credit/no periodic credit technical quizes throughout the semester - not always announced in advance. Additionally, students will be evaluated based on class attendance and participation.
Required Readings
On-line readings and handouts
Books Used as Sources in Class
Donis Donis, Fundamentals of Design, Wucius Wong (Design Books), Semiotics
Other Supplies
Sketch/Ideation Book (This may be electronic or paper)
You will be asked to come to class with computer color prints of your homework.
Grading Criteria
Regular attendance is a necessity, as is classroom participation. Both will have a crucial bearing on your final grade. Excessive absences [3 or more] can lower a grade by one full letter or more. Credit/no credit technical quizes will be given periodically. Students will also be given occasional writing exercises. These will be graded on a credit / no credit basis, and will also be a deciding factor in each student's final grade.
The design work created in class will be evaluated and graded according to the following criteria:
A outstanding; thoughtful and intelligent ideas presented in a clear, organized, and engaging manner; among the very best.
B good; the ideas are interesting and successfully presented; shows potential, but not necessarily distinctive; roughly equal in quality to the majority of work completed by other students.
C mediocre; achieves minimum requirements of the assignment, but not particularly clear, successful, or ambitious. quality of the work is below that of most other projects submitted.
D poor; does not satisfy the minimum requirements of the assignment; generally unsatisfactory in terms of quality and clarity.
F you probably didn't submit a finished assignment.
Your final grade will be determined roughly as follows:
15% project01
15% project02
25% project03
25% project04
20% attendance, participation, tutorials, informal writing
Workload: I suggest you budget 4 hours a week for course work outside of our classtime.