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ARTC 100
Graphic Design I

3 Units (Degree Applicable, CSU)

Advisory: ARTD 15A and ARTD 20

Contemporary graphic design for the commercial art industry. Covers technology, creativity, design, and production. Focuses on using Adobe Photoshop to produce effective commercial art. Additional exposure to Adobe Illustrator and other professional production tools.

    • Lecture Topical Outline
      • Industry overview, disciplines, and opportunities
      • Digital vs. analog
      • Digital systems: Operating systems, printing, asset management, and file naming conventions
      • Raster image concepts: pixels, resolution, scale, resampling, file types, and compression
      • Vector image concepts: resolution independence, file types, and usage
      • Creativity and creative problem solving
      • Research methods and techniques
      • Idea generation, inspiration, and brainstorming
      • Thumbnails, sketches, roughs and comps
      • Reaching the right target with the right message at the right time
      • Purpose of graphic design: attract, organize, and work
      • Principles and elements of design
      • Gestalt Theory of Design
      • Typography: purpose, style, usage, and terminology
      • Collaboration and working in teams
      • Critiquing graphic design
      • Final exam
    • Lab Topical Outline
      • Using the Photoshop interface: preferences, documents, menus, tools, options, windows, panels, work spaces, and modes
      • Applying Photoshop selection techniques: basic tools, pen tool, quick mask, and alpha channels
      • Applying Photoshop layer actions: creating, naming, arranging, grouping, merging, and flattening
      • Creating Photoshop text layers
      • Using Photoshop layer styles, opacity, and blending modes
      • Using Photoshop layer masks
      • Using Photoshop adjustment layers
      • Managing Photoshop color: RGB, CMYK, bitmap, duotone, index, picker, and swatches
      • Using Photoshop editing and retouching techniques: color adjustments, value adjustments, cropping, transforming, healing, cloning, gradients, brushes, and filters
      • Creating thumbnails and sketches
      • Creating Photoshop roughs
      • Compositing in Photoshop
      • Using the Illustrator interface overview: preferences, documents, menus, tools, options, windows, panels, work spaces, and modes
      • Creating Illustrator simple shapes: creating and modifying shapes, fills and strokes, and grouping
      • Creating Illustrator compound shapes: pen tool, compound path, clipping mask, warp, distort, and transform
      • Creating Illustrator text: creating, modifying, outlines, warp, distort, and transform
      • Final project presentation and critique
    • Course Measurable Objectives

      Provide a minimum of five (5) course measurable objectives:
      1. Employ appropriate technology (hardware, software, and fabrication tools) to produce graphic design projects.
      2. Produce composites effectively using Photoshop selection techniques.
      3. Operate effectively within small teams to solve typical graphic design problems.
      4. Create thumbnails, sketches, roughs and comprehensives that effectively communicate creative thinking.
      5. Design original commercial art, combining text and images to successfully communicate messages to a target audience.
      6. Present original graphic design projects, explaining and defending the successful usage of learned skills and concepts.
      7. Critique graphic design projects based on learned skills and concepts.