ILLUS-3408

ILLUSTRATOR AS DESIGNER

Faculty: Annalisa Oswald

Course Level: Junior, Senior, 5th Year

3 CREDITS

COMPUTER LITERACY REQUIREMENT: This course fulfills the computer literacy requirement for Illustration majors.

This course explores the role of illustrator as graphic designer with a focus on the fundamentals of designing with imagery, the relationship between verbal and visual communication, and the complementary partnership between graphic design and illustration. Students are encouraged to have some fundamental experience with computers before enrolling in this course.

How does design differ from art? In many ways, design is distinct from art. Design, in the purest sense, is a definable aspect of art: a set of visual forces which contribute to the effect of two- and three-dimensional visual experiences. On another level, design often refers to utility or function and can be described as an act of “creating with purpose.” Design in the functional sense takes many forms, is made of many different parts and media, and exists for different reasons. An industrial designer may design useful things, an architect may design useful spaces, and a graphic designer may design useful messages. This class is about making images for graphic design and designing with imagery. As illustrators, you are uniquely sensitive to the way images communicate. This class is about understanding the role of design in image-making and designing contexts for images. Almost every assignment will involve the synthesis of picture and word so by the time the semester is over you should feel fairly confident in orchestrating words and pictures.