Unit 2- Graphic Design

Hardware Used In This Unit:

Gerber Edge 2FX Printer and Plotter System
Huion and/or Wacom Stylus Drawing Tablets
Epson Stylus Photo Printer
Epson V600 Photo Scanner
Backlit Animators Table/Station
Line gauges and measuring tools
DSLR/Mirrorless Cameras, with several lens options

Software Used In This Unit:

Adobe Illustrator CC
Adobe InDesign CC
Adobe Photoshop CC
Adobe Muse CC
Adobe Experience Design CC
Autodesk Sketchbook Pro
Anime Studio Pro

Industry-Recognized Credential Opportunities In This Unit:

Adobe Certified Associate Certificate- Adobe Illustrator CC
Adobe Certified Associate Certificate- Adobe InDesign CC (optional)

Knowledge Bases: (subject to change)

Knowledge Base 1: Introduction- What Is Design?
Knowledge Base 2: Principles of Design
Knowledge Base 3: Typography
Knowledge Base 4: Color Theory
Knowledge Base 5: The Power of A Logo
Knowledge Base 6: Gestalt and Design Psychology
Knowledge Base 7: Page Layouts and Package Design

This unit will call on students to realize their natural artistic talents and to develop their eye for design on a professional level.

In studying Graphic Design, students’ doodles or sketches can come to life as functional designs as we develop the creative process from hand to sketch to design to print. In graphic design, the computer acts as the ultimate tool to make any idea or approach a digital reality. Beyond the computer screen, Graphic Design is about so much more than creating a file on a screen; our Graphic Design studies will involve an extensive exploration of conceptualization and intention in the pre-design process as well as post-press concepts around printing and application methods, including a full training of our Gerber vinyl print and plotter system, t-shirt screenprinting presses, large format printing, and 3D printing. Our graphic design projects will span a vast spectrum of products including logos, cover designs, photography edits, page layouts, package designs, 3D designs, typography, color, websites designs, and much more!

Software skills are critical to the success of a modern professional graphic designer, however, these skills only empower the strength of one’s thinking and creative process; a professional designer’s real skills manifest through their minds, through their words, and through their hands. Therefore, our study of Graphic Design will focus more on thoughtfulness, hands-on application, and visual creativity. Compared to other units we will learn in Digital Media Arts, design will be less about button-clicking and software processes and more about conceptualizing creativity and developing a cognizant eye for design practices. As we progress through the unit, students will discover their own preferences and design personality and will choose their own approach for every design problem, and it is this that gives them a doorway to the professional world.

By learning the Principles of Design, students will practice design trends, methods, and techniques. Further studies into typography, color theory, branding and marketing principles, advertising, visual perception, and design-based identity will deepen our understandings and widen our skillsets to employ a variety of tactics as a designer.

In comparing the many careers that could come from our many units, Graphic Design is one of the most employable and offers a far greater variety of high-paying careers in Vermont and beyond… therefore, this unit will test you and push you to your expressive limits and show you how your own ideas can become wondrous creations!

Graphic Design CTE Concepts- Essential Understandings For This Unit:

Unit 2 EU I. Understanding vector-based design (in contrast and comparison to bitmap-based design).

Unit 2 EU II. Solving problems and design challenges through development of creative visual elements, such as the use of Gestalt Principles in design and compositional direction.

Unit 2 EU III. Use of the Principles of Design through the use of lines, shapes, form, color, and textures and how these can be arranged to communicate an idea.

Unit 2 EU IV. Professional practices in project development and execution through use of ideation, refinement, and application of UI and UX design stages.

Unit 2 EU V. Mastery of pre-press graphic design professional requirements including color modes, file types, project setups, file preparation, file formats, quality preservations and compressions, and more pre-press essential digital formatting practices.

Unit 2 EU VI. Typography as a visual tool for communication, such as identifying different families of type, using appropriate type for an intended message, creating contrast with type, the history of typography, alignment/ spacing/ kerning/ leading/ uniformity/ hierarchy of type, and font manipulation.

Unit 2 EU VII. Color theory for improved graphic design skill through mastery of color use, as made evident through understanding and uses of analogous, complementary, triad, compound, and chromatic combinations.

Unit 2 EU VIII. Professionally-minded practices to create visual communicative designs for advertising, marketing, or branding, including research of audience, communication with client, development of ideation, and execution of the professional design process.

Unit 2 EU IX. Expertise with professional digital illustrative and design software, focusing on platforms such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Autodesk Sketchbook Pro, Adobe Photoshop, and more.

Unit 2 EU X. Mastery of graphic design software elements, such as the Pen Tool, the Pathfinder, Gradient Meshing, Blend Tools, Illustrator Effects, Type Tools, Image Tracing, and more.

Unit 2 EU XI. Skill development with hardware such as Digital Drawing Tablets, Animator's Tracing Tables, scanners, printers, and more.

Unit 2 EU XII. Mastery of photography skills as covered in our first unit with a new focus on how to shoot, edit, manipulate, and prepare digital photography for graphic design.

Unit 2 EU XIII. Knowledge of professional printing practices with use of vinyl for sign making, car lettering, banner-making, and more (use of Gerber Edge vinyl printing system with Gerber Composer software).

Unit 2- Graphic Design

Project Overviews, Knowledge Bases, and Assignments

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