Syllabus

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Design & Illustration Program

Art & Humanities Academy

Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center

Meeting time: 12:10 - 2:10, Monday - Friday


Class motto: “Art People Use.”


Description: Design & Illustration is a one-year graphic design and illustration program. Through projects, students create illustrations and 2-D designs intended to communicate with an audience.

This program is designed to have students apply their ideas to real-world scenarios and explore careers in the arts. Students create portfolio-ready work through the use of traditional materials (charcoal, watercolor, pastel, etc.) as well as non-traditional materials (spray paint, collage, experimental art media) in combination with technology (computers, digital cameras and scanner, electronic drawing tablets) using industry-recognized software such as Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator). Careers in the arts are investigated and students complete a variety of tasks to prepare them for their professional lives. The program culminates with a professional-ready, physical, 'hard copy' portfolio and a web presence. Top performing students receive dual enrollment credit through Community College of Vermont and/or Burlington College.

The year is dedicated to four main art disciplines and how they apply to design and illustration problems:

Drawing & Color Theory

Printmaking

Typography & Text as Art

Portfolio/Independent Study

Each student gets his/her own computer and user account.

Credits: one embedded fine art and two program credits upon completion of the one-year program. Dual enrollment credit may be received through CCV (Community College of Vermont) AND Burlington College; details will be reviewed in class. View more info. about CCV/HCC Dual Enrollment Program


Philosophy: Emphasis is placed on learning the creative process, personal expression and cultivating a vibrant imagination. No two student works look alike and no two students arrive at the end result in the same way. Traditional art materials are used in non-traditional and new ways and are combined with computer approaches. Experimental approaches are encouraged.

Learning Goals and Objectives

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of graphic design.
2. Employ technical skills needed to create design projects that communicate ideas.
3. Research, identify, and apply key aspects of graphic design.
4. Apply traditional studio design skills to a computer environment.
5. Use appropriate terminology to describe graphic design techniques and processes through illustration and computer skills.
6. Illustrate creative thinking to solve a variety of design problems.
7. Explore professional opportunities in the field of graphic design.
8. Select and apply typography that supports and enhances individual design projects.
9. Examine, discuss and critique art work, including some reference to the art historical, social, and cultural context.
10. Design and complete individual projects.
11. Create a portfolio of graphic design projects.
12. Display finished works in a professional manner.


Grading
Detailed grading information for each project may be found by accessing the class wiki site or accessing your Career Center Power School account.

Students' final grades will be based on the following:

  • Artistic PRODUCT (65%)
  • Artistic PROCESS (25%)
  • Effort, Participation and Attitude (10%)

Artistic PRODUCT means… the quality of the art product, the result. This grade is an average of the project assignment grades. A successful final product should: fulfill the requirements of the assignment and be on time.

Artistic PROCESS means… an understanding of how the art is made, from concept to presentation. This grade is an average of the homework, worksheet and in-class activity and critique grades. A successful artistic process is one that: uses a variety of creative process techniques (brainstorming, sketching, reflective writing or drawing, discussion, revision, research, etc.)

Effort, Participation and Attitude means… a student is open and willing to try new approaches in art making, while contributing to a healthy, supportive learning environment and practicing strong work habits (as outlined on the Career Center 'Work Habits Rubric'. A student will be graded on his/her: attendance ('reliability' work habit), engagement in class projects and activities ('Initiative & Self Motivation' habit), contributions to class discussions ('Communication' habit), respect for others' physical and mental spaces ('Respect and Communication' habit), work space management (spaces left clean, shows organization — 'Safety' habit) and ability to meet deadlines (this is CRUCIAL in the graphic design industry!).

Meeting deadlines is crucial in the field of graphic design. Therefore, five points will be deducted from a student's project grade if the work is a day or more late. If the work is more than one week late, ten points will be deducted from the student's project grade.

The HCC grading scale may be found in the HCC handbook (which is given to each student on the first day of class).
View a sample rubric
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Mid-Term and Final Exams:
Your portfolio will serve as your exam grade (Midterm: in progress, Final: finished portfolio). Visit the portfolio section of the wiki site for specific information regarding requirements (http://design-illustration.wikidot.com/requirements) OR view your Portfolio Checklist included in your 3-ring binder.

**Students should back up any important files to a cloud storage service Dropbox.com, Google Drive (or any other cloud storage service) or thumb/external drive at the end of each quarter. **

All work will be deleted from the school server and from the students' individual computers at the end of the school year. The student is responsible for saving any important files!


Class rules:
1. Show up, on time
2. Be prepared to work (mind and body)
3. Have assignments ready (at the time they are to be ready)
4. Respect yourself and others (people and spaces)

Class environment and ground rules for the studio will be established by the students through a democratic process.


Attendance:
Attendance is crucial to your success in this program. Most of the work that you do will be completed in class and we rely heavily upon the use of the Adobe Creative Suite computer programs. When you miss class, it is difficult to make up the time that you lost being absent.

If you are absent, your parent must call the HCC Main Office (382-1012); your sending school will NOT notify HCC of your absence!

  • Failure to show up on the day of critique (whether or not you have already been critiqued) will reflect very poorly on your performance and will be factored into your quarter grade.

Student Resources & Opportunities:

• FREE student handbooks are available from HCC in class or through the Guidance Office.

All homework or in-class assignment sheets will be available ONLINE at:
www.design-illustration.wikidot.com

• Students can receive extra help before and after class. Arrangements may be made with the teacher and Ms. Mills (Dean of Students) for students to use the classroom computer lab during a study hall, free period or lunch break

• HCC has a Guidance Counselor (Ms. Brenda Logee, 382-1007) that is available for further college/career counseling and a Co-Op Coordinator (Mr. Len Schmidt, 382-1005) for career placement opportunities* (must be 16 years of age or older and have a valid driver's license to participate in Co-Op)

• HCC Arts & Humanities Academy has an active chapter of the National Art Honor Society (one of only 3 in the state). Distinguished Juniors and Seniors receive nominations in late fall.

• For those pursuing art beyond high school, consider attending National Portfolio Day: NPD Info.

• Scholarship awards are given to students at the end of the year who receive the distinction of having the most Outstanding Portfolio in the Career Center


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