Friday, January 6, 2012

The Official GrD4950 Syllabus: Film/Video/Television


GrD4950– Graphic Design Portfolio-CTW                             Stan Anderson
CRN #12110                                                                   Coordinator, Associate Professor
Monday/Wednesday  2:30-5:20p                                        Office: 362   Hours:
460 CMC Lab                                                                  Office Hours: Wednesday 12-2:30p (or appts.)
3 Credit Hours                                                                Office Phone: 404-413-5234           
Course Blogsite:                                                               stananderson@gsu.edu
www.4950Spring.blogspot.com                                            
                                                                                                             
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Stan Anderson schedule for Spring 2012:
Monday & Wednesday
11-1:50p  - GrD4400-Film & TV  (Juniors) 460 CMC
2:30-5:20p –GrD4950 –Portfolio  (Seniors)- 460 CMC
5:30-8:20p - GrD3200-Intermediate Graphic Design, (Sophomores) - 468
_________________________________________________________________________________________________   

Course Description from GSU Catalogue:
Graphic Design Portfolio. Prerequisites: GrD 3200 with grade of C or higher, and consent of graphic design coordinator or instructor. Preparation of final professional portfolio; consolidation and revision of previous projects; addition of projects reflecting student's specialized interests; self-promotion; presentation; interviewing; the language of graphic design in the context of the fine arts. Lab Fee: $20.00.

Requirements:
Seniors must satisfy all the College of Arts & Sciences, School of Art and Design and University requirements prior to
their expected graduation date. Seniors must have already applied for Graduation and also have delegated an official audit transcript from the Registrars office prior to the end of this semester. Seniors must insure that they have the minimum amount of credit hours to graduate from the University and have fulfilled the required number of credit hours within their discipline.

IMPORTANT CTW NOTE:  Portfolio class falls under the University CTW (Critical Thinking through Writing) class that means each of you will be required to write more during the duration of this class. This writing is evaluated and processed by the Art Department and University to meet standards and practices for the University and their NASAD accreditation.

This course is designated as the first of two Critical Thinking Through Writing (CTW) courses required of BFA Graphic Design Majors. This component of the course required to engage, through writing, in critical thinking relation to the course material. The University defines critical thinking as:
…a wide range of cognitive skills and intellectual dispositions needed to effectively identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments and truth claims; to discover and overcome personal prejudices; to formulate and present convincing reasons in support of conclusions; and to make reasonable, intelligent decisions about what to believe and what to do.
(Bassham, Irwin, Nardone & Wallace, Critical Thinking: A Student’s Introduction, (McGraw-Hill, 2005, p. 1.)

Seniors must complete this class with a passing grade of C or Higher before they can graduate.
Seniors will be asked to complete a certain number of new design projects during the spring semester as well as work on finishing up other portfolio requirements. Seniors will be asked to sign an official course contract which will exists between the student and the Professor. Seniors should honor this contract as a formal declaration of completing work described on the contract. At the end of the semester the Professor will sign off on the contract thereby allowing the student to graduate.

Seniors must show up to class on time and have coursework to show during those class meetings. There will be formal critiques and discussion and presentations which all seniors must be present.  No senior will be permitted to miss more than 3 class periods unless authorized by the Professor. If the student misses more than 3 class periods, the student will be notified via email confirmation as well as a verbal notification of this final absence. After official notification by professor as previously mentioned, the Professor has the right to drop student from enrollment.

Seniors who are graduating from the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design at the end of this semester must go through a formal Exit Review with the faculty from the graphic design department.  Each student will be allowed 45 minutes each to present their portfolio of work (minimum of 20 boards) as well as exhibit their working website. Students can use this time to show print, animations and various other work of their choice.


PLEASE NOTE: Students will also leave copies of the following for each of their faculty reviewers:
(Liz Throop, Paige Taylor and Stan Anderson)

-Stationery sets must include printed business cards, letterhead, and envelopes.
-Hi-Res PDFs of all their work, including all animations and video work (several DVDS/CDs)
-Specialty Leave Behind or Self -promotional piece
-Current Resumes with correct information on Letterhead Stationery
-Working Website(s)
-Portfolio case for interviewing/discussion of work to be shown at interviews


Possible selection of projects for the semester:

1.      Individual Voice Projects: To be decided by Professor and individual designers.

2.      A Designer’s Journal: Weekly writings and musings regarding the work by a graduating designer.

3.      Mandatory entries of work into Welch Annual Student Art Exhibition and Senior Portfolio Exhibition.

4.      Miracle House Organization Fundraising 2012 Summer Project. Memorial Day Kick Off 2012 

5.      A Designer’s Cookbook: The Cook Book Project (book to be published in 2013 of designers work)

6.      Photographing your work professionally project.

7.      Creating a “Leave behind” or promotional piece. One-of-a-kind promotional piece to market yourself.

8.      Interviewing with your Portfolio: Video presentations and rehearsals.

9.      Chris Nave, Director of Individual Giving “The Roundabout Theatre” NYC

10.   Resumes: Creating a resume that gets you a job.  (including letters of introduction and creative follow up communication from interviews)

11.   Visually mapping your Senior Exit Review work (should coincide with GrD4600 as well-web and work hierarchy. You might have done this already but I need to see it in visual format of screen-grabs.

12.   Graphic Designers and Tax Preparations

13.   Cadillac Jones Music Video Project    



GETTING STARTED:_____________________________________________________________________________
Taking Inventory of your Work:
Getting started and cutting loose in 2010

Each Senior Designer is expected to gather up all their past work created either at GSU as well as any work that might have been done for a client in freelance, part time, fulltime or internship.

The first few weeks of class will be spend combing through every designers past work and then cataloging that work into what each student plans to use on their website as well as during their exit review. Every designer will go through the process with every member of the class. Time has been set aside to review individually and collectively this work in its entirety.

Designers should keep a working list (mapping) of the work that they feel might need some type of revision as well as work that will be completely removed from the portfolio process.

Take a Visual Inventory of your work immediately.
Everything you’ve done during your time at GSU upon entering the first GrD3000 class.
Leave no stone unturned as you review your work and perhaps re-evaluate the work as the senior designer you have become.

A list of categories where each previous work will fall should be kept:
(Categories such as “Definitely” or “Needs Revision” or “No Way” or “Total Re-design” can get the process started. This should be done prior to the in class review the first few weeks of semester.

Designers should also think about which work needs to be re-printed as well as work completed in another discipline (photography, book arts, printmaking, etc.) This other work can be sparing shown in the Senior Graphic Design Exit Review but can really be displayed in more depth on their websites.



Individual Voice Design Project:

Since entering the Graphic Design program at GSU a few years ago, each of you have been asked to perform and experience certain degrees of proficiency which are universal to most graphic design majors in their respective schools.

Throughout your time at GSU I’m sure each of you have discovered your strengths and your weaknesses but most importantly is that each of you have perhaps identified areas of interest which you have wanted to pursue with more in depth investigation.  This semester you will have a chance to identify what you feel are those missing creative “gaps” in your design education and portfolio by writing your own creative contract on work to be completed. This contract will exist between student and instructor. 

In this project each student will identify a set of creative goals/ideas by writing them down with some detail of what they wish to accomplish in its final presentation. These ideas should be specific in what each student wishes to accomplish. Students will also present their ideas to the rest of the class for feedback before initiating the agreed upon individual project. 

Graduating students will bring in their entire portfolio of work to review with the class and Instructor prior to starting their Individual project. This process will take some time but will result in a more thoughtful and applicable project for the semester.

The idea of how to begin this senior design class began during a senior trip to NYC in October 2007 to visit design studios. Many of the Art Directors (Psyop and Trollback and Nick) stated that they are always looking for new design recruits based on what they can “uniquely” offer to their respective companies and design firms. They are seeking designers who have a style that is unique which has been described as their “inner design voice.”  This project will allow you to literally ‘flush out” your uniquely personal graphic design goals. You might wish to create a set of animations based on your interest in art or travel or language; others might wish to create a uniquely different set of print work; many of you might wish to work on typographical areas of your portfolio which you feel need more attention.

Each project for each student should be uniquely different. That is the strength of this project.
You think it and you design it!
Do you need more print and editorial work?
Do you need more Illustration work?
Do you need more animation?
Do you need more political work?
Do you want to show more of your multimedia work?

Learning to discover (and uncover) your unique “voice” as a creative person can be a life-changing experience.
Finding your “inner voice” as a designer certainly will allow you to become more self-confident when you begin your job search upon graduation.
Projected Time allotted is 4 weeks.

Personal Branding / Stationery Project

“Who am I anyway? Am I my resume?”
This musical quote comes from one of Broadway’s greatest and most successful musicals entitled “A Chorus Line.”
This entire production is about Branding (dancing perhaps in this case) but really about who we are as individuals.
How do you single yourself out from the rest and make a name and place for yourself in the design world?

What’s in a name?
What’s in your name?
Will you create something iconic for yourself or will your name be a special font/typeface which your adhere to in your
Professional world?

Do you create an alter ego name or brand for yourself or do you use your own name as your brand?
The work you are doing in GrD4600 Senior Workshop should tie into this branding project as you work on your individual
Websites (which are required prior to graduation.)
Seniors are required to have a printed business card and stationery set ready prior to graduation.
This may include (but not limited to a variety of) letterhead, business cards, and envelopes.


Specialty Graphic Design “Leave-Behind” aka The Self-Promotional Project

These specially designed pieces should be designed to catch the eye of the client the student will be interviewing for
jobs in the future. Many times an interviewer may not remember the students name or even their work but will remember their “leave behind” design.  These can take many forms such as brochures, books, 3-D pieces, pop out material, etc.

There is no formula for this as each piece is different for each student.
At the Senior Exit Review each graduation senior will leave these specialty pieces with each of their faculty as well as a set of student stationery sets with the faculty.

Think about the message you want to send to the person reviewing your work. It might be a freshly designed mouse pad or an iPod cover design or printed book of all your work or a calendar of the forthcoming year that was specially designed. Being clever and imaginative about your work and yourself is key in this individual project.

Check out Design annuals such as Step or How to see what students across the nation are doing for their own
Self-promotional items.  This is a great way to start your own process I kid you not.

Senior BFA Exhibition  and  Welch Annual Student Art Exhibition:
Senior Designers in this Portfolio class are required to enter two of the Spring Semester Exhibitions held in the Welch Galleries. No exceptions.

2012 Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design Annual Student Competition:
Open to all art students, this annual juried exhibition is a cumulative exhibition of selected artwork from students
all disciplines in the Welch School of Art and Design.  Graphic Designers can enter work that has been created in past classes or create a unique piece for this juried exhibition. Work submitted for this Annual Student Exhibition does not have to be graphic design but can be anything you wish to enter.  Awards and recognition of those selected to be in the exhibition will be announced at the opening of the Exhibition. It’s an annual student gathering in the Welch Galleries.

2012 BFA Exhibition:
Participating in your BFA Exhibition in the spring prior to graduation from the Graphic Design program at GSU is mandatory for everyone. This senior exhibition is geared to focus on all the graduating senior’s artistic achievements in their respective majors. Graphic Designers can choose to exhibit animations, print and editorial work, film and television and various other conceptual work for the senior exhibition. The work must have been done while as a student at GSU or outside professional work with consent of professor only.

We’ll discuss individually and collectively to assist you in identifying some of your best work considered to be included into the spring exhibition while also finding ways to creatively display those pieces of work for the show.

During this time of identifying work for the senior BFA show, we will spend several days in class to actually photograph many pieces and parts of your portfolio. We’ll take a look at how the professionals have photographed their work in the various Design Annuals and Periodicals and discuss what seems to work and what definitely doesn’t work as a photograph.  Everyone is encouraged to bring new ideas regarding how they wish to photograph their work (3D, brochures, book covers, CD redesigns, etc.)

How do you display your 3D work?
What do you need to show your animations?
Do you frame your work? How? With what?
Can I submit a series of work as one project?

Discussion of how each designer should begin to select and get work ready for their senior BFA exhibition.
All seniors are required to have work in this senior exit exhibition.

Group discussion of presentation formats for video or print or 3D work.
Framing and mounting will be discussed.
Seniors will probably be encouraged by the gallery director to have only one entry…however, this one entry can be a series or designs such as posters on a certain subject or a triptych of a project. Many times the gallery director will allow students to show video work (everyone’s video work compiled into one DVD and projected at the exhibition) as well as printed work.

Seniors must attend the Gallery BFA Senior Exit review meeting prior to the exhibition.
Work usually must be picked up after graduation or designers will have to make other arrangements for pick up.

All work in this exhibition by all the disciplines in the School of Art & Design must come from work completed during your time at GSU as an undergraduate.
                                                     

Other Projects that you might asked to create work for either individually/collectively during your final semester:


The Cadillac Jones Project:
Poster designs and Video for Atlanta-based rock band from the infamous TBS Arts Attorney : John Renaud.


The Miracle House Organization Project: Annual 2012 Memorial Day Fundraising Kick-Off
Jesse Ramos, Director of Miracle House

The Roundabout Theatre, New  York City
Chris Nave, Director


We’ll have visitors throughout the semester to discuss relevant issues with you as well about design, employment and art.



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