ASSIGNMENT ONE: NUMBERS

Problem
By this time each of you have been given a number. The project is to find, create, and/or research five photographs that represent your number, for the final. The idea is not to bring in photographs that literally show the number. For example, if your number is three do not show me a picture containing three objects. The purpose is for you to find related or tangential concepts related to the number. Some questions to keep in mind:
What obvious things are related to my number?
Are there physical things and objects that look like my number?
Are there any common themes that people associate with this number?
Are there literary references?
If there are personal references, will people get the “idea” through the photo
I choose to show?
Are there societal and social references?
Are there references to media: TV/film/music?
What photographs would communicate this ideas so people (other than me) would get it?
How should I present this photograph?
Should I crop the photo in a specific way so my audience will get it?
Or so they focus on the idea correctly?
Is the photo interesting visually? (No Photoshop manipulation!)
The next phase is to write a description of the idea(s)/concepts you will try to express through your photographs. If you have more than one idea, be clear about that in
your writing, and represent each idea with at least three photos for next class.
Please e-mail me the text by Wednesday, January 29 by 5PM.
Next class, Friday, January 31, will be a pin up session; bring a copy of the text
(typed, with your name on it) and your photos. There will be subsequent parts to this exercise in the following classes.

Process
The sketch book will be an important part of the class this semester. Everyone should
start to jot down words/ideas/sketches in your sketch books before doing research.
Just take a half hour or so just doing a brain “dump”.
We’ll look at this list/sketches next class.

The purpose of this project
To start to develop your interpretive and analytical ability.
To start to develop your visual communication skills.
To begin/continue the development of your understanding how to develop
meaning and message.
To begin development of verbal critique; develop your written/verbal articulation skills.
To start to be aware of how you approach/think about things (your process).

Due For Final
Present 5 photographs expressing one concept you have found behind your number. Photos should be 6 x 6 inches and mounted on foam core/sturdy bristol board. There should be no frames around the image, meaning the images should bleed off the edges. Remember to pay attention to image cropping and craft. We will have a final crit on this project next class where we will do a group pin up.

ASSIGNMENT TWO: RESUME

Problem
This assignment challenges you to use your typographic and design skills to announce
yourself. Your resume will provide prospective employers with a snapshot of you, your talents, and experiences, and its physical form will reveal to them the depth of your knowledge of typography and the informed use of space. It will be clear to all who receive it that you are a professional, educated designer.
Design your resume. Your major graphic challenge are to select appropriate typography, to apply an appropriate typographic hierarchy, and to use white space appropriately. Again, pay attention to type selection, as they can say a good deal about you. Content is up to you.

The following are topics to think about:

Content
Are your career objectives, work and education experience,
and honors/achievements clearly stated?
General appearance of page:
Is the page comfortably full, but not cramped?
Is the visual balance of copy block and white space comfortable?
General approach to resume layout
Is it a single column or have you decided to use two columns?
Have you tried various compositions to see what looks best?
Consistent and appropriate grouping
Have you collected similar experiences under the same heading?
Do your categories of experience follow one another logically?
Consistency of spacing on the page
Are similar experiences grouped, are categories separated from one another by appropriate amounts of space and is the spacing scheme applied consistently?
Consistency of typography
Is your typography appropriate for a resume? Appropriateness might be judged
by your selection of type family, size, leading and emphasizing schemes.
spelling and precision
Have you checked and double checked job titles, programs of study
and academic course titles, computer programs names, punctuation, etc.

Style
Is there consistent style for content? Pay special attention to abbreviations
and to the use of months and years to illustrate the lengths of tenure in all
of your experiences.

Due Next class
Have a preliminary design containing all the information you ant to include. This should be an electronic file, done in Quark Xpress. In your sketchbooks you should do a series of thumbnails, trying visualize different layout possibilities. You should pick or be testing typeface(s), and apply them to layout(s). Show examples of all these phases next class.

Purpose
To show an understanding of typographic and infromation hierarchy.
To develop compositional skill and understanding of type.

ASSIGNMENT THREE: ANNUAL REPORT
Assigned Feb. 7

Problem
This problem focus on the design of an annual report, a publication that is produced by many large companies. There are two reasons for the production of this document. First, legally a company must report its financial information to the United States government, and second, it is a way to communicate a company’s corporate health to both existing and prospective employees and investors. The publication is often divided in two sections, narrative and the financial. The narrative section carries the conceptual ideas of the company through written text and imagery. The financial section shows specific economic information through graphs and financial tables.

We will design six spreads:
Within the narrative we will design the
1. Front and back cover
2. Corporate mission statement
3. The letter to the shareholders
4. Two operational/body spreads
Within the financial we will design
1. One/two financial spreads

Phase I: Research
Do conceptual and written research.
By next Monday, pick a company you’d like to investigate. Email me the company of your choice. Pick one you have a personal interest in.
Find out everything you can about that company through the web, newspaper, etc.
Come up with a conceptual matrix of concepts and ideas. Write a 300-600 essay about your company. You will read this out in class.
Do visual research.
Look through design publications, books, etc. to find designs you like.
Be prepared to talk about why you like them.
Questions to think about:
1. Who is the audience of your company?
2. How are they perceived in the present market?
3. Do you think there can be improvements to the company/service?
4. What do you like about them? What do you dislike?
5. Are there important financial facts about the company?
6. How does the company visually portray themselves presently?

Due Next class
1. Have your company picked (via email to me by MONDAY)
2. Research on your company: 300-600 word essay
3. A conceptual matrix scanned and put on computer PC22.
4. Visual research scanned. Familiarize yourself with annual reports. Find at least five
different annual report you like visually. (Maybe start to looking and creating images
you would like to use.)
Scan your matrix and all visual research you do. Put these scans the in the folder entitled
COMMUNICATION DESIGN II in the scratch drive of computer PC22 in the lab.
You’ll read your text and project the images in the next class. Be prepared to talk about your company and why you like your selected examples of design.

Purpose of this project
To develop advanced skills in visual and written research
To start to develop process when designing
To be able to articulate and critique visual ideas
To start to develop material for your project
Class assignments will be posted on
http://crab.rutgers.edu/~allanesp/_notes/