Publication Design

delivery and timing

We will meet once a week in person for two hours and forty minutes in the Art and Design Building. The classes are required and during our sessions we will discuss work, complete demos, and further our design knowledge. The class is scheduled to run for 16 weeks and you can expect to work for 6 hours outside of class each week.

prerequisites

AVT 311: Graphic Design Principles and Methods

course description

This course explores long-form print graphic design. While our focus will be on books and publications, the skills developed—creating engaging design within a branded, organized and inviting structure, presenting information in various content-appropriate formats, developing a visual identity and finding and creating effective imagery is also applicable to other common design tasks—annual reports, ad campaigns, business collateral, newspapers, websites, books, exhibition design, branding systems, and other commonly produced documents. Design is a tool for persuading, informing, and entertaining. In this class you will be required to do all three.

The primary intent of this course is the development of conceptual, typographical, and print design skills. It is a fundamental expectation that students will rise to the challenge of mastering the technical skills they need to achieve an effective and visually and typographically literate outcome. While learning software is not the goal of this class, increased software (or digital craft) skills are the byproduct of (and evidence for) a successful outcome.

objectives

content

This course consists of three projects, weekly exercises, and in class discussions and demos. The demos and discussions are to begin to familiarize students with specific concepts and ideas and the projects are a synthesis of the concepts and ideas we will cover.

projects

Project 1: Book Design

In collaboration with Stillhouse Press, students will create a design for a to be published book. Students will design the interior and exterior of the book using a provided manuscript.

Project 2: Editorial Feature

Students will create curate a selection of articles and make a mini magazine that includes the cover, table of contents, and articles.

Project 3: Event Calendar

Students will create a doubled sided mailer that showcase upcoming events for an arts based organization. The project will be a culmination of the skills and concepts you have learned throughout this course.

discussion of work

You will need to take an active role in both the presentation and discussion of your work. We will review projects in a variety of ways and you are expected to be able to talk and write about your own work and give feedback to your peers about their work. The ability to discuss your work and other student’s work is a very important part of your education at Mason. Use this class to improve on those skills.

communication

Your ability to communicate with me is of prime importance in this course. If you are going to be absent, late, or not have your work, it will be your best interest in communicating those things to me in advance. I do not need to know your reasons for being absent, late, or not having your work but I do need to know. A simple, short email will be fine.

The same goes for if you are struggling in this class or having other issues that are hindering your ability to complete work in this class. The more you keep me in the loop the more I can help you and adjust as needed.

attendance policy

Four absenses, regardless of excuse, will be an automatic failure of the class. After the first absence, each class you miss will lower your engagement grade by 25 points unless you let me know you won't be in class before class and make an effort to cover what you missed in class. After the first late arrival, each class you are late to will lower your engagement grade by 10 points unless you let me know you are going to be late before class. Exceptions to this policy are for people actively communicating with me prior to the fourth absence.

engagement

Your engagement in this class will affect your final grade (and, by extension, the quality of your work) for this course. Your attendance is tied to this grade along with your ability to actively take part in this course in the following ways.

grading

Grades will be based on engagement (25%), exercises (25%) and projects (50%).

engagement (25%)

This percentage will be based on your engagement in the class which is explained on above. Attend class and be engaged in this course and its content throughout the semester and this should be an easy 25%.

exercises (25%)

The exercises are meant to be quicker, skill building tasks that improve your projects and design knowledge.

projects (50%)

Each project will generate two different grades. One grade will be based on your week to week process and the second grade will be based on the final submission. At the end of the semester you will have 6 total project grades that are all weighted equally for this 50%.

late work

Late work will be accepted for three weeks after a deadline with the exception of the final project which will be due at the end of the semester. There is a section on the rubrics showing how late work is factored into the assignment grade.

rubrics

Rubrics are used to grade exercises, projects, and checkpoints. The rubrics are in the PDF syllabus and tied to each submission on Canvas. The rubrics are here to allow you to understand how work is graded and to reference while working to self-evaluate.

campus closure policy

In the event that campus is closed due to weather or other emergency, this class will meet on Zoom to cover the material able to be covered virtually unless otherwise notified. If class moves to a virtual session, normal attendance and late arrival policies apply.

schedule

Most days we will meet for the entire time but some weeks we will have individual meetings or end early. Some classes will be work days so make sure to bring things to work on each class. Unless otherwise specified, all work is due at the beginning of class.

A note—Time management is an important skill to master and should be worked on all your classes. Staying up all night working is not a badge of honor, it typically means you didn’t budget your time correctly. Staying up all night isn’t healthy and making sure you are keeping yourself healthy is your first priority.

The schedule below is outline of what we will be covering this semester. It is subject to additions, subtractions, and shifts.

week 1

week 2

week 3

week 4

week 5

week 6

week 7

week 8

week 9

week 10

week 11

week 12

week 13

week 14

week 15

week 16