Grade Announcement

Assignment 1 grades are announced on the OASIS system. (İbrahim Cansızoğlu's sections)

Assignment 2

In your second assignment you are supposed to prepare a short video using iMovie.
You are expected to use a track by Philip Glass in order to make your video. The video is expected to be in harmony with the music.

The Work Process

Step 1: Preparation
What you will do in the first place is to choose a song of Philip Glass, the acclaimed minimalist composer/performer. Then you are supposed to listen to the song several times until you feel and sense what the song tells you. This way you can decide what you will shoot with your video camera when you go out for recording your city images.

Step 2: Production
In this step you are ready to go out to shoot your images. You will record daily images of the city. You will put landscapes, people and other things that define the city for you with your camcorder.

Step 3: Post Production
You will prepare your videos using iMovie. So far you have learned how to use the tools, how to modify and edit your clips. It is now time to put them altogether. Try to achieve something within the limits of your current iMovie abilities. You will get constant feedback during this phase in the studio classes. What is expected from you is to make a video accompanying the song of Philip Glass with its rhythm. The images on screen should be representing the inner rhythm of the song.

Step 4: Presentation
You will present your work in the desired format on the specified deadline.
With this assignment you are supposed to hand in a DVD including your video. The video should be prepared in iMovie. The video should be in .mov format. Other formats are not accepted. Videos should only be presented on a DVD. Works sent by e-mail will not be accepted.
The following information should be included on the ending credits of your video. The same information should also be noted down on the package of the DVD.
- Name and surname
- Student number
- Section
- Name of the song
- Course code
- Year 2010
The videos should start with fade in, and should end with fade out.

Deadlines
You are supposed to submit your work on June 04, 2010. Deadline will not be extended.

Assignment 1

In your first assignment you are supposed to prepare an album cover design using Adobe Photoshop alongside a CD sticker and a research paper.

A list of songs is provided and you are supposed to choose a song from the list. The songs on the list are associated with several contemporary art and design movements. You are expected to interrogate these movements in refining your work on style. The song and the associated movement will be your guide in dealing with the problems of composition, color, visual balance and harmony.

The songs and the associated movements are as follows:

Surrealism

Beatles Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds

Beatles I’m the Walrus

Beatles Strawberry Fields

Minimalism

Philip Glass The Kiss

Tangerine Dream Love on a Real Train

Pink Floyd Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun

Pop Art

Michael Jackson Live Me Alone

Kylie Minogue Confide in Me

Lady Gaga Telephone

Punk

Sex Pistols Anarchy in UK

Victims Television Addict

Chicks on Speed feat. Peaches We Don’t Play Guitars

The list above does not assume that the artists or groups were directly associated with that specific movement. Yet their works can be considered within the context of these styles.

The Work Process

Step 1: Research

What you will do in the first place is to choose a song from the list. Then you are supposed to follow the lectures on the associated contemporary art or design movement. In the lectures a short history of the movement and the fundamental elements of style in these movements will be explained. Additional information and readings will be uploaded on the course blog. You are supposed to deepen your understanding of the visual style of your choice through further research.

Step 2: Conceptualization

In this step you are ready to bring together what you have gathered so far. You will collect the images you will work with, you will develop an idea about the typographical style, composition and color palette of your work.

Step 3: Preparation

You will prepare your posters using Adobe Photoshop. So far you have learned to how to use tools, how to modify and transform your images, how to use filters, different layer styles and layer blending modes. It is now time to put them altogether. Try to achieve something within the limits of your current Photoshop using abilities. You will get constant feedback during this phase in the studio classes.

Step 4: Presentation

You will present your work in the desired format on the specified deadline.

In the following part we addressed several general questions you may have about the assignment.

Q: I have chosen my song and the visual style I want to work on. Should I follow the other lectures on visual art movements?

A: Yes. The lectures are organized in a progressive fashion. The questions of balance, space, composition and color will be covered in all lectures. Different styles will be compared and contrasted to address your practical questions. So, please do follow all the lectures.

Q: I did not like any of the songs on the list. Can I choose another one?

A: The songs are chosen to fulfill a definite purpose. Not all of them are directly related with the visual style under which they are categorized; yet they can be conceived together. Sticking with the choices on the list will help you to avoid dealing with more complex design problems. Choosing a different song may make your job harder since you might be expected to do your research on your own. If you are insistent on choosing a different song please see your instructor.

Q: The examples you have shown to demonstrate the visual styles in question are very much complex and with my current Adobe Photoshop abilities I can’t do the same. What should I do?

A: You are not expected to copy a work or do the same. You are expected to understand the basic dynamics of each style. Your work will be in line with that style it won’t be a exact demonstration of it. This is a good place to start for a designer since referencing your work to an established movement will help to spur your creativity. As the process develops you will find your own voice.

Technical Requirements

1. Use your photograph/s

You are supposed to use one of the photographs you have taken in your assignment. The aim is to test your photograph manipulation abilities on Adobe Photoshop. The photograph might be the basis of your final design or you may choose to position your photograph to a secondary position in your composition. It’s up to you.

Work size

Since you are preparing an album cover your final design should fit on to a CD case. Measure the dimensions of the CD case you will prepare and set your work size on Adobe Photoshop accordingly.

Presentation

With this assignment you are supposed to hand in three items:

1. Album cover (fitting in front of the CD case)
2. Album CD with a sticker on it (only the song you have chosen should be burned on the CD) You do not have to design your CD sticker separately. You may use some part of your design in the album cover. Yet your CD should have a sticker on it.
3. Research document: This document will be in the essay format (min. 250 max. 500 words) In your research paper you will explain how did you tackle with the design problems your have faced. How did you set the composition, decide on color palette, choose your photography and so on.

Deadlines

You are supposed to submit your work within the last week of April in your registered class hour. Deadline will not be extended.

MCS 102 SYLLABUS

MCS 102 GRAPHICS AND DESIGN IN COMMUNICATION

SPRING 2009 SYLLABUS

Objectives

The main goal of this course is to teach the students the necessary skills in creating audio-visual material using Mac softwares. The course also aims to introduce fundamental concepts in communication design through providing a theoretical background in visual theory. This practice based course is designed for the students preparing for a future career in media industries. The course is organized around three interconnected modules. The first module is on photography. In this module, students are expected to learn how to shoot, import and edit photographs using appropriate softwares. Basic theoretical knowledge on photography will also be provided. The second module of the course will be on graphics and design. Students are expected to use Adobe Photoshop to complete a poster assignment at the end of this module. In the third module, students are expected to learn the fundamentals of creating moving images. They will import and edit their shootings using iMovie. By the end of this module, they are expected to complete a short moving image exercise. Throughout the course visual theory, question of style and fundamental principles of visual design will be discussed around examples from contemporary design, photography and film. Students’ competency in using softwares and audio-visual equipments and their ability to consolidate both the theoretical and practical knowledge in several tasks will be tested with several assignments. By these assignments, students are expected to show their gained technical skills as well as their creativity.

Textbook

Heid, Jim; The Macintosh iLife’06, Berkeley: Peachpit Press, 2006.

References

Adobe Creative Team; Adobe Photoshop CS Classroom in a Book, San Jose: 2004.

Berger, John; Ways of Seeing, Penguin, 1990.

Fiell, Charlotte & Peter; Graphic Design for the 21st Century, Taschen, 2005.

Mirzoeff, Nicholas (ed.); The Visual Culture Reader, New York: Routledge, 2002.

Ocvirk, Otto G. et al.; Art Fundamentals: Theory and Practice, McGraw-Hill, 2001.

Thompson, Roy; Grammar of the Edit, Oxford: Focal Press, 1993.

Murch, Walter; In the Blink of an Eye, California: Silman-James Press, 2001.

* Articles other than the ones noted in the syllabus may be handed in class as needed.

Grading

Course grades will be determined primarily by students’ performance on pop quizzes, two (2) assignments, and participation. Percentage distributions are as follows:

Attendance and participation 10%

Pop Quizzes 10%

Assignment 1 40%

Assignment 2 40%

Course Outline

Week One Introduction to Communication

t. Visual Communication

p. Mac Intro.

Week Two Photography

t. Basics of Photography & Visual Meaning

p. Mac Intro.

ann. Taking pictures

Week Three Photography

p. Importing Photos & iPhoto

Week Four Photo Editing

t. Color, Light

p. Adobe Photoshop/Basic Photo Editing

ann. Assignment 1

Week Five Basics of Design: Typography

p. Adobe Photoshop/Type Tool

Week Six Basics of Design: Space

p. Adobe Photoshop/Layers

Week Seven Basics of Design: Style

p. Adobe Photoshop/Using Effects

Week Eight Basics of Design: Assignment studio class

p. Feedbacks on assignments

Week Nine Moving Image: Basics

p. How to use camera

ann. Assignment 2

Submission of Assignment 1

Week Ten Moving Image: Making the Meaning

Screenings

Week Eleven Moving Image: Frame Sizes, Shots

p. Importing images to iMovie

Week Twelve Moving Image: Editing Principles

p. iMovie/Sequence

Week Thirteen Moving Image: Editing Techniques

p. iMovie/Exporting, Audio track

Week Fourteen Moving Image: Presentation

p. iDVD

Week Fifteen Summary of the Semester

Submission of Assignment 2

Assignments

Assignments constitute the main body of this course. After each set of lectures organized around the particular software students are expected to complete an assignment. Students will be able to show their computer skills as well as their creative potential with these assignments. Assignment submission dates are noted in the syllabus. Students are expected to conform these strict due dates. Late work will never be accepted.

Rules
Attendance is required at all times. Note that in Izmir University of Economics attendance to class hours is obligatory, which means that less than 80% of class attendance to the lectures directly results in NA grade.

Office Hours
İbrahim Cansızoğlu: Wednesday 16:30-17:20, Friday 13:30-14:20

Office at Dormitory Building Z 22

Email: ibrahim.cansizoglu@ieu.edu.tr

Tuna Yılmaz: Contact through e-mail

Email: tunayilmaz@tunayilmaz.com

Notes

The content of the syllabus can be changed by the instructors at any time by informing the related department’s head. The students are supposed to be aware of the facts and notices written on the syllabus.