Thursday, January 8, 2015

Official Portfolio Syllabus for Spring Semester 2015










GrD4950– Graphic Design Portfolio-CTW                            
Stan Anderson, Coordinator + Associate Professor
CRN #11701                                                        
Monday/Wednesday 2:30-5:20p                                            
Office: 362  
468 Studio                                                                           
Office Hours: Tuesday 11-4p (or appts.)
3 Credit Hours                                                                   
Office Phone: 404-543-4086 cell
stananderson@gsu.edu
                                                                                                                                          
www.seniorportfolio2015.blogspot.com                                  
______________________________________________________________________________________    
Stan Anderson schedule for Spring 2015:
Monday & Wednesday
11-1:50p  - GrD    Pop Culture  (Juniors) – 460 Studio
2:30-5:20p - GrD4950  - Portfolio  (Seniors) – 468 Studio
5:30-8:20p – GrD3200 – Intermediate Design (Sophomores) – 468 Studio                                    
________________________________________________________________________

2015 Course Description from GSU Catalogue:
Graphic Design Portfolio. Prerequisites: GrD 3200 with grade of C or higher, and consent of graphic design coordinator or instructor. Preparation of final professional portfolio; consolidation and revision of previous projects; addition of projects reflecting student's specialized interests; self-promotion; presentation; interviewing; the language of graphic design in the context of the fine arts. Lab Fee: $20.00.

2015 University Requirements:
Seniors must satisfy all the College of Arts & Sciences, School of Art and Design and University requirements prior to
their expected graduation date. Seniors must have already applied for Graduation and also have delegated an official audit transcript from the Registrars office prior to the end of this semester. Seniors must insure that they have the minimum amount of credit hours to graduate from the University and have fulfilled the required number of credit hours within their discipline (60hours + in area G.)

2015 Student-Directed Links:
All students in this class are responsible for creating and maintaining a daily/weekly/monthly blogger/tumblr/website site that relates directly to your interaction with graphic design, illustration, animation and fine art. (This may also be in the form of a website should the student wish.) This type of “online sketchbook/design book” is in lieu of the more traditional paper versions associated with fine art (drawing sketchbooks.) Everyone must participate and all blogs should be available to others.

This design blog is crucial to the fundamental development of each student and how they think, process and experiment with outside influences as a designer. The blogs are also an important design tool with regards to how students share creativity with others inside & outside the graphic design program. It also serves as a place to archive work for posterity. Others in will view these design links and possibly others, including Instructors, outside of the classroom so be professional with the work you put into these online sites. Nothing controversial or adult oriented should be on your blogs. If you have questions about this just ask the Instructor.

The Instructor will be giving blog assignments you need to complete as well as your own blog entries showing your work in progress and the work that you will finish so others can see. It is also a “design vault” of your work for future references.

The student blogs will count for 10% of the final grade so it should be taken seriously.
Blogger, Typepad, Tumblr are three examples of reputable sites where students can sign up for their free services.
*No profanity and no adult content are allowed on any of the student blogs. You may also wish to include work from other classes but it should focus primarily on the GrD3200 experience. If any student publishes any materials that are deemed by the professor as inappropriate (this includes any images that are found online or personally created) the student can be dropped from the class. No exceptions. This includes comments made on other students blogs.
I take this very seriously and inappropriate content will not be tolerated.

2015 Software Programs:
Students will be using Adobe Creative Suite programs during the interim of this course.
Although the Graphic Design program does not endorse Mac computers, most art students seem to work more proficiently and easily on this computer platform. Every student is expected and encouraged to learn all the software programs outside the classroom experience. Most of the classroom lab time will focus on the conceptual part of graphic design process, although demonstrations will be provided from time to time for specific projects. You must continue to learn the programs on your own outside the classroom experience. If you need additional assistance with learning software programs there are several places students can visit which will prove to be very beneficial. (See Digital Aquarium at GSU for classes (all classes and printouts are free) or you can use Lynda.com that the University provides for free. Sign up now!

Tentative Grading Criteria:
Students are required to complete all the coursework as prescribed by the Instructor’s deadlines. See Deadlines for additional grading procedures. It’s possible the percentages could change but students will be notified.

Forthcoming assignments:
1. PromaxBDA Student Challenge       20%
2. Individual Voice Project                    20%
3. Final Assignment: 7 Deadly Sins     20%
4. Branding:  Stationery, Envelopes, Business Cards and Specialty Leave Behind   
    Promotional Item                             20%
5. GSU 2015 Student Juried Exhibition and BFA Exhibition 5%
6. Absences/Tardy/Class Participation  5%
7. Artist Statement and Resumes    5%
8. Blog/Tumblr/Website with Assignments in progress and what you are looking at as designers 5%

100 points total  in this semester

2015 Assignments:
Students are subjected to many types of different Instructors and their various methods of teaching during their undergraduate years. Therefore it is necessary for students to remain open to the classroom experience as well as to the critiques from their peers. It is the intent and preparation by these Instructors that students gain the basic intermediate education during the semester in order to prepare themselves for future classes or for application to the BFA graphic design program and beyond. Your class will move at its own pace and assignments can and will vary from the other instructors/classes being taught. One Instructors opinion can (and probably will) vary from other Instructors. Be open for those opinions and then form your own conclusion. Every student will be treated equally regardless of whether or not the student is making application to major in Graphic Design at the end of the semester. 

2015 Critiques:
All students must learn to discuss their work during critiques, as they would have to do in a business/client working relationship. Students will also be required to submit a creative brief along with all the work due at class critiques. Students should learn the art of discussion about their creative work in a classroom environment.  Written creative briefs will accompany every project and should be turned in on time. These creative briefs should be kept short and precise.

All work at critiques must be printouts unless otherwise noted by the Instructor. No excuses.
There will be minimal amount of critiques. Most times the professor will critique one-on-one with the senior designer.
However, there will be announced deadlines and critiques that everyone must attend and participate in as part of the curriculum set forth by the Instructor. Do not miss or be late for critiques because it is as if you didn’t participate if you are either late or tardy. (Tardy means coming in after the critique has started.)

2015 Deadlines:
Each assignment will have sufficient time allotted in order to compete the necessary work prior to critiques. A completion date (deadline) will be announced at the beginning of each assignment and documented on the syllabus. Deadlines are usually accompanied by an in-class critique. All finished work is due at the announced deadline regardless of whether or not the student is present or not at the critique. Failure to complete projects by due date will result in an automatic “F” for the project regardless of how much time and effort might have been put into the project. One of the most important aspects of becoming a professional graphic designer is managing time in order to complete each assignment. Learn how to manage your time now and the future will be much less stressful and more creative.

“Late” means that once the critique has begun you will be considered to be “late.”
Everyone is given ample time to arrive to class on time.  A critique will begin once a majority of students have arrived.
Meeting a deadline is crucial to the understanding of personal time management and professional standards in the industry.

Time management works in tandem with creativity. True understanding of time management increases you productivity, thus eliminating stress at critiques. Build in prep time for printing and any possible snafus that may occur with each project. Think ahead and be prepared. This includes drive time to class, production problems, sickness, weather conditions, and other emergencies that may arise unexpectedly.

* If a student foresees a problem with a due date/deadline it is the student’s responsibility to contact the Instructor prior to the critique. Communication with the Instructor is important if any problem arises regarding any course situation.

2015Absences:
Every student is expected to arrive on time and leave at the end of each class period. This is also important on the days when critiques are scheduled.  Arriving late and leaving early may be considered absences. It depends on when the Instructor takes roll and if the student is late or leaves early when the roll is taken then the Instructor will consider the student “absent”.  Students are allowed 3 absences (this includes unexcused/excused) per Semester. The Instructor will issue a warning after the 3rd absence (email and verbal) to the student. For every absence after the 3rd absence the student’s final grade for the semester will be lowered by 1 letter grade. Please understand this important part of the grading process. There is no negotiation in this area. Habits student’s form early on inside a classroom usually follow them into the professional world.
Learn to make good choices and habits now.

2015 Tardiness:
Students who arrive after the critique has begun will receive an “F” unless the student has discussed it with the professor prior to the beginning of the class. Unexcused absences and habitual tardiness (arriving late and leaving early) is usually evidence that the student is not taking the course seriously or not focused on completing the projects set forth in this course syllabi.
Each student is allowed 3 absences before the final grade is lowered one letter grade for each additional absence.
Tardy means coming to class after it has started.

2015 Academic Dishonesty Policy/Plagiarism:
Read this policy on the University website. Understand this policy.

Anyone in my class who is determined to be plagiarizing other work will be dropped from the class and will be investigated by the Dean of Students for further disciplinary actions. Don’t do it!

Being inspired is NOT the same as copying someone’s work. Inspiration is about using that work by someone else as a source of enlightenment and suggests only that you would like to create something similar in aesthetics.  Copying work/plagiarism can be deemed as using templates found on the web; taking images/photographs/original type from other resources that don’t belong to you. You cannot buy or sample or appropriate any work that doesn’t belong to you or that you didn’t create unless you have direct approval from the professor/instructor. If and when the Professor/Instructor grants permission for use of other materials to you then you must also credit the source on your own final work.
Inspire: to make (someone) want to do something: to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create: to cause (something) to happen or be created: to cause someone to have (a feeling or emotion)
Plagiarize:  to use the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own words or ideas.
(Definitions of courtesy: Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Plagiarism continues to be a huge problem in most areas of graphic design. Since the invention of the Internet people have been downloading, swiping, and sampling other people’s artwork and words and claiming them for their own. This is type of behavior is not permitted in the classroom as well in the professional world. There are exceptions that might allow others to use someone else’s work but usually that is when the work becomes footnoted or given proper credit in the format that it is being used in the work created by the designer.

GSU has a very tough policy on plagiarism that every student should be aware of in the University catalog. This includes expulsion from not only the particular class but possibly from the University as well. (http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwdos/codeofconduct_conpol.html)

The easiest route around plagiarism is to always create your own work. It is ultimately your own artistic voice that wants to succeed. Take your own photos, write your own words/copy, and illustrate your own imagery. Everyone can certainly be inspired by others work but let that translate only into inspiration to motivation of your own work.

Every student in my class is expected to create their own imagery for all their projects. All work that has not been created, conceived or produced by the student and used in this course will be considered plagiarism. The only exception to this rule is if the chosen client gives you written or verbal permission for you to use some of their existing work and to incorporate that into your own work for the semester.

No one can ever accuse another student of plagiarism if they work off their own creativity.
Please do not purchase stock photography or illustrations from other reputable companies.
Create your own library of images.  Pinterest is a great bank to archive work that inspires you.


2015 Calendar: Important Dates

First Day of Class: Monday January 12th   

MLK Holiday: Monday January 19th

Midterm: March 02nd

Spring Break: March 16th – 20th

Classes End: Monday April 2tth

Senior Exit Reviews:  May TBA


2015 Important CTW notes:
Portfolio class falls under the University CTW (Critical Thinking through Writing) class which means each of you will be required to write more during the duration of this class. This writing is evaluated and processed by the Art Department and University to meet standards and practices for the University and their NASAD accreditation.

This course is designated as the first of two Critical Thinking Through Writing (CTW) courses required of BFA Graphic Design Majors. This component of the course required engaging students through writing, in critical thinking relation to the course material. The University defines critical thinking as:
“…A wide range of cognitive skills and intellectual dispositions needed to effectively identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments and truth claims; to discover and overcome personal prejudices; to formulate and present convincing reasons in support of conclusions; and to make reasonable, intelligent decisions about what to believe and what to do.”
(Bassham, Irwin, Nardone & Wallace, Critical Thinking: A Student’s Introduction, (McGraw-Hill, 2005, p. 1.)

Seniors must complete this class with a passing grade of C or Higher before they can graduate.
Seniors will be asked to complete a certain number of new design projects during the spring semester as well as work on finishing up other portfolio requirements. Seniors will be asked to sign an official course contract which will exists between the student and the Professor. Seniors should honor this contract as a formal declaration of completing work described on the contract. At the end of the semester the Professor will sign off on the contract thereby allowing the student to graduate.

2015 Specifics about Portfolio:
Seniors must show up to class on time and have coursework to show during those class meetings. There will be formal critiques and discussion and presentations which all seniors must be present.  No senior will be permitted to miss more than 3 class periods unless authorized by the Professor. If the student misses more than 3 class periods, the student will be notified via email confirmation as well as a verbal notification of this final absence. After official notification by professor as previously mentioned, the Professor has the right to drop student from enrollment. Students missing more than 3 absences will also have their final grade lowered one letter grade for each additional absence.

2015 Senior Exit Reviews:
Seniors who are graduating from the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design at the end of this semester must go through a formal 45-minute individual Senior Exit Review with the entire faculty from the graphic design department.  Each student will be allowed 45 minutes each to present their portfolio of work (minimum of 20 boards) as well as exhibit their working website and any videos/films/packaging projects. Students can use this time to show print, animations and various other work of their choice.

At some point during the semester you will be directed to sign up for your Senior Exit Review at the end of the spring semester. It will be first come, first serve according to the times and dates allotted. You will be expected to
show up at this Review on time and prepared otherwise you will not graduate on time. No exceptions.

Students will also leave individual sets/copies of their stationery and resumes and leave behinds for each of their faculty reviewers: (Liz Throop, Paige Taylor, Jeff Boortz, Jason Snape and Stan Anderson)

All faculty must sign-off on each senior in order to for them to graduate on time.

-Stationery sets must include printed business cards, letterhead, and envelopes.
-Hi-Res PDFs of all their work, including all animations and video work (several CDs)
-Specialty Leave Behind or Self -promotional piece
-Current Resumes with correct information on the entire stationery set (letterhead/envelope/business card)
-Working Website(s) created in Senior Workshop with Assistant Professor Paige Taylor
-Portfolio case for interviewing/discussion of work to be shown at interviews

2015 Possible Design Projects for Spring Semester:

1. The Individual Voice Project:  To be decided by Professor and individual designers. (Mandatory) Every designer has a project, a concept, and an idea that has yet to be realized.  It might be an assignment that you started but never got to finish or a project that you’ve put on the back burner for a long time, or even a project that you feel is necessary to your portfolio to “round you out” in terms of demonstrating a more broad appeal to future clients and job possibilities.

2. Promax BDA Student Story Challenge
n television marketing, the job is to promote a network brand, a television show or a special television event like the Emmys, the Oscars or the MLB All-Star Game to an audience with an objective to get them to watch. If you were to produce a :30, :60 or :90 spot promoting your own personal brand, what would your story be? What images would you use? What would be your soundtrack? And what words would best promote you? Take a minute. Think about who you are. What do you love?
How are you unique? What makes you the talent you are?  Storytelling is at the heart of all marketing and promotion, so now, give us your story. www.promaxbda.org/awards/current-awards/2015-student-story-challenge

3.Personal Branding: Stationery/Letterhead/Business Card Project. All Seniors should have business cards printed professionally. (Mandatory)

4.Senior Resumes Updated & Introduction letters &  Follow-up Letters.  (Mandatory)

5. Self Promotion “Leave Behind” creating a promotional one-of-a-kind design piece to market yourself. (Mandatory)

2015 Speakers, Presentations and Interstitial Information:

1. Entry of work into the 2015 Welch Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition.  (Mandatory)

2. Entry of work into 2015 Senior Portfolio Exhibition. (Mandatory)

3. Photographing your work professionally project. (Mandatory)

4. Interviewing with your Portfolio: Video presentations and rehearsals in-class. (Mandatory)

5. Graphic Designers and Your Taxes discussion. Guest Speaker

6. What every Graphic Designer should know about Copyrighting and the Law:  Speaker

7. Climbing the professional ladder: How a graphic designer works, lives and survives inside their jobs:  Speaker

8. Design Inventory: Presentations to entire class on your past history of design and what you plan to
carry with you at your Senior Exit Review as well as your job interviews.


TIME TO GET STARTED: 
Your Ticket to Ride -Taking Inventory of your Work:

Each Senior Designer is expected to gather up all their past work created either at GSU as well as any work that might have been done for a client in freelance, part time, fulltime or internship.

The first few weeks of class will be spend combing through every designers past work and then cataloging that work into what each student plans to use on their website as well as during their exit review. Every designer will go through the process with every member of the class. Time has been set aside to review individually and collectively this work in its entirety.

Designers should keep a working list (mapping) of the work that they feel might need some type of revision as well as work that will be completely removed from the portfolio process.

Take a Visual Inventory of your work immediately.
Everything you’ve done during your time at GSU upon entering the first GrD3000 class.
Leave no stone unturned as you review your work and perhaps re-evaluate the work as the senior designer you have become.

A list of categories where each previous work will fall should be kept:
(Categories such as “Definitely” or “Needs Revision” or “No Way” or “Total Re-design” can get the process started. This should be done prior to the in class review the first few weeks of semester.

Designers should also think about which work needs to be re-printed as well as work completed in another discipline (photography, book arts, printmaking, etc.) This other work can be sparing shown in the Senior Graphic Design Exit Review but can really be displayed in more depth on their websites.

This will be presented in class as well as a printed document of all images that you intend to carry in your portfolio.
It’s a visual reminder of color, texture, typography, style, print, video, web, etc. 2015


2015 Individual Voice Design Project:
Since entering the Graphic Design program at GSU a few years ago, each of you have been asked to perform and experience certain degrees of proficiency which are universal to most graphic design majors in their respective schools.

Throughout your time at GSU I’m sure each of you have discovered your strengths and your weaknesses but most importantly is that each of you have perhaps identified areas of interest which you have wanted to pursue with more in depth investigation.  This semester you will have a chance to identify what you feel are those missing creative “gaps” in your design education and portfolio by writing your own creative contract on work to be completed. This contract will exist between student and instructor.  

In this project each student will identify a set of creative goals/ideas by writing them down with some detail of what they wish to accomplish in its final presentation. These ideas should be specific in what each student wishes to accomplish. Students will also present their ideas to the rest of the class for feedback before initiating the agreed upon individual project. 

Graduating students will bring in their entire portfolio of work to review with the class and Instructor prior to starting their Individual project. This process will take some time but will result in a more thoughtful and applicable project for the semester.

The idea of how to begin this senior design class began during a senior trip to NYC in October 2007 to visit design studios. Many of the Art Directors (Psyop and Trollback and Nick) stated that they are always looking for new design recruits based on what they can “uniquely” offer to their respective companies and design firms. They are seeking designers who have a style that is unique which has been described as their “inner design voice.”  This project will allow you to literally ‘flush out” your uniquely personal graphic design goals. You might wish to create a set of animations based on your interest in art or travel or language; others might wish to create a uniquely different set of print work; many of you might wish to work on typographical areas of your portfolio which you feel need more attention.

Each project for each student should be uniquely different. That is the strength of this project.
You think it and you design it!
Do you need more print and editorial work?
Do you need more Illustration work?
Do you need more animation?
Do you need more political work?
Do you want to show more of your multimedia work?

Learning to discover (and uncover) your unique “voice” as a creative person can be a life-changing experience.
Finding your “inner voice” as a designer certainly will allow you to become more self-confident when you begin your job search upon graduation.
Projected Time allotted is 4 weeks.

2015 Personal Branding / Stationery Project:
“Who am I anyway? Am I my resume?”
This musical quote comes from one of Broadway’s greatest and most successful musicals entitled “A Chorus Line.” This entire production is about Branding (dancing perhaps in this case) but really about who we are as individuals.
How do you single yourself out from the rest and make a name and place for yourself in the design world?

What’s in a name?
What’s in your name?
Will you create something iconic for yourself or will your name be a special font/typeface which your adhere to in your
Professional world?

Do you create an alter ego name or brand for yourself or do you use your own name as your brand?
The work you are doing in GrD4600 Senior Workshop should tie into this branding project as you work on your individual
Websites (which are required prior to graduation.)
Seniors are required to have a printed business card and stationery set ready prior to graduation.
This may include (but not limited to a variety of) letterhead, business cards, and envelopes.

2015 Specialty Graphic Design “Leave-Behind” aka The Self-Promotional Project:
These specially designed pieces should be designed to catch the eye of the client the student will be interviewing for jobs in the future. Many times an interviewer may not remember the students name or even their work but will remember their “leave behind” design.  These can take many forms such as brochures, books, 3-D pieces, pop out material, etc.

There is no formula for this as each piece is different for each student.
At the Senior Exit Review each graduation senior will leave these specialty pieces with each of their faculty as well as a set of student stationery sets with the faculty.

Think about the message you want to send to the person reviewing your work. It might be a freshly designed mouse pad or an iPod cover design or printed book of all your work or a calendar of the forthcoming year that was specially designed. Being clever and imaginative about your work and yourself is key in this individual project.

Check out Design annuals such as Step or How to see what students across the nation are doing for their own Self-promotional items.  This is a great way to start your own process I kid you not.

2015 Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design Annual Juried Student Competition:
Open to all art students, this annual juried exhibition is a cumulative exhibition of selected artwork from students all disciplines in the Welch School of Art and Design.  Graphic Designers can enter work that has been created in past classes or create a unique piece for this juried exhibition. Work submitted for this Annual Student Exhibition does not have to be graphic design but can be anything you wish to enter.  Awards and recognition of those selected to be in the exhibition will be announced at the opening of the Exhibition. It’s an annual student gathering in the Welch Galleries. Mandatory submissions of work by all graphic designers.

2015 BFA Exhibition:
Participating in your BFA Exhibition in the spring prior to graduation from the Graphic Design program at GSU is mandatory for everyone. This senior exhibition is geared to focus on all the graduating senior’s artistic achievements in their respective majors. Graphic Designers can choose to exhibit animations, print and editorial work, film and television and various other conceptual work for the senior exhibition. The work must have been done while as a student at GSU or outside professional work with consent of professor only. This is deemed as mandatory in order to graduate.

We’ll discuss individually and collectively to assist you in identifying some of your best work considered to be included into the spring exhibition while also finding ways to creatively display those pieces of work for the show.

During this time of identifying work for the senior BFA show, we will spend several days in class to actually photograph many pieces and parts of your portfolio. We’ll take a look at how the professionals have photographed their work in the various Design Annuals and Periodicals and discuss what seems to work and what definitely doesn’t work as a photograph.  Everyone is encouraged to bring new ideas regarding how they wish to photograph their work (3D, brochures, book covers, CD redesigns, etc.)

How do you display your 3D work?
What do you need to show your animations?
Do you frame your work? How? With what?
Can I submit a series of work as one project?

Discussion of how each designer should begin to select and get work ready for their senior BFA exhibition.
All seniors are required to have work in this senior exit exhibition.

Group discussion of presentation formats for video or print or 3D work.
Framing and mounting will be discussed.
Seniors will probably be encouraged by the gallery director to have only one entry…however, this one entry can be a series or designs such as posters on a certain subject or a triptych of a project. Many times the gallery director will allow students to show video work (everyone’s video work compiled into one DVD and projected at the exhibition) as well as printed work.

Seniors must attend the Gallery BFA Senior Exit review meeting prior to the exhibition.
Work usually must be picked up after graduation or designers will have to make other arrangements for pick up.

All work in this exhibition by all the disciplines in the School of Art & Design must come from work completed during your time at GSU as an undergraduate.


2015 Sign Up for Senior Exit Review
2015 Rehearsals for Senior Exit Review (Selected Individuals)

                                                     

                                   





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