ILLUS-3404

TYPOGRAPHY FOR ILLUSTRATORS

Faculty: TBA

Course Level: Junior, Senior, 5th Year

3 CREDITS

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

This typography course is specifically designed for Illustration majors. We will study the fundamentals of typography including its historical and contemporary application. Lectures and class exercises will build in complexity from the study of letterforms and the classification of typefaces, with an overview of their derivation, to the effective use of typography in single page design. A significant part of the course will be dedicated to understanding the elements of page design including proportion, grid systems and color. The final project will be a poster design for a local non-profit organization. In the last part of the sememster, assignments will explore the integration of very simple drawn imagery with a critical eye to the relationship of text and image in creating visual hierarchy and narrative interplay.

Students will use Adobe InDesign and Illustrator throughout this course, so some basic computer experience will be helpful but not absolutely necessary. Students unfamiliar with the Adobe interface should avail themselves of the introductory study sessions through RISD’s LinkedIn Learning.