Homework for October 5

All of the proposals that I have seen and heard are fantastic. It really is exciting to be thinking about so many interesting ideas. But now we have to remember that these projects really need to get finished, and in a limited amount of time.

For next week, write about how you plan to execute your proposed project. The goal is to start thinking about the technical specifications that you will need to take into account.

Here are some questions that you should consider:
Which aspects of production can be completed by 4 people? Do you know of someone in the class that is your ideal illustrator, photographer, or typographer?
What aspects of productions must be completed by an outside organization?
Do you need to license or access copyrighted images? Where will you get them and what will they cost?
Where will you get it printed? Will you get the proof printed in the same facility that you would use for printing a large run?
What are the shortcomings of the facilities you’ve researched? Are there any customizations, upgrades, additional printing or packaging will you need to pay for?
In what ways will you need to alter your project to conform to the means of proofing?
How will you distribute the product?
What is your budget? Your group is responsible for funding, so it is probably a good idea to minimize costs.
What is Your timeline? You have under 3 months!!!

Write the equivalent of about 1 double-spaced page and post it on the responses page.

Homework for September 28

Write a proposal for your final project.

It is already clear that this class is filled with interesting, unique, and exciting ideas. If anything, it looks like we are overflowing with more ideas than we know what to do with. This will be an opportunity to take the one that you think is your best, and define it with a little more detail.

Your task is to write the equivalent of 1 page defining a fantastic print project. Your project should be manageable but ambitious for a team of four people to complete by December of this year. Your project must meet the following criteria:
1. Minimum 16 pages
2. Maximum page size of 9” x 12”
3. The overall design must incorporate at least 3 colors.
4. Must be designed using desktop publishing software.
5. Can be printed on any variety of substrate, but must be flexible and bound in some shape or form. (It cannot be a set of coffee mugs. It can be a set of postcards that come in a box.)
6. Must be commercially printed by the end of the semester. (If only proofed.)

Your proposal should consider the following topics:
1. What is the concept of your project?
2. How large or small will it be? How many pages?
3. What substrate will you use? Newsprint? Glossy paper? (More on this next week.)
4. What color scheme or schemes will underly the project?
5. What image elements will be necessary for the design? Photos? Illustrations? Where will you obtain the images?
6. In what ways will you rely on other members of the group? What sort of contributions are necessary to complete this project?
7. What images, art or design have influenced this project? Name some real world examples and talk about what you will take from these examples.

In addition to posting your proposal on the Responses page, please be ready to speak about your proposal in class on Friday.

Homework for September 21

We covered a few different things today. And it may seem like the Professional Organizations we talked about are not always directly related to the projects you work on regularly. The goal for your homework is to consider the ways that they are.

Using your project proposal from class, write at least 4 paragraphs anticipating the professional organizations you would have some relationship with if you were to complete the project. Consider the groups that we discussed in class, but also try to think of at least two organizations that we did not mention. Think about the ways that these groups will improve your project or workflow, as well as the obstacles they may present.

Note that there are a ton of large organizations that you will come into contact with. This post will appear in a certain way because of the standards recommended by the non-profit World Wide Web Consortium. You will probably see the post through a cable line that is regulated by the Federal Communication Commission. The list goes on! Try to be creative and practical – and make sure you know the role of each organization.

Homework for September 14

You might have found that the collaborative process was difficult (or you may have loved it). Your assignment for next week is to consider the ideal workflow for a small group to execute a big project. Use the work from class as a starting point, but add some original ideas that you came up with outside of class, or felt you couldn’t adequately express to the group. You might want to re-write the entire plan, or you might want to just toss in a couple of revisions. Think about the potential problems you will have in working with a group, and think about some of the qualities that you will bring to the table. Also consider some of the problems that you will run into during this process. This is your ideal team. Tell me how you would do it if you were in charge.

Write 4 paragraphs, then post your thoughts to the Responses page of this site. If you are feeling really inspired, create a graphical representation of the workflow as you envision it. (You may not be able to post an image in the comments, but if you email it to me, I will post it to the site.