MADT 431: Publication Design
MADT 431: Publication Design
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Course Description
Course Description
Course will study the essential aspects of making design work for print production. We will explore the processes, formats, industry software, and hardware considerations involved in the physical creation of multi-page publications. Topics covered are: grids and composition, printers marks, preflight and file output, digital page management, text formatting tools and styles, editorial feature components, brochure design strategies, USPS bulk mail, printing techniques and paper, cover design, and book binding.
Student Learning Outcomes: Create strategies for planning, producing, and disseminating publications. Develop fluency in the use of the formal vocabulary and concepts of publication design and production. Design and produce a tri-fold brochure, a feature editorial article, a book jacket cover.
Canvas access and Print Room access: There is no required textbook for this class. Online readings may be assigned via Canvas and assigned video content in Canvas and Linkedin Learn. This class involves producing printed material which is facilitated in Tehama Hall, Room 222 via Wildcat ID card to access.
Other syllabus additions: Added a Commitment to Equity and Respect Policy (sourced from Jamie Linn Gunderson), Mindset and Conduct in the Classroom, and Mode of Instruction details.
The course is required in the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design. Prerequisites: completion of MADT 334: Basic Typography.
Course Modality
Course Modality
Course format: Classes run as a combination of lecture and lab sessions. Lectures present basic concepts through asynchronous video material, and in-person labs provide hands-on learning and activities. The online classroom contains a module for each week that the students can access. The asynchronous material consists of recorded instructor-created skills demonstrations, Linkedin Learn videos on software proficiency, and accountability quizzes.
Course content: The course follows the flipped model. Class is one day online asynchronous and one day in-person. Students are assigned material and class submissions before the in-person meeting. During in-person class once a week, the concepts are restated and applied to practical exercises or discussions. To complete the course the student must execute and submit three major projects. Along with the asynchronous material and accountability quiz, each week the student submits digital files that demonstrate progress toward the major project final output. Weekly material and exercises teach the skills and knowledge required to complete the major projects successfully.
Attendance at each scheduled in-person class is expected. Absences are excused if the absence is communicated before the the in-person meeting. In-class activities can be completed and submitted remotely if necessary.
Additional modules are designed to align with and model UDL. Examples of this alignment include:
Overview, To-Do List, Goal-setting - introduces module content, learning goals, an outline of tasks, and highlights alignment to professional teaching expectations.
Terminology & Connections - introduces and defines terminology essential to learning.
Wrap-Up & Looking Ahead - prompts self-assessment, provides a review of covered skills, and provides and overview of the future project and skills.
Elements of Course Design
Elements of Course Design
Canvas Learning Modules
The course employs learning modules via Canvas. The modules are numbered in accordance to the major projects and organized within by weekly content topic. The learning modules contain asynchronous directions and material, and In-Class Activity material for synchronous lessons. The modules in order are: Welcome: Getting Started; Module 1: Brochure Design; Module 2: Editorial Design; Module 3: Book Cover Design. Each module has a prerequisite to complete the previous module, ensuring the students complete the previous material before being allowed access to the next module. Each module in structured to align and model the checkpoints of Universal Design for Learning. The course begins with Welcome module ensuring students are incentivized to review the Syllabus, Classroom Protocols, Course Overview, and communication tools. A quiz is given on the module content to familiarize the students with the weekly quiz format.
Student Engagement
Student Engagement
Publication Design is a technical skills focused class. There are many elements to producing a printed piece successfully. The students are engaged in hands-on learning and coaching in a variety of ways:
In-class demonstrations of industry software paired with assigned practice. An in-class activity will have an assignment in Canvas and include links to file downloads. Students will work from provided files, which helps ensure consistency and lower the barrier to entry.
In-person orientation of peripheral technology, such as printers, binders, and cutters. The students receive a group tour of the shared print room, highlighting which printers are optimal for assignments. The lab machine that connects to the printers is also reviewed, highlighting tips for success.
Fieldtrips to The Orion or the Letterpress equipment are scheduled to incorporate professional exposure to graphic design both current and historic.
Other student engagement activities:
Welcome/Introduction activities: During the first class students are asked to individually state their name, share if they have an area of focus in graphic design what it is, and if they have any pet/what is their pets name. This activity is fun and brings some personalization to the class without prying or revealing sensitive details. Instructor goes first to model the format.
Critiques/Feedback Requirements: Each project has a component of submitting progress proofs throughout the timeline. The Canvas course submission environment allows of comments between instructor and student. The opportunity to critique work by peers in incorporated as the project progresses to completion.
Assessment of Student Learning
Assessment of Student Learning
Student Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
Create strategies for planning, producing, and disseminating publications
Develop fluency in the use of the formal vocabulary and concepts of publication design and production
Critically examine and communicate the constraints and advantages of static printed artifacts versus dynamic screen-based experiences
Understand basics of copyright and fair use as it relates to publication design
Apply basic knowledge of design principles (hierarchy, grids, images, rhythm, sequencing), print production, and typography to the creation of complex multiple page time-based publications
Attendance Policy: Attendance and participation are tracked and graded, as these contribute to success in the course. Students are encouraged to communicate absences to receive excused status, and late work is accepted without penalty if need is communicated before the due date/deadline.
Accessibility & UDL
Accessibility & UDL
Attention to Accessibility Issues: The course considers accessibility in all digital materials. Videos are captioned and include transcripts, imagery contains alt text, documents and materials follow logical heading order, links are descriptive, Canvas LMS facilitates access of alternative formats, and WCAG 2.0 checkpoints are compliant.
Universal Design Learning: This course employs Universal Design Learning methods in composition of course materials, the use of digital technology, and the structure of the course modules within the LMS.
Linkedin Learn videos and Instructor-created Kaltura videos (1.1 and 1.2)
Customization of the learning environment via video player controls and alternative outputs, students can consume materials at their own pace and rewatch material as needed.
Project-based learning (3.1, 6.2, 7.2)
Projects in this course are authentic and relevant to professional industry expectations. The criteria and skills learned to fulfill assignment requirements ensure students gain the technical knowledge and terminology comprehension needed to perform in a job. The students are guided through goal setting and planning with weekly progress checkin and engaged in motivation with weekly knowledge checks for minimal points
Course organization in Canvas platform (3.2, 3.3, 7.3, )
The course material holds to patterns in its layouts, both of modules, and within the page content. Quizzes are presented and named consistently, an “Up Next” section is located at the bottom of weekly material to guide learners to the next task, run times are posted for each video to set expectations for appropriate planning and time management. By following established patterns the Canvas environment minimizes distractions and allows the learners to focus on the material instead of decoding new layouts or wayfinding. This all contribute to guide information processing and remove unnecessary distractions.
Technology & Tools
Technology & Tools
Industry Software: Publication Design focuses on gaining professional skills using Adobe InDesign. All projects require students submit a packaged InDesign folder of files. The InDesign document is reviewed by the instructor, assessing if the student utilized the software tools appropriately to meet the assignment requirements.
Other Adobe software that is leveraged might be: Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, Acrobat.
Linkedin Learn: Linkedin Learn access is available to Chico State students and provides well-crafted small bites of learning. This course utilizes Linkedin Learn videos to complement concepts and software skills relevant to the assigned project.
Kaltura: Instructor recorded videos are used in this course to demonstrate software tools on-screen, provide guidance, and display step-by-step instructions for specific outputs.
Laptops: Students in this course are required to have a laptop, and should be prepared to use it every class. The course has scheduled in-class activities that require students to submit digital files.
Printers: Professional grade printers are expected to be used in this course, and access is provided to students via Wildcat ID Card. Students are exposed to laser and inkjet printers. The printers are used to create professional quality publication examples and allow students to experiment with different types of equipment.
Other: There are multiple options for students to communicate with the instructor. These include:
Zoom meeting
Pronto messaging
Canvas messaging
Email or phone
Opportunities for Active Learning
Opportunities for Active Learning
Examples of active learning Publication Design include:
At in-person group reviews students vote on the success level of communication pieces. The group discusses and identifies the characteristics that contribute to the design’s success, or identify the characteristics that contribute to lack of success.
During in-class activities where student are stepping through a process they can collaborate or assist their peers who are struggling in the software.
Tactile experiences are important in Publication Design. We spend a class passing around paper samples from industrial paper mills and discuss the ways paper effects the design process. We examine different physical objects such as magazines, books, brochures, and envelopes to gain exposure to the variety of successful project execution.
Problem Solving and Self-sufficiency: Resources are accessible to the students to complete their projects. There is always some amount of problem-solving that goes into getting a project printed correctly. Students are encouraged to employ
Patience
Resourcefulness
Creativity
Self-reliance
Flexibility
Elements of Experiential Learning & Connections to the Profession
Elements of Experiential Learning & Connections to the Profession
Industry Specific Projects: The skills gained and the projects assigned in this class are all projects that a graphic designer could be assigned. The resources provided are real-world assets from a client hand-off. The project criteria and skills gain scaffold as the course progress to ensure students have confidence using industry software to accomplish goals and produce portfolio worthy pieces.
Technology Skills: The projects in this course build on technical skills practiced in class or demonstrated asynchronously within industry-specific software Adobe InDesign.
Presenters: Representatives from The Orion come to class and present on production team workflow, files management, and editing strategies that apply to publication design. Other speakers include professionals in the photography field and how it relates to image art direction and copyright compliance.
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Elements of equity, diversity, and include a focus on communication style
Rubric assessment strategy: Student project include a professional communication component in the grading rubric. This is incorporated into the rubric after the first project has been completed to ensure opportunities to model the professional communication to student of diverse backgrounds. Some ways to activate this strategy include:
Document communication with the students and point out good examples of professional communication and why its important in the graphic design industry for a successful career.
Engage in written communication with all students to gain exposure to their language and spelling skills. With a diverse range of learners and English language speakers, the goal is to highlight strengths and encourage growth in critical areas of communication. Some students may never have had exposure to the style of communication that is expected in a technical and exacting industry.
As a graphic designer your primary objective is to communicate clearly and effectively, which means promoting growth in written communication that will signal professionalism and competence to a potential employer or client. Students should feel confident using industry-specific language, which means closing the equity gap in access to technology and software skills.
Training in Course Design
Training in Course Design
In addition to the UDL FLC, I completed “Getting Started in Canvas” training provided by TLP in Fall 2022. This was a Canvas course that introduced best practices and techniques for building a successful course in the Canvas LMS.
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