DSA201 Design Fundamentals

Lecturer: Pat Lai

Creative Poster Design

Course overview
This course develops the students creativity, design language and digital skills to create
meaningful, attractive and communicative images. Students will come to understand
contemporary industrial practices for the creation of poster prints as well as have an
opportunity to be introduced to Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop software skills.

Course Objectives
Creativity
Design a creative yet practical posters for the target audience/s.

Design Theory and Design Asethetic
Application of typography, colours, layout and grid.

Production Skills
Ability to manipulate photo, text treatment and basic printing production knowledge.


Assignements
1. Process Journal 40%
2. Written Rationale 20%
3. Final Studio Project 40%

Process Journal (A4)
Records all creative ideas from concept to final execution.
Documents Mind-maps and captures the students investigation process.
Gathering of research materials that consist of graphic references and theoretical
references.
Initial, developing sketches to final design of poster design.
Test prints of poster design.


Written Rationale (A4)
800 to 1200 words rationale.
Indicates WHO, WHY, WHAT and HOW.

a) Who is/are the target audiences? Why?
b) What and who artist/designer reference are used? Why?
c) What design application is used? Why? How?
d) What are the design problems faced?
e) What are the design experiences gained from this project?

Credits of all photos used
Research materials applied








Final Studio Project
(A)One A3 Logo Presentation Board
One 100% Colour Logo
One 100% Black and White Logo
Size Variation from 10%, 30%, 50%, 80%, 100%) both colour and b/w logos.
Logo Description.


(B) Three A3 Poster Design
Poster must be printed in high quality finishing. Neat, sharp fonts and images. Poster
must consist of title, images, bodycopy and logo.


Project Background
Our world faces many environmental and social issues such as pollution, littering, youth
alcohol abuse, poverty, depression and suicide etc.

You are an appointed designer for an organization that deals with one of these issues
(you can select something that is close to your own heart)

You are required to design 3 posters to educate and create awareness based on your
chosen social issue.

This task encourages a high order of thinking that will challenge your skills of visual
communication by translating emotional and situational information onto a visual
platform. Students will need to harness the 21
st
Century skill of empathy to see,
understand and visually speak about your chosen issue. It could be something as close to
you as occurrences in your community or neighbourhood or situations happening
globally.

Logo
You are invited to design a new logo for the association that tackled today social issues.

Poster
Design 3 A3 posters to create awareness and educate your target audiences on your
chosen social issue.

Deadlines
Logo 17th Sept (Wed) -6
th
Lesson
Posters 29 Nov (Wed)


Course Outline

Lesson Topic Activites
1 Course Introduction Creativity Exercise
Project Brief Discussion Logo Design Exercise

2 Effective Logo Design Idea Discussion (Group) and Development
Logo Design Sketches Research Materials Discussion

3. Adobe Illustrator-Logo Design Logo Finalising Sketch
Logo Sketches

4. Colours & Its applications Colour scheme and its mood.
Developing Logo Sketches

5. Typography What is Typography?
Dos and Donts in Typography
Typography and its applications
Finial Logo Design with B/W & Colours


6. Grids and Layout Types of grids and its applications.
Submit Logo Design

7. Concept Development Developing of an idea
Ideas Discussion

8. Adobe Photoshop Photo Manipulation
Poster Sketches

9. Discussion of Work Development Development Sketches of Poster

10. Discussion of Work Developement Finalising Poster Design


11. Discussion of Work Development A3 Poster Colour Testprints


12. Submission and Presentation Submit all project items.
Individual presentation of owns work.
Critique Session-Questions will be asked by class
and lecturer to evaluate their overall work.


Reading Materials

1. creativebloq.com/tag/Graphic-design

2. design.tutsplus.com/articles/16-great-graphic-design-blogs-and-sites--psd-3276

3. Bryony Gomez-Palacio & Armin Vit (2009), Graphic Design Referenced

4. The Thames and Hudson Manual of Typography by Ruari McLean

5. Typography Today by Artpower, 2009