ILLUS-2004

VISUAL STRATEGIES

Faculty: Various

Course Level: Sophomore - major requirement

3 CREDITS

Building on the skills and sensibilities developed in ILLUS 2000: Visual Thinking, this course will address a range of strategic considerations important for the articulation of ideas. While emphasis will remain on methods for encouraging conceptual aptitude and innovation, there will be greater focus on specific forms of communication. Practical issues such as the nature of audience and the context for interpretation will be matters of concern, as will vehicles for communication and the handling of media. The basic aim of this course is to enable the student to discover a creative identity in preparation for upperclass study; its larger goal is to wed communicative purpose to artistic voice.

In illustration, where communication is paramount, lucid articulation is essential. An illustration that is not understood by its audience is a failure. In this context, “art” is not an end but a means: it is a delivery system for the perceptions of the mind and the heart. While mastery is admirable, the strength of the underlying concept is fundamental.

“How?” is subservient to “Why?”