Digital Message Making

1. Digital Message Making GD2264 The Art Institute of California Spring 2011

2. Today’s agenda • Class Introductions • Review of Syllabus, Student Acknowledgement and Background Knowledge Probe • Setting up your account on the class blog • The Design Process • Introduce Assignment #1 – Concept Generation Through Modification • Lab Exercise: Group Brainstorming Session

3. Setting up your account

4. How we will use the class blog • As a way to document and showcase work done throughout the quarter • As this is a digital class, your final designs will be primarily screen-only • This will be continual practice in writing out your thought process • As a method of communication and collaboration between students and the instructor • Observe how your classmates work and learn from them • Share interesting and useful links

5. The class blog for this course http://inthedigitalsandbox.com/dmm • Follow along as I walk you through how to use and participate on the blog

6. Moving forward • During the course, I will ask you to post the progress of your assignments on the class blog • I encourage you to also make additional posts • Images, audio and video that you find inspirational (be sure to link back to the original source) • Links to resources and tutorials that you find helpful • Note: Your posts should be SFW (safe for work)

7. Any questions? • Be sure to stay up-to-date with the blog. • If you have any questions or technical problems, e-mail me or ask in class.

8. The Design Process

9. The Design Process • Gathering Information • Research • Brainstorming • Conceptualizing • Experimentation • Development • Execution

10. Gathering Information The following should be discussed with your client prior to starting the project: • Who is the target audience? • What is the message? • What is the scope of the project? • What are the technical requirements? (dimensions, formats, etc) • What is the budget? • What is the deadline? • Examples of work the client is fond of? • Branding? TIP: Use a creative brief or client questionnaire with your client so you have a guide for your discussion and all information is written down for later reference.

11. Research Once the client’s needs are understood, conduct additional research of your own: • Review the creative brief/client questionnaire • Take note of the design examples provided • Understand the client’s market • Take a look at the competition • Stay up to date with design trends • Figure out what’s new and make it a part of your style • Peek into others’ minds • Get inspiration from other designers’ work

12. Brainstorming With research in hand, it is time to start brainstorming: • Concept generation • Produce as many ideas as possible • Do not get hampered down by overthinking, just write/sketch/gather • Style • Layouts • Color schemes • Images • Typography • Goals • Theme TIP: Create a mood board with your ideas. It can be a good visual aid for yourself and to show your client the direction your design will take.

13. Examples of Moodboards

14. Conceptualizing At this point, you should have lots of ideas in your head and possibly scattered across scratch paper. It is time to visualize every aspect of your proposed idea step by step and write out our ideas. Next, move forward with drawing out (by hand): • Thumbnail sketches • Rough out position of elements • Does not have to be to scale • Rough layouts • Put more detail into design

15. Experimentation Once you have a rough layout sketched out, it is time to experiment: • When designing, take many different approaches. • Don’t be stuck on one design! • Never omit yourself to one style, keep an open mind. • Design multiple compositions and then refine. Note: At this stage, you may wish to include the client in the design process.

16. Development Through brainstorming, conceptualization and experimentation, you will have established an artillery of skills. At this stage, you need to decide what skills works best for the design and continue from there. • Cater to the scope of the project and requirements. • Be in contact with your client • Show your work in progress (thumbnails and roughs) • Discuss your design choices • Make adjustments as necessary • Produce a comprehensive layout (comp) • A final draft based on feedback

17. Execution Once you get approval on your comprehensive layout, it is time to move forward and complete the project • Client Satisfaction

18. end • Questions?

19. Assignment #1 Concept Generation through Modification

20. The Assignment • Generate a new idea by taking an existing concept (we will use the concept of “time”), adding a modifier, and transforming the original concept into a new entity.

21. The Concept of “Time” • Time is of the essence • Time is money • In the nick of Time • Time is on my side • All the Time in the world • Keeping Time In English, there are hundreds of sayings, phrases and idioms involving time!

22. Lab Exercise • Get into groups • Discuss and brainstorm different concepts of Time • Write each concept on one note card • Modify each concept by changing a word • Change a letter in the word • Choose a similar word in meaning • Choose a totally random word • Write down the new concept on the same note card • We will join together as a class to discuss the results