Class 1 | The Beginning

Introductions (1 hour)

Verbal presentations are an integral part of this course.  To get started, we will go around the room and introduce ourselves (2 min. each). Please follow the guidelines below:

  1. Clearly state your full name and your career or academic goal.
  2. Choose 3 words to describe your personality.

Learning Community and Course Overviews (1 hour)

Welcome to Ways of Seeing. This First Year Learning Community for COMD students taking COMD 1100 & ENG 1101 will include field trips, hands-on projects, and cross-sensory experiences to help you discover and express your creative vision. One of the goals of the course is to integrate the concepts covered in both courses, find connections, and explore the variety of ways we see, hear, speak, touch, and understand the world.

  • What is a Learning Community?
  • What is a Peer Mentor?

Introduction to ENG1101: English Composition 1

  • Professor Rosen will introduce the ENG1101 syllabus and give an overview of the course.

Introduction to COMD1100: Graphic Design Principles 1

This design and color theory course explores graphic communication through the understanding of the elements and principles of design, as well as the design process, from idea development through final execution.

What is Design?
To design is to plan or arrange elements in order to communicate a thought, feeling, or concept. Design can also be described as the organization of information.  This information can be visual, aural, informational, or tactile.

The products of design are compositions — arrangements of elements. We will focus primarily on the arrangement of visual elements in this course, but we will also consider how all our senses affect how we interact with and understand the world.

Why Learn Design?
A good designer, independent of the medium (data, sound, pixels, paint, wood) has a significant advantage in the world, because s/he can influence what people see/feel/do.

How do you become a good designer?
First you must learn the fundamental tenets or guidelines. When building a sturdy house you need a strong foundation. When learning a new language you need to master grammar. It takes patience, attention to detail, and dedication to the craft.

Good designers love problem-solving. They love a challenge. They are inquisitive investigators with a strong internal motivation. They use all of their senses to find inspiration and solutions to design problems. Like a scientist they research, experiment, and repeat– until they arrive at the best solution to the problem they face. Their first idea is rarely the best.

A good designer follows a design process.

What is a Design Process?
A Design Process is the workflow a designer uses to produce the best work s/he can. Following a clear design process gives structure to design problem and helps to bring an idea from conception to final delivery. It is especially helpful when collaborating with others.

The primary design process we will follow in this class is:

Phase 1: Discover: Inspiration and Exploration
Phase 2: Define: Experimentation, Iteration and Feedback
Phase 3: Develop: Refined expression of Form, Skill, Craft and Voice
Phase 4: Deliver: Professional verbal, written, and visual presentation; critical reflection

Review of Course Documents

Writing Exercise

  • Professor Rosen will introduce a writing exercise.

Lunch Break & Group Work (30 min)

  • Grab some lunch and bring it up to N1122
  • Eat and meet with your group.

Design Experiment | Urban Archeology Walk (2 hours)

The WALK:

  1. Together we will walk from the classroom to the art supply store, taking a circuitous route and arriving at our destination in about 20 minutes.
    W.C. Art & Drafting Supply Co. 351 Jay Street

  2. Each group will help decide which direction we will travel together.
  3. Along the way each member of your group will be looking for three small “urban artifacts” — detritus, objects or fragments of objects that have been discarded, lost, or destroyed. (3 objects per person.)
  4. Think about the history of each object, the color, the shape,  the texture, how it ended up where it did.
  5. Document the location of the object exactly where you found it. Take a photo and record the location or street intersection. We will add these photos to a shared Google Map next class.

References:

The COMPOSITION:

  1. Once we return from the walk, reassemble into your group.
  2. Take 5 minutes to choose one word to describe your group based on the personalities of the members in your group. Start by making a list of words that describe each member and find words that overlap.
  3. Using the paper provided, place all your artifacts on the table and experiment by arranging the objects within the boundary of the paper.
  4. Considering both the objects (positive space) and the paper (negative space); arrange the objects in a way that expresses the word you have chosen.

    Example: Say your group’s word is Energetic. And say you have 2 coins, a piece of string, a plastic straw, a fragment of a coffee cup, a bottle cap, a sugar packet, a stick, and a candy wrapper. Think about the shape, color, texture, and size. Then position these objects in a way that visually describes the word energetic.

  5. NOTE: Do not use text or attempt to spell out your group’s word. Avoid using logos or an object’s existing imagery to communicate.
  6. Take photographs of each version of your compositions along the way.
  7. Present your composition to the class. We will try to guess the word.

The RECORD:

Our shared Google Map will be listed here tomorrow. We will add our object locations and photos next class.

Homework

  1. Become a member of our OpenLab course:
  2. Explore the class website: profspevack.com/designcolor

Materials needed for NEXT CLASS (see Supply List for details):

** Note: if you are unable to afford these items due to financial aid delays, please make arrangements with a classmate to borrow or share supplies next class.

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