Instructor Information

Adjunct Professor Dan Fergus (call me “Fergus”)

Adjunct Office: F3380 (Totino)
Spring Office hours: Mon, Wed: 9am–10:30am
E-mail : dcfergus[at]unwsp.edu (or) use this form

Meeting Times

M/W/F 12:45pm–1:50pm, Totino F3351

Course Description

A course introducing and refining skills in design software. Practical applications are explored in the areas of page layout, design and typography. Through a series of structured projects, students gain depth in understanding and using InDesign. Emphasis is placed upon technical proficiency.

• Credits: 2
• Prerequisite: none

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to :

• Demonstrate abilities to operate the core functions of the Adobe InDesign CC (Creative Cloud) software application through the completion of tutorials and project work.
• Produce creative work projects, begun in a sketchbook and further developed through digital tools.
• Participate in studio critiques and academic reviews of graphic work from the class and within professional contexts.
• Complete tutorial quizzes and construct a final exam measuring technical proficiency in vocabulary, design strategies, and software

Course Structure

This is a very hands-on, and labor-intensive class; you will spend the majority of your time creating designs—mostly on the computer, but not exclusively. In addition, we will devote a fair amount of time to in-class lessons, critiques and discussions. Although you will have some time in class to work on projects, expect to spend several hours each week working outside of class in order to successfully complete the assignments.

Required Texts

• InDesign CC Essential Training (2017). Found on Lynda.com and accessed free of charge through many public library portals
• Lupton, E. (2010). Thinking With Type, second revised, expanded edition.
  Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN: 978-1568989693
• Lupton, E. (2008). Indie Publishing, Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 978-1568987606

Other Required Materials

• Pencils (a range of leads is preferred)
• Notebook (for taking notes in class)
• Sketchbook and/or tracing paper (for idea generation)
• 8+ gig USB thumb drive Cloud Storage

May Be Needed

• Ink pens
• Metal Ruler with cork back
• X-Acto knife
• Glue sticks (I hate spray mount).

Lynda.com Tutorials

There isn’t a specific InDesign textbook for the course, but resources are available to assist students as they learn the program. Video tutorials published by Lynda.com are available to students through the Ramsey County Public Library. One series of segments, InDesign CC Essential Training, is required viewing for the course; the others are recommended. The link to the Library is: http://www.rclreads.org/research/lyndacom. You will need a Ramsey County library card to access the materials. Contact the instructor if you have trouble accessing these tutorial videos.

Lynda.com Course Names

• InDesign CC Essential Training (required) (6 hr, 42 min)
• InDesign CC New Features (3 hr 21 min)
• InDesign CC Interactive Documents (5 hr, 11 min)
• InDesign Typography (8 hr, 20 min)

Tutorials are available on-line only. Ideally, students study the tutorials:

• on a computer in the classroom outside of scheduled class-times,
• in concert with the particular software demonstrated also open,
• with plenty of willingness to pause the video and apply the knowledge,
• with headphones, as to avoid a cacophony of distraction for others,
• in sequence, by the deadline and with full attention.

The final for the course will involve the creation of an InDesign file which will draw its content from the readings, tutorial, and class demonstrations.

Due Dates

All assignments with a stated deadline are due on the date and at the time specified and no later. Assignments turned-in late will lose points for every day they are late (unless I give you an extension due to extenuating circumstances). This grade reduction is roughly 10% per week. All work must be turned in by the end of the final scheduled class.

Grades

Project grades and comments (where applicable) will be posted to Moodle. It is the student's responsibility to check Moodle and review his/her grades. If a grade of "0" (zero) is listed, it is most likely because I did not received the project, or it is largely incomplete. It is the student's responsibility to make sure his/her work has been completed and received by the instructor.

Evaluation

Evaluations and grades will be determined by:

• Fulfilment of the objectives of the assignment
• Aesthetics (composition, use of design elements and principles, use of typography, etc.)
• Concept development
• Time spent and effort
• Craftsmanship
• Personal improvement over the semester

The grade scale is as follows:

• A (90-100%)—Achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet the project requirements. Reserved for excellence.
• B (80-89)—Achievement that is above the level necessary to meet the project requirements.
• C (70-79)—Achievement that meets the project requirements.
• D (60-69)—Achievement that is worthy of some credit even though it fails to fully meet the project requirements.
• F (59 ≥)—Failure to meet even minimal requirements either in quality or level of commitment.

Resubmissions

During the term, students may redo and resubmit any project that has been graded and returned. Final projects, and any projects not graded by the end of the term may not be redone.

If the resubmitted piece improves on the original project, a new (better) grade will be posted in place of the old grade. Redone work that is of equal or lesser quality will not be penalized (the grade will remain the same). Note that points lost do to lateness can not be made-up.

Web Resources

Course content, assignments, schedules, supplementary resources, and this syllabus are available through the Moodle site. Students should check the Moodle site at least 2-3 times each week, preferably prior to each class session. Many assignments are available exclusively on-line. Students who do not directly engage with the course site will likely fail this course.

Note that new assignments, readings, and other resources will appear/become available on Moodle throughout the term; for example—just because you don't see an assignment listed for a given week now does not mean there won't be one once that week rolls around. Be vigilant.

Student Responsibilities

Students are responsible for reading, understanding and appropriately following this course syllabus, other course materials, and instructions from the professor.

Students are expected to come to class with the appropriate materials to participate every day; this includes a notebook, art supplies, and whatever additional materials are required to complete the in-class assignment. Students are also expected to perform in-class activities with rigor. If you come to class without the appropriate materials, and are therefore unable to work on the current project in class, you will be considered “absent” and marked accordingly.

It is expected that all students will work to create a positive classroom situation. Toward that end, students will clean up after themselves, be respectful of the artwork created and shown, and be supportive of fellow students. Students will also be respectful and courteous toward their fellow classmates and the instructor.

Additionally, students are responsible for all college policies that pertain to them as found in the college catalog and student handbook. Digital university catalogs and the student handbook can be obtained on the ROCK.

Disruptive Technology in Class

While this class uses technology in a number of ways in both the process and the creation of final solutions, the presence of technology can be distracting. We have but a short time together to cover a great deal of content; presentations and project work-time demand your complete attention. Do not distract yourself or your colleagues with outside influences. Silence your phone before class begins. If your phone rings in my class, I get to answer it. Do not use your time in the classroom to update your profile, text, surf, use social media, play games, email or do work for other courses—whether it be on your phone or on a computer.

Earbuds/headphones

Students are not allowed to wear earbuds or other headphones during lectures, critiques, nor discussions. If I see you wearing any, I will confiscate them. However, students are permitted to use earbuds and/or headphones to listen to music while working on creative projects in class (drawing, painting, designing on the computer, etc.) as long as I don't otherwise disallow it. If you are unsure whether or not it is an appropriate time to use earbuds, ask me.

Plagiarism

To plagiarize is “to steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one’s own” (Webster’s Dictionary). In addition to outright copying from another source with an intent to deceive, plagiarism can also be:

• Failure to use quotation marks or properly formatted block quotes when quoting;
• Failure to make a thorough paraphrase when attempting to put the idea in one’s own words;
• Failure to give the source of the information quoted.

I—and the university—take plagiarism very seriously. Students found to have plagiarized material from another source (including other students) will at the very least receive a failing grade on the assignment with no opportunity to make it up. In addition, if I feel the transgression is serious enough, the culpable student will be given an immediate “F” for the class. Furthermore, that student will be subject to additional disciplinary action from the university (probation, or even suspension). For more information on the university policies regarding plagiarism, see the Northwestern Student Handbook.

Any student who aids another student in an act of plagiarism—allowing the fellow student to copy his or her work without citation, for example—will also be penalized for cheating and receive an “F” for the project, and possibly an immediate failing grade for the course.

CAPSS/DOSS ADA Statement

UNW students requesting academic accommodations in association with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are directed to notify the Disabilities Office for Support Services (DOSS) immediately to begin the application process. CAPSS also provides the following: writing and subject tutoring, advocating, transitional skill building, academic coaching (organization, time management, test taking, etc.).

Contact CAPSS for more information: CAPSS@unwsp.edu, or 651-628-3241, or room N4232 [Revised 8/17]