Project Two!

the legendary designer lecture poster project begins.... 

Investigate the process and work of a designer to inform and inspire your own work

 OBJECTIVES

> Explore typographic and graphic hierarchy

> Investigate the process and work of a designer to inform and inspire your own work

> Create a poster that will visually engage your audience and raise interest for the event

DESCRIPTION

Explore typographic and graphic hierarchy through the design of a poster announcing a hypothetical design lecture at KCAI. The goal is to visually represent the designer’s approach to their work, not to copy their style. We will discuss this at length throughout the project. 

PROCESS (details to be posted daily to the course blog)

1. Research your designer in the library and online, collecting images representative of their work, quotes (from the designer or others) representative of their ideology, philosophy and influence as well as historical, biographical information. Make sure to take notes and cite all of your sources. Develop an understanding of why they are well-known or respected so you can share that information with the rest of class. 

2. Photograph. After you’ve done your research, go to Vanderslice Hall and photograph it from your designer’s perspective: How would they look through the lens? What would be important to them to illuminate: inside or outside, detail/micro or aggregate/macro, somewhere in between, or both? The lecture will be taking hypothetical place in Epperson Auditorium.

3. Presentations. Assemble your research and photos into a presentation to give to the whole class. This will be projected, and you will talk us through your research to give us a picture of your designer. Keynote is required. Put your photos at the end of the presentation and tell us why you shot what you did. Name your files like this: T2P2_yourlastname_designerslastname and put them in my dropbox before class. 

4. Hierarchy Exercises. Working in InDesign at 5 x 8 size, create 30 hierarchy compositions, 5 of each of the following: leading, indent, weight/style, scale, orientation, freestyle. 

5. More Hierarchy Exercises. Create 25 more exercises exploring type placement along different axial systems, 5 of each: single axis, angled axis, multiple vertical axes, crossed axis, free axis. Within these new compositions, freely mix and use the previous text styling requirements as you wish. Create five each of the following examples of axial alignment. Your axis lines are for orientation only, do not include them in the compositions. Draw your axis lines and put them on a separate locked layer for reference. 

6. 24 x 36 Posters. Using your best exercises as sketches, integrate an image of Vanderslice into the compositions. Consider color: How does your designer deal with color? How can you use your color theory to create striking type/image contrast or complements? Keep in mind that introducing an image into the mix will alter your type compositions. Consider type: How does your designer deal with typography? Change typeface and composition from the initial exercises as you see fit.