Syllabus

Digital Design II • Course Syllabus
LVChilders Hall (Fine Arts Bldg),
Room 2016

Instructor: Tony McEachern. MFA
E-mail: tony@tonymceachern.com

Course Number:
Undergraduate 10086-122-01
Graduate 15098-310-01

Course Days & Time:
Tuesdays and Thursdays
6:40 pm – 9:00 pm

Course Description:
This course builds on the computer graphic concepts and procedures of digital art and design creation for the purpose of visual communication, as taught in Digital Design I. Topics for Digital Design II include, but are not limited to, Adobe Flash design and publishing, interactive interface (front end/client side) design, the basics of motion graphics, intro to animation, multimedia, and professional presentation.

This class will primarily cover the Mac OS X and the digital design industry’s standard applications of Adobe Flash (CS4). Supplemental software applications will include Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to develop content for Flash interactivity.

Course work will consist of lectures, tutorials, studio/lab work, course projects, quizzes, a multiple choice mid-term examination and critiques.  Students will create high impact digital design pieces for inclusion in their portfolios.

Course Objectives:

  • To establish an understanding of basic vocabularies pertaining to computer graphics and digital design.
  • To encourage usage of the computer as an “extended support tool” to facilitate the design and production processes.
  • To familiarize students with industry standards, as well as, trends and best practices related to applied animation techniques in interactive space.
  • To enhance the skills and techniques developed in Digital Design I as it pertains to new media technologies and the World Wide Web.
  • To develop an understanding of the front-end or “client side” interactive interface.
  • To develop a basic understanding of the Adobe Flash Design environment.

Class Supplies:

  • 1 Storage Medium Device, 1 GB+ (i.e. flash, jump, or thumb drives)
  • Sketching Material for thumbnails/rough sketches
    (DO NOT USE NOTEBOOK PAPER FOR SKETCHES)

    • Tracing OR Layout Bond Pad
    • 2 Black Markers (i.e. Sharpie, Lumocolor)
    • 2 Sketching Pencils, 4H (preferably)
  • Flash Media, Thumb  Drives (At least 1GB)
  • Binder or Pocket Folder to store and organize class handouts and materials

Course Requirements:

  1. Attendance: Every effort should be made to attend class on a regular basis.  The class sessions are divided into both lecture/tutorial and studio/lab situations.  Lecture/tutorials and class critiques, as well as scheduled check-ins for progress reports and approvals are mandatory.  This valuable discussion, feedback, and work time is difficult to make up, therefore, three or more absences during the semester will be considered excessive.
  2. Required Texts: Visual Quickstart Guide Books, Peachpit Press
    Ulrich, Katherine. (2009). Flash CS4 Professional: Visual Quickstart Guide. Berkley, CA: Peachpit Press.
  3. Timeliness of Projects: Course projects are modeled after professional practices, thus meeting project deadlines is essential.  Late work will be penalized one grade per day, up to two class periods. No work will be accepted after two class periods past due.  Computer glitches and problems are not acceptable excuses for late work.
  4. Class Critiques: Projects will be critiqued on specified days, as a class.  Students will be required to attend and present work at class critiques.  Professional dress is requested and will be rewarded. Critiques may be photographed for archival purposes with Art Department and Design Area of Concentration.

Brief Course Outline:

  1. Introduction to Interactive Interface Design and User Experience
  2. Introduction to the Flash Design Environment
  3. Working with Text and Import Images
  4. Symbols and Libraries
  5. Animation: Understanding Motion and Tweening
  6. Animation: Frame-by-Frame Animation
  7. Basic Interactivity: Static and Animated Buttons
  8. Basic Interactivity: Navigation using ActionScripting
  9. Adding Sound and Video (Movie Clips)
  10. Publishing Flash Movies

Grading – Total 100 pts

100 – 90 pts         =            A (Excellent/Above Average)
89 – 80 pts           =            B (Satisfactory/Average)
79 – 70 pts            =            C (Below Average/Not Displaying Marketable Skills)
69 – 60 pts            =            D (Wasted Time)
59 and below        =            F (Virtually impossible unless you just don’t turn in any work)