STUDY PROGRAMME
Graphic Design and Art Direction

AFAM CODE
ABTEC38

DISCIPLINARY AREA
Digital applications for visual arts

DISCIPLINARY FIELD
Computer graphic

CREDITS
8

APPROACH
Theoretical/project based

This course goes in-depth about the professional use of digital technologies for creative design, and in particular for communication: photo retouching, compositing, vector graphics and digital page layout.

The programme consists of one single module, which grants 8 credits.

Successful students will be able to:

• Properly use tools and specific functions of the three software programs

• Carry out simple photo retouching tasks, compositing, illustration and digital page layout

• Independently develop and manage complex projects applied to graphic design and publishing

• Integrate the use of different software programs within a complex project presented by the professors

PHOTO RETOUCHING AND DIGITAL DRAWING::

In-depth study of the main functions and of the graphic techniques of photo retouching, compositing and vector graphics through the analysis and application of professional software:

• Understanding of the main functions of Photoshop, necessary to master image manipulation and the most common aspects of photo editing and of the techniques apt to create digital photographic and compositing projects

• Use of the main tools of tools of Illustrator to create illustrative images, with the application of outlines and colours, as well as design of articulated layouts that include letter manipulation and creation of multilevel graphics connected to the creation of brands and logotypes

DIGITAL PAGE LAYOUT:

In-depth study of the main Indesign functions, connected to the digital page layout techniques:

• Understanding of software functions as applicable to the publishing environment - text, colour, paragraph management - as well as tools for the handling of complex layouts - books, magazines, newspapers, catalogues, brochures and documents that require multi-page handling, topics organization and synthetic presentation through words and images

This is a theoretical/project based course.

Students will take part in the following activities, which may vary depending on the development of different projects:

• Classroom lectures

• Use of tutorials, videos or other media tools

• Exercises and revisions

• Workshops

• Individual or group projects

• Individual or group study and research

Assessment tools may include:

• Mid-term exams: the final grade for each module will result from the arithmetic average of the grades given to the exercises submitted throughout the course, of increasing difficulty

• Oral exam: evaluation of the complex project, plus questions aimed at testing the integration of software skills

Further details about the exams will be provided by the professors.

• Faulkner, A., Chavez, C. (2016) Adobe Photoshop CC Classroom in a Book 2017 Release.

• Kordes Anton, K., Cruise, J. (2016) Adobe InDesign CC Classroom in a Book 2017 Release.

• Wood, B. (2016) Adobe Illustrator CC Classroom in a Book 2017 Release.

Many of the recommended sources, together with additional material, are also available online on MyNaba, in the Library section.

Books and resources might be requested or suggested by the professors.