Office hours are by appointment only. If you would like to schedule
an appointment please send me a request via e-mail. I will do my best
to accommodate time with you after or just prior to our class.
Syllabus and Course Description
The focus of this course is visual organization and information design.
This course is a continuation of Design III: Visual Organization and
Information Design, with an emphasis on the latter. Students will explore
information design by examining and creating visual communication in the
form of page layouts, diagrams, charts, pictograms, maps and instructional
material. The class involves a studio and will draw upon previous design
and technology skills. Prerequisites: Design 1, 2, 3, and Design &
Technology
This class will explore
Practical applications of Gestalt principles of visual organization
Form, meaning and culture through objective and subjective representation
Visual explanations including maps and charts
Sequence and narrative through typographic and pictorial instructions
Systematic graphic and information design
Assessable Tasks
The coursework will include in-class and out-of-class projects that
demonstrate ongoing development in visual analysis, design, and presentation
skills.
Out-of-class projects will range in duration from 1 to 5 weeks, with
work to review due each week.
Readings and discussions.
Final project presentation at the end of the semester.
Group critiques.
Learning Outcomes and Objectives
Develop a conceptual understanding of visual organization.
Develop an ability to apply this conceptual understanding to the
development of practical skills.
Develop a repertoire of strategy for the visualization of a variety
of kinds of information.
Understand the implications that visual organization skills hold
for the practice of design management.
Prepare students to apply their knowledge of visual organization
to their upper-level classes
This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
Material included is intended to provide an outline of the course and
rules that the instructor will adhere to in evaluating the student’s
progress. However, this syllabus is not intended to be a legal contract.
Questions regarding the syllabus are welcome at any time and may be directed
to the instructor.
Week 1: Jan 28 Form and Meaning Topic: Shaping content and context
with visual forms.
Class Activity: Review of Design III topics and learnings
Week 2: Feb 4 Objective and Subjective representation Topics: visual
hierarchy, typographic grids, page layouts, type/image relationships
Week 3: Feb 11 Objective and Subjective representation, continued
Class Activity: work in progress
Feb 18 No Class on Monday, President's Day.
Instead we will have class on Tuesday Feb 19.
Week 4: Feb 19 Objective and Subjective representation, continued
Class Activity: work in progress, midpoint in-class review
Week 5: Feb 25 Objective and Subjective representation, continued
Class Activity: work in progress
Week 6: Mar 3 Visual explanations Topics: Maps, charts and diagrams
Class Activity: project critique * Midterm Review
Week 7: Mar 10 Visual explanations Class Activity: work in progress
Mar 17 No Class this week, Spring Break
Week 8: Mar 24 Visual explanations Class Activity: work in progress
Week 9: Mar 31 Visual explanations Class Activity: project critique
Week 10: Apr 7 Sequence, narrative and storytelling Topics: storyboards,
ternary form, visual learning through sequence and pictorial instructions
Class Activity: Begin narrative project
Week 11: Apr 14 Sequence, narrative and storytelling Class Activity:
work in progress
Week 12: Apr 21 Sequence, narrative and storytelling Class Activity:
work in progress
Week 13: Apr 28 Sequence, narrative and storytelling Class Activity:
work in progress
Week 14: May 5 Sequence, narrative and storytelling Class Activity:
Preliminary review and revisions on work in progress
Week 15: May 12 Final Presentations
In the rare instance that I am delayed arriving to class. If I have not
arrived by the time class is scheduled to start, please wait a minimum
of thirty minutes for my arrival. In the event that I will miss class
entirely, a sign will be posted at the classroom and an e-mail will be
sent to you indicating the next week's assignment.
Grading Standards
Your grade is determined by your performance in following areas:
25 % Participation (discussion at critiques),
attendance, and use of in-class work time. How much did you contribute
to class discussion, lectures, and critiques? Were you a valuable asset
to your fellow students?
25 % Homework (Average of individual grades)Did
you complete your assignments? How well did you complete the assignments?
Did you take care in the craft and presentation of your assignments? Did
you complete and comprehend the readings? Did you surpass the requirements
and push the boundaries of the assignment?
50% Final Project Presentation Did you make
a professional presentation? Was your design systematic in nature? How
dedicated were you to your project? Did you keep a consistent index of
your work? Can you track your process with your preliminary research and
documentation? Did you strive for excellence in design?
General Assignment Assessment System
A 4.0-3.9 Work of Exceptional Quality
A- 3.8-3.5 Work of Very High Quality
B+ 3.4-3.2 Work of High Quality, Higher than Average Abilities
B 3.1-2.9 Very Good Work; Satisfies the Goals of the Course
B- 2.8-2.5 Good Work
C+ 2.4-2.2 Above Average Work, Average Understanding of Course Material
C 2.1-1.9 Average Work; Passable
C- 1.8-1.5 Passable Work but Below Good Academic Standing
D+ 1.4-1.2 Passable Work but Significantly Below Good Academic Standing
D 1.1-0.9 Below Average Work
D- 0.8-0.7 Barely Passable Work
F 0.0-0.7 Failure; No Credit
WF 0.0 Unofficial withdrawal
I A grade of "Incomplete" is given only with the written
approval of the instructor and the Program Director or Department Chair.
The Request for an Incomplete Grade Form must be filled out by the student
and instructor prior to the end of the semester. If a grade of incomplete
is approved, outstanding work must be submitted within a period of four
weeks after the last day of class.
Student Responsibilities
Treat class time as an opportunity
Arrive to class on time, with all materials, ready to work steadily
Be prepared with all your required materials for every class
Complete assignments and readings on time
Back up all your electronic files each week.
Always strive for excellence in design. Clear visual presentation
of all stages of work will be essential.
Any papers should be neatly typed. No handwritten papers will be
accepted.
Participate in class discussions and critiques
Ask for help when needed
Respect your fellow students at all times
You are responsible for cleaning up after yourself at the end of
each class
No iPods or cellular phones are allowed in class (you will be asked
to leave class if your phone rings and will be marked absent)
MAKE SURE YOUR PHONE IS OFF BEFORE EVERY CLASS
Academic Integrity and Honesty
Academic honesty is the duty of every member of an academic community
to claim authorship of his or her own work, and only for that work, and
to recognize the contributions of others accurately and completely. Academic
honesty is fundamental to the integrity of intellectual debate and creative
and academic pursuits. All members of the University community are expected
to conduct themselves in accord with the standards of academic honesty.
Students are responsible for knowing and making use of proper procedures
for writing papers, presenting and performing their work, taking examinations,
and doing research.
Plagiarism and cheating of any kind in the course of academic work will
not be tolerated. Academic honesty includes accurate use of quotations,
as well as appropriate and explicit citation of sources in instances of
paraphrasing and describing ideas, or reporting on research findings or
any aspect of the work of others (including that of instructors and other
students). These standards of academic honesty and citation of sources
apply to all forms of academic work (examinations, essays, theses, computer
work, art and design work, oral presentations, and other projects).
It is the responsibility of students to learn the procedures specific
to their discipline for correctly and appropriately differentiating their
own work from that of others. Compromising your academic integrity
may lead to serious consequences, including (but not limited to) one or
more of the following: failure of the assignment, failure of the course,
academic warning, disciplinary probation, suspension from the university,
or dismissal from the university.
Every student at Parsons signs an Academic Integrity Statement as a part
of the registration process. Thus, you are held responsible for being
familiar with, understanding, adhering to and upholding the spirit and
standards of academic integrity as set forth by the Parsons School of
Design Student Handbook .
Course Syllabus Policies
Attendance Policy
Full participation in the studio and classroom experience is essential
to the educational process. Students are expected to attend classes regularly
and promptly.
Perfect attendance will be considered as a positive impact in the
evaluation of your final grade.
3 absences leads to a one full grade deduction off the final grade
(e.g. from a B to a C);
4 absences leads to failure.
The following may be counted as an absence:
Coming to class without the required materials
Sleeping in class
Being asked to leave class because of disruptive behavior.
Doing other course work in class.
Tardiness
Two tardies will be counted as one absence.
Class begins on the hour sharp. The door to the classroom will be closed
at that time. Anyone walking in after the door has closed (when class
has started) will be marked late. Even 5 minutes is considered tardy.
NOTE: When a student is absent, it is a student’s responsibility
to obtain missed assignments from other classmates, the professor (via
e-mail) and/or the class web site and make-up the work in time for the
next class.
Materials List
journal / sketch book
18 or 24 inch metal straight edge
ruler (with both picas and inches)
x-acto knife with package of #11 blades
technical pen(s) (00 and /or 1)
12 x 17 inch pad of sketch paper
12 x 17 inch pad of 4-ply white bristol paper, smooth finish
tracing paper, pad or roll
white art tape
hot press illustration board
black and white gouache paint. medium or large tubes. (suggested
brand: Winsor & Newton Designer)
black India Ink
quill Ink pen holder and at least 3 ink nibs to go with your pen
(fine, super fine and medium nib points)
water color brushes (type Round, size #1, #3, and one 1" wash
brush)
Note there may be additional materials as required for specific projects.
How to prepare a project for submission
Execute all assignments in a professional manner: clean, neat, well
presented. This is taken into consideration when evaluating your work
it will impact your grade.
All final printed projects unless otherwise instructed should be mounted
on 2 or 3 ply white hot press illustration board. The art work should
be mounted using rubber cement (no spray mount inside the class room please).
Neatly trim the art work and mount the work centered on the face of the
illustration board. The illustration board should have a neatly cut mat
and even boarder around the face of the work. Provide for a 2" margin
on the top, left and right and a 4" margin on the bottom. For example
if your project art work is 8.5x11" portrait format. Mount art work
vertically on a 10.5x15" piece of illustration board. Cover the face
of the work with a protective flap of Tissue (glassine, or tracing paper).
Create a label with your name, date, instructor and project name and attach
it to the back securely.
Example below shows the BACK view of the board which includes the label.
Tissue paper flap:
The flap covers the face of the art work. The tissue is taped on the back
side of the illustration board using white artists tape. Typed name tag:
your full name
date
instructor
project name
All electronic source files are to be submitted along with each assignment.
Naming your file
You should bring your electronic source files to each class on a
thumb drive. All electronic source files are to be submitted at the
end of the semester on a CD or Thumbdrive.
When naming your files use the following convention when you submit
your work each week. last name, first initial, week number, and a
short descriptive project name followed by the file suffix eg. jpg,
.jpeg, .indd, tiff, eps, pdf, .doc, .ppt, etc. Web servers do not
like spaces or most punctuation in a file name, so run everything
together and use characters (aBc), numbers (123) and the underscore
(_).
Examples: Wrong andrew robinson week1/projectname, ar#1 project:na.me.doc Right robinsona01projectname.indd, robinsona01projectnameimage1.jpg
Download a pdf copy of this syllabus