here are 29 lecture sessions planned for this course. Below you can see that schedule, along with a brief description of each session’s participation work and key deadlines. For complete information on deadlines for J365, please refer to the Canvas site — especially as this schedule is subject to change based on our progress; any changes will be announced in advance.
Unit Zero: Getting started
In addition to discussing “good” design, typography nuts-and-bolts and image use, we’ll introduce InDesign and Photoshop to set copy and edit images.
- Mon.
- Jan. 13
- Introductions
ID Zero: InDesign tools and interface
- Wed.
- Jan. 15
- The 10 Rules of Good Design
InDesign’s building blocks
- Mon.
- Jan. 20
- MLK
No class today!
- Wed.
- Jan. 22
- Typography ABCs
The nuts and bolts of setting type effectively
- Mon.
- Jan. 27
- Image issues
Photoshop cutouts and crops / Quiz 1
Unit One: Layout
You’ll use InDesign to format text, create style sheets, import and edit images and build layouts based on grids and hierarchical structure. You’ll branch into Photoshop and Illustrator to create cutouts and alternative storyforms for your magazine layout.
- Wed.
- Jan. 29
- Grids
Placing images and wrapping text
- Mon.
- Feb. 3
- Modular Design
Blocking out pages
- Wed.
- Feb. 5
- News design
Fine-tuning placement and alignment
- Mon.
- Feb. 10
- Front Pages
Award-winning designs
- Wed.
- Feb. 12
- Front pages past
Works in progress / Quiz 2
Deadline: Project 1 (Front Page) due at 12:45 on Monday, Feb. 17
- Mon.
- Feb. 17
- Magazines
Creating cover designs
- Wed.
- Feb. 19
- Principles of Design
Creating opening spreads
- Mon.
- Feb. 24
- Compositional strategies
Creating inside spreads
- Wed.
- Feb. 26
- Speaking with Type
Creating expressive typography
- Mon.
- March 3
- Color
Mixing and combining colors
- Wed.
- March 5
- ASF
Designing FOB content
- Mon.
- March 10
- Magazines past
Works in progress / Quiz 3
Deadline: Project 2 (Magazine) due at 12:45 on Wednesday, March 12
Unit Two: Illustration
You’ll learn basic drawing and imaging skills in Illustrator and Photoshop, respectively. You will learn to use drawing tools, create effects and illustrate with type, culminating in an original poster design to advertise an event or product.
- Wed.
- March 12
- The poster
Exploring layers and tools in Photoshop
- Mon.
- March 17
- Spring Break
No class this week!
- Wed.
- March 19
- Spring Break
No class this week!
- Mon.
- March 24
- Process
Conception and sketching
- Wed.
- March 26
- A Moment To Review
Creating and assembling poster elements
- Mon.
- March 31
- Texture
Integrating visuals
- Wed.
- April 2
- Posters past
Works in progress
Deadline: Project 3 (Poster) due at 12:45 on Monday, April 7
Unit Three: Graphics
In this brief unit, we will explore Adobe Illustrator’s charting functions, and how to use the program to create and style an information graphic. We will also take a brief look at using Excel to make calculations to reveal compelling data.
- Mon.
- April 7
- Information graphics
The display of quantitative information
- Wed.
- April 9
- Working with data
Making calculations in Excel
- Mon.
- April 14
- Graphics text
Writing and styling text elements in graphics
- Wed.
- April 16
- Graphics style
Creating graphics packages / Quiz 4
Deadline: Project 4 (Infographic) due at 12:45 on Monday, April 21
Unit Four: Web Design
In our final unit, you’ll learn some fundamental HTML coding for your content and use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to style your final project: a personal web page, showcasing your J365 work, which you will publish via IU’s Pages service.
- Mon.
- April 21
- Web Basics
Building and saving out assets for screens
- Wed.
- April 23
- HTML
Creating markup and targeting elements
- Mon.
- April 28
- CSS introduction
Web page structure and flow
- Wed.
- April 30
- CSS customization
Color, typography, positioning and publishing / Last Quiz
Deadline: Project 5 (Website) due at 11:59PM on Monday, May 5