Syllabus

Interactive/Web Design 1 (2259)

CRN: 2259, Credits: 2, Fridays 3PM – 5:40PM, Spring 2008Instructor: Mushon Zer-Aviv, email: mushon [at] shual [.] com

Course Description:

This course will introduce students to interactive design and the basic principles of graphic design as they relate to designing for the Internet and multimedia. During the semester the students will create designs/interfaces for a number of different websites based on their research of brand and purpose. Through the assignments and discussions they will learn about the work process in the industry as well as the different technical environments commonly used, and terms such as interactivity, navigation and usability will be discussed and analyzed.This course is about learning to develop and execute strong design concepts, and not to learn a specific software or programming.

Course Outline:

This course is based around assignments that the students would encounter working in the interactive design industry. Student will design websites for real existing brands. Each project follows the process of research/concept/sketches/comps/final presentation, where depending on the project some of these steps will be combined and presented in the same class. No programming or markup skills (such as HTML or CSS) are needed, all projects will be presented as digital images. The students will primarily be creating their designs in Photoshop. Almost all classes will be centered around the critique of student work. The students are expected to bring in their homework to each class and be prepared to explain to the class how they arrived at the presented solution, showing sketches and variations of the design. Students are expected to participate in the critique and discussions of their fellow students’ work, as topics and questions arising from these discussions will introduce the students to many of the ins-and-outs of interactive design. On some of the final critiques guest critics will be invited and students are expected to give a well thought out presentation of their work. Guest speakers might also be invited to present on some specific topics during the course.Learning Outcomes: After taking the class students should have a basic understanding of interactive design and designing for screen. The students should be able to design a successful web interface taking into account both a client’s brand and usability.

Assessable Tasks:

All assigned homework is expected to be brought to class in such a format that it can easily be presented to the rest of the class. Most of the time this will consist of printed layouts. An overview of what is expected will be given at the start of a project. Note that this is an outline, and that actual homework will be assigned class to class. If you for some reason should miss a class you will need to contact one of your fellow students to get the homework details. All website projects will basically follow the process below, and to give you a better idea of what is expected from the student, a brief explanation of the steps are outlined.

Research:

For each assignment the students are expected to do thorough research on the subject/brand. The research should not be limited to the Internet and might include contacting or visiting a company. The research should be documented and brought to class ready for presentation.

Concept:

Normally the students are asked to come up with a couple of different design concepts for a project. The concepts should be based on research and the client brand. The presentation of the concept should be done with sketches as well as other things that can illustrate and explain it (for example mood boards that could consist of images and photos taken from magazines, etc.)

Sketches:

In the sketch phase of a project the student is expected to explore different layouts and forms. The sketches can be done either on computer or by hand and the students should bring in a number of different directions. At this stage the student is usually also asked to define the content of the website and the structure of the content (information architecture.)

Comps:

The comp stage is when a couple of chosen design directions are further explored with a more precise design including layout/typography/navigation/etc. This stage of the process might span a couple of revisions, from rough comps to almost final comps. Students are expected to bring in a number of variations of their comps.

Final Presentation:

The final presentation of the project should be well thought out with a presentation of background, concept, chosen design direction and solution. For the final presentation the students are required to prepare before class, making sure that all needed files are on the presentation computer, and that there are no technical problems.

Evaluation and Grading:

The student grade will be determined from a number of factors and will follow the school’s guidelines below. The final grade will be determined as a summary of the grade for each project throughout the semester, but a student’s progress throughout the semester will also be taken into account. Each project will be graded based on the final result and presentation, but an equally important factor will be the ability of the student to follow the outlined process and that required effort and work is shown throughout the project. Failing to do so will affect the grade on a project.

Readings and Resources:

There are no required readings for this class but recommended books and resources will be discussed during class.

Materials and Supplies:

The students are required to bring their sketchbook and notebook to each class. Even though not mandatory, it is highly recommended that the students have their own computer (Mac or PC) with the software Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as a printer and a scanner. The students will be required to bring in computer printouts of their designs to class, both in color and b/w.

DEPARTMENT AND CLASS POLICIES and REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance: Attendance at all classes is expected. There is no substitute for working and participating in class. Three absences is a failure. If a student fails a class due to attendance, he/she is no longer permitted to attend the class. Absence will impact final grade. Undo tardiness following a given break will result in an absence. Leaving before the class is over is considered an absence.Tardiness: Two tardy nesses will be counted as one absence. Ten minutes late is considered tardy. Over 20 minutes late is considered an absence.Academic Warning: Students who do not complete and submit assignments on time and to a satisfactory standard will fail the class. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain missed assignments from other classmates and make up work in time for the next class.

Undergraduate Grade Description:

A 4.0 Outstanding, professional quality workA- 3.7 Excellent workB+ 3.3 Work of high qualityB 3.0 Very Good workB- 2.7 Good workC+ 2.3 Average workC 2.0 Adequate workC- 1.7 Passing work but below good academic standingD 1.0 Below averageF 0.0 FailureWork that is late, if accepted by the instructor, is downgraded one full grade for each session lateCourse requirements: Assignments – All assigned work is due at the beginning of the following class session unless otherwise noted. Work submitted after that will be considered late and will be marked down accordingly.Preparedness: All students are expected to bring required materials to all classes. In addition, each student is expected to maintain a visual and written journal, which will be a collection of observations, inspirations, class studies, and preparation sketches for projects/assignments.

Faculty Contact Information

I can be reached at mushon [at] shual [.] com for questions and appointments.

Course Outline

01/25 - Week 1 : Overview: Digital design and The Trap

In class:

Assignments:

02/01 - Week 2: What is a good interface?

In class:

Assignments: Local website. Research, Concept and Mood Board.

02/08 - Week 3 Local website. Concept review

In class:

Assignments: Wireframe Sketches

02/15 - Week 4 Local website. Wireframe

In class:

Assignments: Comps for website and post examples of good websites.

02/22 - Week 5 Layouts and grids

In class:

Assignments: Continue to work on website comps

02/29 - online critique

In class:

Assignments: Final presentation of Local website

03/?? - Week 7 Local Website – Final Presentation

* This will be a make-up class, hopefully on Wednesday March 12th or Thursday March 13th.

In class:

Assignments: Come up with a concept, sketches and wireframe for a widget or a small self contained application.

03/14 - Week 8 Concept and wireframe for widget

In class: Critique and discussion around concept and sketches.Assignments: First round of design widget.

03/28 - Week 9 Widget design.

In class: Critique and discussion around widget design.Assignments: full design for the widget.Assignments:

04/04 - Week 10 Widgets – Final Presentation +What is there to redesign

In class:

04/11 - Week 11 Redesign: Information Architecture.In class:

Assignments:

04/18 - Week 12 Redesign: First DesignsIn class:

Assignments:

04/25 - Week 13 Redesign: Second Design round In class: Critique of the new CompsAssignments: design of all the site’s pages.

05/02 - Week 14 Redesign: Pre-finals

In class: Critique of all the pagesAssignments: Final Redesign.

05/09 - Week 15 Redesign: FINAL PRESENTATION

In class: Final redesign presentation.

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