Syllabus :: DMA 203 : Digital Design Concepts :: Fall, 2008
DMA203 is an Art Field course open to non-DMA majors and a required DMA core course for all DMA majors, serving as the pre-requisite for the four advanced DMA design courses (Typography, Print Design, Digital Illustration and Advanced Digital Design). Through this course you will:
- Improve your sense of design by learning the basic principles through a series of hands-on exercises.
- Be inspired by 20th century graphic design history and use it as an influence in your own creations.
- Learn to leverage the persuasive power of design by using tools available on your computer.
- Discover how to work with graphic design professionals in the production of advertisements, posters, websites, logos and business cards.
- Note: basic computer graphics aptitude is a prerequisite for this course.
- Develop critical thinking, working processes and methodology of structural / modern design
- Encourage research techniques for learning about design history
- Connect principles (or elements) of modern design to real-world design industry situations
- Examine the benefits and effects of digital technology on graphic design
By completing this course, students will be able to DO these tasks:
- Students will understand the vocabulary, technique and workflow necessary to enter the workplace and work alongside professional graphic designers.
- Students will be able to make a clear, informed decision regarding whether or NOT to specialize in graphic design in their possible future studies in Digital Media Arts.
- Students will be able to leverage the basic persuasive power of graphic design in ALL of the jobs encompassing digital media and will learn how to create promotional and marketing materials that relate to numerous jobs in the communication sectors of business. For example, past students have applied ideas from this course to their work in video production.
Textbook: Design Workshop (second edition) by Robin Williams & John Tollet. ISBN: 0-321-44176-10 (Available at Canisius Bookstore). Other readings will be provided as links on the schedule.
Quizzes will be conducted for each week's reading.
A process book is essential. You must collect or create samples of visual content to use on your designs. You must document your discoveries about design as we go through the course. Each week of coursework should be documented by at least one sheet of sketchbook activity.
- understand the vocabulary, technique and workflow necessary to enter the workplace and work alongside professional graphic designers.
- make a clear, informed decision regarding whether or NOT to specialize in graphic design in their possible future studies in Digital Media Arts.
- leverage the basic persuasive power of graphic design in ALL of the jobs encompassing digital media and will learn how to create promotional and marketing materials that relate to numerous jobs in the communication sectors of business. For example, past students have applied ideas from this course to their work in video production.
| Grade item | QPs | Quantity | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projects | 200 | 4 | 800 |
| Lecture Quizzes | 10 | 10 | 100 |
| Paper/Presentation | 100 | 1 | 100 |
| Final Exam | 100 | 1 | 100 |
| Sketchbook/Participation | 50 | 1 | 50 |
| TOTAL QPs | 1050 | ||
| Total QPs for Class | Final Grade (Total points divided by 10 and converted to a letter grade) |
|---|---|
| 925-1000 | A |
| 895-924 | A- |
| 865-894 | B+ |
| 825-864 | B |
| 795-824 | B- |
| 765-794 | C+ |
| 725-764 | C |
| 695-724 | C- |
| 595-694 | D |
| <595 | F |
Note: In the event that there are fewer or more than 1000 qps for the class, grades will be weighted. For example, if he maximum number of QPs ends up being 900, grades will be multiplied by 1.1 to yield 1000 QPs.
Grades are based on quality and effort. Late assignments will not be acceptable after two weeks, and will be penalized. Folders submitted to my drop box and are timestamped, meaning I can see the date they were submitted. Resubmitted assignments are acceptable until the final exam, meaning that grades can be adjusted if the resubmitted work shows improvement.
Grades of 2. This means I either can't open your files, lost your files, or see a major problem with your work. Check Blackboard constantly for your grades. As soon as you see a 2, see me so we can clear it up. If a 2 is not addressed within 1 week after it appears, it becomes a 0 and will not be changed.
Assignments may be resubmitted until the last day of the semester for grade reconsideration, as long as the first version was handed in on time. Grades will drop by 2 QPs for every day the assignment is late. If an assignment is at all late, it CANNOT be resubmitted.
Back up your files. "My hard drive died, I dropped my flash drive in a puddle, My computer got a virus" and the like are unacceptable excuses. You MUST ALWAYS keep two current copies of everything you do. There are many viable sources for backup-your portable drive, your home computer/laptop, Chupacabra, GMail.
Websites will be served in either your sites folder on Chupacabra or your public_html folder on WLAB. When submitting a website project, the site must be dropped off in my dropbox, as well as available via a link on your web space (http://wlab.canisius.edu/~username or http://dma.canisius.edu/~username)
See my Lab Notes for more detailed instruction on submitting work.
- Talking via cell phones is not permitted in class
- Text-messaging via cell phones, Instant Messenger, chat rooms, etc. is not permitted in class
- Web surfing and listening to music is not allowed during lectures and discussions but is allowed during lab work if the web surfing is relevant to a class assignment and the music listening is done with headphones.
- Treat people respectfully. Working together and asking questions of each other is encouraged. Please communicate with respect regarding technical and personal differences. Diversity of thought, culture and creativity will be encouraged.
- Do not bring food or drink into the classroom
- Do not touch the screens with your fingers
- Eyestrain, muscle and joint aches are common ailments that result from long hours working at the computer. Get up from the computer to take frequent breaks to give your body a rest. Alert the instructor if you are feeling any pain in your wrists or having any symptoms related to bad computer posture.
Participation grades will be largely based on classwordk assignments. During lecture/demo classes, students will be expected to follow along and produce work that reflects their learning. If you are not in class, you will not be able to complete classwork.