Carol Siri Johnson Homepage

Course Goals

This course is a visual design primer. By studying art, color, and information design, students will gain competency in the visual presentation of information. Modules include both design principles and hands-on practice in visual literacy, layout and design, and graphic tools. Students will build their online portfolios and create a Visual Project on the topic of their choice.

Textbooks:

These textbooks can be ordered inexpensively from Amazon (and you should do so ASAP):

Wassily Kandinsky, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, Echo Library, 2008, ISBN-13: 978-1406875768 ($10).

Hajo Düchting, Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944: A Revolution in Painting, Taschen, Köln, 2007, ISBN-13: 978-3-8228-5982-7 ($10).

Edward R. Tufte, Envisioning Information, Graphics Press, 1990, ISBN-13: 978-0961392116 ($35).

Linda Weinman, designing web graphics.4, New Riders Press, 2003, ISBN-13: 978-0735710795 ($4, used, optional).

Assignments for Fall 2010

Sunday 11:55

Assignment Due (Percentage of Grade)

Readings

9/5

Personal Introduction (10%) – There are two parts to this assignment: a written introduction describing who you are (i.e. where you have lived, what jobs you have done, why you are studying, etc.) and a graphic self-portrait (in any media). Upload your written introduction and graphic to Assignments and post the written portion in the Introduction Forum.

9/12

Reconfiguring your Online Portfolio (5%) – Using Dreamweaver, MS Front Page or a different HTML editor, modify your online portfolio to showcase your work for this class. Instructions will be provided for hosting on the NJIT web servers. If you have technical difficulties, you should ask questions via the Technical Difficulties Forum to get help from myself and each other. You should include at least one graphic, such as your self-portrait from Assignment #1. Submit your URL to Assignments.

Kandinsky, 6-35

9/19

Artwork #1 (5%) – Create a graphic, or artwork, on any topic using only two colors. The colors must be "flat" - no shading or tones. Create a link to the assignment on your portfolio website and submit a brief written description of your artwork to Assignments.

Kandinsky, 36-55

9/26

Artwork #2 (5%) – Create a graphic, or artwork, on any topic using two colors and multiple shades (adding black or white to the color to create tones). Create a link to the assignment on your portfolio website and submit a brief description to Assignments. Look at Artwork #1 from the other class portfolios and make comments in the Critique Forum (a link page will be available in Moodle to access each student portfolio).

Kandinsky, 56-77

10/3

Artwork #3 (5%) – Create a graphic, or artwork, on any topic using multiple colors and tones. Look at Artwork #2 from the other class portfolios and make comments in the Critique Forum. Submit a brief description of your work to assignments.

Kandinsky, 78-end

10/10

Artwork #4 (5%) – Create a digital photograph of some emotional significance. Create a link to the assignment on your website. Look at Artwork #3 from the other class portfolios and make comments in the Critique Forum. Submit a brief description of your work to assignments.

Concerning the Spiritual in Art, Part II (About Painting)

10/17

Artwork #5 (5%) – Modify your digital photograph using a photo editing program such as MS Paint, Picasa or Photoshop. Create a link to the assignment on your website. Look at Artwork #4 from the other class portfolios and make comments in the Critique Forum. Submit a brief description of your work to assignments.

Watch the Rise of Visual Communication podcasts from iTunes U / Universities & Colleges / NJIT / Research / The Rise of Visual Communication or http://web.njit.edu/~cjohnson/visual.htm

10/24

Kandinsky Exam (10%) – Take one painting by Kandinsky and describe it in detail, drawing connections between your visual response (emotions) and the formal elements (color, shape, movement, and line). Upload your exam to Assignments (six to twelve paragraphs).

Tufte, Escaping Flatland

10/31

Visual Project Proposal (5%) – Write a brief (four to six paragraph) proposal for the visual project you want to create. The purpose of the project is to display information on a topic of your choice. The final product should be several web pages, each with easily understandable graphics, layout and design. Upload the proposal to Assignments and post it in the Visual Project Forum.

Tufte, Micro/Macro Readings

11/7

Visual Project Phase I (5%) – Create the web skeleton for your project - decide on the number of pages and the linking system between them. Build it in HTML with the necessary navigational tools and verbal cues for the contents of each page. Summarize your activities and upload to Assignments.

Tufte, Layering and Separation

11/14

Visual Project Phase II (5%)– Add constructed graphics to your web pages to make the information about your topic clear. If you have difficulties creating graphics or displaying them on the web pages, post questions on the Forum. Summarize your activities and upload to Assignments.

Tufte, Small Multiples

11/21

Visual Project Phase III - Peer Review (5%)– Look at other students' web pages to provide helpful critiques. Start with a Word document with every class member's name listed (I will provide a template) and write a paragraph about each. Include both positive comments and gentle statements about which parts don't work well. Upload the Word document to Assignments and post in the Visual Project Critique Forum.

Tufte, Color and Information

11/28

Visual Project Phase IV (5%)– Using the feedback from other students, polish your visual project. Summarize your activities and upload to Assignments.

Tufte, Narratives of Space and Time

12/5

Written Summary (5%) – Write a summary of what you have learned during the semester and upload to assignments (four to six paragraphs). You can also post a summary on your website.

Reading/Posting on Forums (20%) – Reading and class participation as judged from number and quality of forum postings.

PTC 605– Elements of Visual Design – Fall 2010

Course Goals

Textbooks:

Optional Software:

Required Hardware

Assignments for Fall 2010